Hiding TV wires on brick or concrete

On drywall, wires vanish into the cavity. Solid masonry has no cavity. That doesn't mean a brick wall has to have cables hanging down it — it means choosing a different route.

1. A cord cover, placed with care

The most common answer. A slim channel fixed to the brick with masonry screws, running straight down from the TV.

To make it look intentional:

• Paint it to match the brick or the mortar.
• Follow a mortar line where the layout allows; the channel then reads as part of the pattern.
• Keep it short by putting a console or shelf directly below.
• Fix it with screws, not adhesive — tape doesn't hold on brick.

Our cord-cover option is $39; more tips in the cord cover guide.

2. Go out the side

Many brick fireplaces sit inside a framed, drywalled wall, or have a framed chase next to the masonry. If the TV is near the edge of the brick, cables can run a short distance sideways behind the TV, enter the drywall beside the brick and travel down inside that cavity. From the front, nothing shows.

3. Go through the wall

On a single-thickness wall with a room, closet or garage behind it, cables can pass straight through a hole drilled in a mortar joint and run down the other side. Seal the hole, and use cable rated for the job. This suits low-voltage cables; power should come from an outlet on the TV side or be handled by an electrician.

4. Use the mantel

Over a fireplace, a wooden mantel can hide a lot:

• route cables along the top of the mantel behind decor and down the side of the surround,
• or tuck a streaming device and a small surge strip on the mantel behind the TV's lower edge, so the only cable leaving is power.

Some mantels are hollow boxes that can conceal a cable run to one end.

5. Chase the masonry

A groove can be cut into the mortar or brick, the cable laid in conduit and the groove refilled. It's dusty, permanent and skilled work — worth it during a remodel, rarely for a retrofit. Power in a masonry chase is an electrician's and mason's job.

What about power?

The cleanest setups have an outlet on the brick behind the TV. Adding one means surface conduit or cutting masonry, by an electrician. Without it, the TV's power cord rides in the cord cover with the other cables, which is perfectly acceptable on the surface.

Fewer cables, less to hide

• Use the TV's built-in apps or a streaming stick on the back, so no HDMI cables leave the TV.
• Use Wi-Fi rather than Ethernet if the signal is good.
• A soundbar mounted directly under the TV keeps its cable inside the TV's footprint.

Often the only cable that has to travel is power.

Don't

• Don't staple cables into mortar joints with bare staples; they cut insulation.
• Don't run a power cord inside a chimney chase near the flue.
• Don't rely on adhesive clips on warm brick above a fireplace.

Heat

Above a working fireplace, keep cables off the hottest part of the brick and use the mantel as a shield. Background in the fireplace guide.

Brick or concrete mounting adds $40 to labor.