Customer Reviews

Wiremold CMK50 CordMate II Computer and Home Entertainment Cord Cover Kit, White

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wiremold has been around for years - although some electricans do use it in special situations, it is really intended for the homeowner to hide and mount cables on the wall (as opposed to in the wall like an electrician would) at a low cost for neatness (see my photo).

This product is the newer revision of the CMK210 which started out the flat screen/computer monitor/tv on wall mounting as it has enough channel space to hold 3 cables (TV, a/c power, computer e.g. HDMI) on the wall and still shut - internal dimentions of 7/8" x 3/8" accommodate most computer cables except those with RFI filters on them.

An alternative to the CMK50 is the CMK210 which has more joint pieces, like the T which I used for the AC plug to exit the wiremold and go into the outlet. Dimentionally, also the CMK210 gives you 3x4' pieces or 12 feet of channel while the CMK50 gives you 4x30 inches or 120 inches = 10 feet of channel, so you get some extra fittings and extra channel length in the cmk210. The amazon description of the cmk210 is off in that it gives a 1.2 x 2" channel size, in actuality the 210 and the 50 are almost identical in that they will hold 3 average size wires.

Another alternative for people who need more than 3 wires to their a/v on wall set is the cmk-30 which is a wide channel designed to hold many a/v cables between say an a/v rack and a wall mounted tv set.

Cautions for use:

The adhesive is really powerful once you peal the waxed paper - you have about 5 seconds before it's permanent on your painted surface, so a helper to hold a level plumb for vertical runs is nice to have. Also keep in mind that if you are running horizontally along the baseboard, while it may seem ideal to touch the baseboard, you need room for the joint clips which go over the outside - you can make a shim or you can just use the joint clips along the piece you are sticking to the wall to esure that there exists a gap sufficient to hold the various pieces between the wiremold ouside and the baseboard. These are not printed in the instructions, but having worked with their product now several times I found that you need to provide space for the clips or else you end up notching the baseboard or else breaking part of the clip that interferes and gluing it to the wiremold.

There is no hinge except the flexibility of the plastic, so don't plan to be opening/closing these channels often - they have a J hook that clips into a bead on the thin (3/8") side so closing is easy, just get it started and then run your fingers down the strip pressing it into the clip. Keep in mind if you ever plan to open this up, don't point the j-hook seam into the ground or a wall corner - point it up or into the room for access at a later date as things change. Opening it is somewhat tougher in that you have to undo the j hook by compressing the wiremold at one end, get a screwdriver or other instrument (putty knives work well) into the channel and separate it, working your way down the channel.

I can not overemphasize the importance of measure twice cut once - remember you get 4 30" pieces in this kit - if you cut carefully and strategically you will be able to use the waste piece in part of the run like around corners.

Once finished they can be painted but be sure not to get paint into the J-hook closure along the side because you will seal the channel (unless you want to seal it permanently then paint away!). Personally, I don't mind the white color but it is really your preference as to paint the surface or not.

Wiremold also sells the other fittings as separate parts, for example this kit does not include the T connector which is a great way to escape the wiremold channel neatly - as opposed to drilling holes in it which would look messy (I do drill a v notch on the back (sticky) side when I have a wire that has been run through the wall and is entering the wiremold, but I found that the best places to enter or exit are where there is a fitting such as a corner fitting which gives you more room than the channel does, especially in the -210 version.

So to sum it up -

For power/speaker cable, you get 10 feet with this kit the cmk-50 plus corner elbows
For wide channel with multiple (5+) cables you can use the cmk-30 a/v specialty
for a little longer system with more fittings and 2 extra feet the cmk-210 is almost identical to the cmk-50 (this one) but has the T connector, and on wall left/right fittings.

Do a little smart shopping with your measuring tape and read the product descriptions for wiremold products - they have been doing this for 2 decades+ now and have the method down for manufacturing. If you ensure the surface is free of dust and oil before sticking it it will hold as long as the wall is there but before pealing off the wax paper, mock up your entry and exit points with the provided clips and elbows so that you know where you need a tad extra gap for the fittings. I cut mine with a miter saw Hitachi C10FCE2 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw but you always make square cuts, so that's overkill - a hand hacksaw will work fine as will a sawzall, but using the high speed blade on the miter saw gives professional square cuts by slowly moving the blade through the channel, chipping small pieces. The only risk using power tools during cutting can crack the opposing side of the channel's plastic which I did trying to cut too fast- if you crack it, it mends well with shipping tape like amazon uses on the boxes they ship to you (clear).

Good luck with you neat cable project - patience, and measurement will ensure a perfect job when done. You will stand back and say it looks 1000 times better than the clutter of cables you had before.

This was exactly what I was looking for.

I have a TV on top of a corner fireplace, and needed a way to hide speaker wires that dangled off of both ends. The installation is easy, and the double stick tape on the back of the channels is really strong. There is a way to open the channel after you install it in case you want to add or remove wires, and supposedly you can paint it to better match, though I left mine plain white.

If you're looking to run some wires to avoid them dangling loosely this product works really well.

I purchased this product a few months ago, I was waiting to see if it really holds before I wrote my review. To my surprise it really does. I was a little sceptic but this is a really good product. I ran it across a room with twist and turn to conceal a satellite cable and till this day is still in position. It gives a nice and clean look to the room.

It was so easy to put this up on the wall. It has a sticky back, and it was perfect for the couple of cables we needed to hide.

This product is great! It is the easiest to use (no instructions required). It looks great! I can't even see it; It blends perfectly with my baseboard. What a huge difference this has made?! Everything looks so much cleaner...I'm going to order more!

All the other reviews are good representations of this product. I didn't know if I could finagle a way to get 5 wires into this unit, so I bought it and hoped for the best. Well, the answer is yes it can hold 5 cords. I have an HDMI, a power cord, a CAT 5, and two usb cords inside it. I would call all these cables average in their respective size. The HDMI isn't a jigantic one, nor is the power cord. If you were willing to spend the time trying to keep the cords aligned in a perfect way, I think you might be able to do 6 wires...

I had to run a network cable around the office and half way up the wall where it went through to the entertainment center which was built into the wall on the other side. This product fit the bill. It is easy to re-open if needed. It is paintable to match the wall. And it went together well. I used a dremmel to cut the sections up when needed. Very happy with this product.

We could only get this to hold 2 bundled cords and it only holds the cord part, not the plug (which is a critical issue if you are using an extension cord). Basically this is good for hiding a simple lamp or clock cord, certainly not practical for a TV entertainment cable/cord project.

great item for concealing speaker wires and cables !!!! looks fantastic and saves alot of space !! very easy to install....

Just peel the adhesive off and it sticks permanently to the wall or baseboard. It would be nice If it were a little wider. 2 Hdmi cables and a power cord are a real tight fit. It's perfect for hiding speaker wire and maybe a subwoofer cable, however. Overall a good product