Hi all,
I need to reroute a cable that is currently under my (awful) chipboard floor. Is the best way of doing this to attempt to lift the chipboard slabs or to cut them where the cable is and then replace? And if cutting is best, what's the tool of choice?
Antony
Look for the thread with subject "Downlight Installation Access" here earlier this week, which covered this.
They probably won't lift easily; they are usually tongued-and-grooved at the edges and interlocked together (not to mention going under skirting boards, partition walls etc).
A circular saw with the depth set to exactly the depth of the chipboard is one way; but watch out for nails/screws and any pipes/cables in notches in the joists. If you cut directly above and along the joists, there will be something for the two cut chipboard edges to bear on when you replace the chipboard panel later, but that's more risky in terms of hitting obstructions.
David
Trend do a routing jig that allows you to cut access points in chipboard floors. They also sell inserts that convert the piece cut out of the centre into a lid for the hole you have cut. If you can manage to run your cable between such access points, it will be the neatest solution.
Colin Bignell
nightjar Trend do a routing jig that allows you to cut access points in chipboard
Trend Routabout:
Andrew
Cut at an angle with a jigsaw, so that when you put the bit back down, it don't fall through the 'ole.
Hopefully it glues back flush, but if not use a gap filling glue like no more bollocks, or car body fillah, and tamp it down flush when finished.
Some likes to use hole cutters, but the bits always fall through afterwards for me.
Just bodge it sensibly, and glue it back afterwards is the rule here. Nothing too fancy.
Yep.
It's a perfect solution for this problem.
I simply cut a hole with a jig saw and then put battens underneath the chipboard (screwed to joists or under the remaining floor) to support the cut out piece when it's replaced. It's much cheaper than the special bits you need for a Trend Routabout and square holes are often more convenient.
Do you actually need to access it? If you are rerouting it somewhere else you could leave the old cable where it is and run a new cable.
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