Installing In-Wall Speakers - A General Guideline

Cutting The Holes for In-Wall Speakers

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IMPORTANT NOTE! Not all In-Wall speakers install in the same way. These instructions are a general guideline. The Speaker Guys are NOT responsible for you messing up your walls or personal injury

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Architectural/Construction Issues

Although you can install In-wall speakers in plaster/lathe walls, most of you will encounter drywall (or “wallboard”) construction in which 5/8” sheets of drywall material are fastened to 2” x 4” vertical wood studs located at 16” intervals behind the wallboard. (Note that some local construction codes mandate metal studs. Check with your local government’s building authority.)

The following suggestions assume that you’re installing your In-Wall speakers in an existing home. If you’re building a new home, your contractor or architect should make all the provisions you’ll need for In-Wall or In-Ceiling speakers. Be aware, however, that it’s often difficult to determine proper speaker placement before you’re actually living in the space.

Tools Required

• Stud Finder
• Drywall saw
• Screwdriver
• Pencil
• Common Sense (hire a professional if you're not handy!)
  

Safety First when cutting holes for In-Wall speakers

When you’re selecting final placement for your In-Wall Speakers, first determine where the studs are. Don’t “bet the farm” on always finding them on 16” intervals. Use a stud-finder and mark the location of all studs near your preferred speaker placement position in light pencil.

Make sure you won’t be cutting into or through electrical wires, plumbing, or ductwork when you cut the holes for your speakers. First, cut a small test hole and use a flashlight to check for any obstructions.

• Leave at least 1” of space between the edges of the hole you intend to cut for the speakers and any stud. This leaves room for the cam locks that MAY be used to attach the speaker to the drywall material.

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IMPORTANT NOTE! Not all In-Wall speakers install in the same way. These instructions are a general guideline. The Speaker Guys are NOT responsible for you messing up your walls or personal injury.

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After you’ve picked out your speaker locations, use the template/paint shield that came with your In-Wall speakers to mark that location.

• Place the template carefully so that it outlines the exact spot the speaker will occupy after installation.
• Do not “eyeball” the template location. Use a measuring tape and level to carefully line up the template.
• Once you’ve located the template precisely, you can use short lengths of tape to hold it in position.
  
• Using a soft pencil, carefully draw a line around the inner edge of the template. This will mark the cutout you will make in the drywall.

Once the hole is marked:

• Place a tarp or drop cloth under the location before you start cutting.
• Use a drywall saw to carefully cut along the lines you’ve just drawn.
• You can either “punch through” the drywall material with the saw or drill a small hole at one corner of the cutout to place the blade accurately.
• When you’ve finished, remove the cut-out rectangle.
• With lengths of 1” wide masking tape, seal the exposed edges of the drywall material so that the tape overlaps the front and rear sides of the hole you’ve just made.

Now that you’ve made the hole check your manual for installing the In-Wall speaker in the hole. Some speakers require a bracket while some will simply be placed in the wall and secured in place with screws from the front of the speaker which cause a bracket to tighten against the inside of the wallboard.