- Totally relate to the plaster wall struggle. I tried running ethernet once and ended up with a patchwork of little “oops” spots all over my hallway. At least it’s character, right?
- Mesh WiFi was supposed to be my magic fix too, but my 1920s house just eats signals. Ended up sticking one node in a closet because it was the only spot that worked. Not ideal, but at least I didn’t have to drill through the baseboards again.
- Painter’s caulk is basically my new best friend. I’ve gotten weirdly good at feathering out spackle with an old credit card.
- The vacuum tip is gold. Learned that the hard way after a fine layer of dust coated literally everything in my living room. Still finding it in corners months later.
- I get nervous every time I measure for a new smart switch or camera—like, what if I mess up and have to live with a crooked outlet forever? But honestly, most mistakes are fixable if you’re patient.
Has anyone tried those adhesive cable raceways or surface-mount boxes for smart home stuff? I keep seeing them online but I’m skeptical they’ll actually look decent, especially on textured walls. Or is it just worth biting the bullet and drilling anyway?
Adhesive raceways are a mixed bag, honestly. They’re fine for rentals or if you know you’ll want to move stuff later, but on textured plaster they never really sit flush—always looks a bit “afterthought.” I’ve seen them peel off in humid weather too. If you care about resale or long-term value, clean drilling and patching is usually the way to go. It’s more work upfront, but it pays off when you don’t have plastic strips running everywhere. Just my two cents from dealing with a lot of old houses... sometimes you gotta commit.
Yeah, totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve tried those stick-on raceways in a few places and they never really blend in, especially with older walls. If you’re already running smart home stuff everywhere, might as well do it right and hide the wires for good. It’s more hassle, but looks way cleaner in the end.
