best way to run cable along floor

[Pants]

In this recent office move I did, I set up an IP phone on a desk, and ran a cat5e cable from the phone to a closet near-by, in the same room as the desk. The cable is running along the wall, tucked against the corner, all the way to a closet that is at the end of the wall, and the cable runs under the door to the router in the closet. There's virtually no way to trip over it.

I used a few small pieces of duct tape to stabilize the cable on the floor, so it doesn't move away from the wall. But I was wondering what else can be used (instead of duct tape), in case I have to do something like this again. Conduit seems a little too much.

 

[Markverhyden]

Stuff like the below - search for cable cover or protector

 

[Pants]

That's perfect. thx

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Across floor...if you cannot avoid it, the pic above.
But you said along wall....I'd use surface channel run, ones with adhesive backing. Wicked cheap. Run it on the baseboard....or right above the baseboard.

 

[altrenda]

If you are forced to tape down cables, don't use Duct tape, you'll never get the adhesive off the cable.
Movie and TV companies use gaffers tape, which holds great but doesn't leave adhesive residue on cables when removed.

www.amazon.com/ProTapes-Pro-Gaffers-Adhesive-Thickness/dp/B00J4I9GNG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427413639&sr=8-1&keywords=gaffers+tape

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Tape of any kind is a sign of someone that doesn't know what they are doing. Gaffers tape is not the answer either as it dries out (12 years as a roadie speaking here). So is running the cable along the floor and under a door to a closet.

What type of ceiling is in the office? Unless this was a first floor office with a hard ceiling the cable should of be ran above the ceiling and down inside the wall to a wall plate and jack. You can use the type of cable protector that Mark V. posted, but be aware that they don't last long and almost always move around. You didn't say how the desk was positioned in the office. Against a wall or freestanding in the middle of the room.

 

[Pants]

Tape of any kind is a sign of someone that doesn't know what they are doing.

Hence the original question.

 

[altrenda]

,

Tape of any kind is a sign of someone that doesn't know what they are doing. Gaffers tape is not the answer either as it dries out (12 years as a roadie speaking here). So is running the cable along the floor and under a door to a closet.

Most of our installations are temporary, offices that are only there for 8 or 9 months in rented space, or in a trailer. Wiring up 4 desks in the middle of a room sometimes requires a cable to be run across the floor. It would be great to run a cable above the ceiling and drop it to the desks. although that looks bad as well, but it's not always possible.

Of course, if you run cable above a drop ceiling, you need to make sure the building owner doesn't require Plenum cable. More and more of the office space we use requires it if we run it overhead, which adds to the cost. And the landlords sometimes make us rip it out when we leave.

Nothing is cut and dried or always for everybody. In our world, there are cables running everywhere, power, data, phone, on the ground, along the walls and overhead. Some of it needs to be taped to prevent tripping.

 

[Pants]

,


Most of our installations are temporary, offices that are only there for 8 or 9 months in rented space, or in a trailer.

I think this is a really good point. The office I'm referring to is a room in my client's parent's home. I'm not sure what their plans are for the near future, so I thought running it along the floor would suffice for now.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Doesn't matter if it's temporary or permanent. There is a correct way to do it and all the other ways. There is a reason the state of California requires you to have at a minimum a C-7 Contractors license. Nothing in the NEC says it's okay to do it any old way because it's only temporary.

I have never found a building owner that required Plenum Cable in a non-Plenum space and even if I had found one, it doesn't change the proper way to do the job according to code.

 

[frederick]

100% what Mercenary said.

If it's temporary, and running the cable through the walls/ceiling, is not an option, then you have two options!

1. Floor Cable Covers (in-advisable for multiple runs down the center of the room)
2. Channel Runs (any will do)

Personally, I always prefer the channel runs. I can run them along the wall, the ceiling, but never use em on the floor. Baseboard is fine, but not across the floor. I use junction boxes for the termination on the outside of the wall (rather than in the wall), so the main run cables are always still protected. If need be, should the adhesive be having a hard time sticking, drywall screws due a pretty good job. Don't need many. Say an 8' solid piece (as in not made of multiple sections to make 8'), 3 should do the job. 1 on each end, and 1 in the middle.

As far as using tape, it is the wrong answer 100% of the time. Channel Runs are too cheap to do it any other way.

 

[Pants]

Across floor...if you cannot avoid it, the pic above.
But you said along wall....I'd use surface channel run, ones with adhesive backing. Wicked cheap. Run it on the baseboard....or right above the baseboard.

Where is a good place to get some exactly like above, with adhesive backing?

 

[Markverhyden]

Where is a good place to get some exactly like above, with adhesive backing?

Home Depot or Lowes carries that.

 

[Pants]

Excellent. That's what I was hoping for. I've got a reseller account set up with HD.