Based on a practical electrician's guide. This walk-through draws on "Super Satisfying Trunking, Domestic Electrics made easy - Electrician", which shows the whole process from measuring to clipping covers on. Good detail on cutting angles cleanly.
1. Choose the right trunking size
Trunking comes in a range of widths - 16 mm mini trunking is fine for a single TV aerial lead or a thin data cable, but if you are running two or three mains cables together, go to 25 mm or 38 mm. There is no official rule for domestic surface wiring, but the cable should sit in the channel comfortably with the lid clipping shut cleanly.
White PVC is the standard for rooms. Magnolia, brown or wood-effect trunking also exists and can look less obvious along old skirting boards.
2. Plan the route before you fix anything
Work out where the trunking will run end to end. Clip the cable loosely in place and step back to check it reads well before drilling a single hole. A run that drops an inch below a door frame stands out far more than you think.
Mark pencil lines at fixing points - roughly every 300 to 400 mm along a wall, and closer on corners where the trunking can pull away.
3. Cut the channel to length
A junior hacksaw or a fine-tooth mitre saw both work well. A sharp blade makes the difference between a clean edge and a rough one. Cut slowly and keep the blade square to avoid a jagged finish.
For 45-degree internal and external corners, most trunking kits include moulded corner pieces that snap on. If yours does not, you can mitre the trunking itself, though the corner pieces save a lot of fitting time.
4. Fix the base channel to the wall
Separate the lid from the base and fix the channel on its own. Use the correct fixings for the wall - brown wall plugs and 3.5 mm screws for brick or blockwork, proper plasterboard fixings if drilling into a stud wall. Plastic trunking is light, so you do not need enormous fixings, but they need to be solid.
On skirting boards, self-tapping screws directly into the timber work well and avoid the mess of drilling into the plaster behind.
5. Lay the cables in the channel
Run your cables from one end to the other before clipping the lid on - obviously, but easy to forget. Leave a little slack at each end in case connections need adjusting later.
Keep mains cables and data or aerial cables in separate trunking runs where you can. They can share trunking in an emergency, but mains current near signal cables can cause interference on screens and audio equipment.
6. Clip the cover on and fit corners
PVC trunking lids simply press on and snap into clips along the base. Work from one end and press firmly every 100 mm or so. If the lid bows or will not sit flat, check the base channel is not slightly bowed itself - a screw hole that pulled the channel can cause this.
Snap corner pieces into place last. They should clip cleanly over the join between two lengths.
7. Check every fixing point is tight
Run your hand along the finished trunking. Any section that moves or rocks means a fixing is loose or missing. It is much easier to sort now than when the wall has been repainted.
Cable trunking around skirting tends to get knocked occasionally - a loose length pops the lid off and looks shabby. A couple of extra fixings at each end costs nothing and saves the bother later.
When to call a handyman
Fitting trunking along skirting or walls is a DIY job for most people. Where it gets tricky is running cable inside trunking between sockets, or when the route passes through a wall cavity. If you are dealing with anything other than surface cables - or if the electrical side of the job is what is putting you off - ring Richard.
Need cable trunking fitted neatly?
Richard can run cables tidily along skirting, walls or ceilings in trunking - including TV aerial leads, network cables, and anything that has been trailing loose for too long.
Contact Richard