What are these brackets and where would I find them online

May 26, 2021 9:04 AM

I'm trying to obscure some phone line along the baseboards of my new apartment and am curious what to call these little brackets - what are they and where might I find them online?

(The landlord is not clear on who put them there or what they're called etc)

posted by critzer to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

I believe those are "cable staples".
posted by hanov3r at 9:06 AM on May 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I think those are just wire staples? There's a special staple gun that is shaped to go around the wire and apply them.
posted by fritley at 9:08 AM on May 26, 2021

You might try searching for "cable mounting clips" to get a bunch of options.
posted by XtineHutch at 9:09 AM on May 26, 2021

Yeah, the cable guy has just stapled the cable to the wall.
posted by praemunire at 9:15 AM on May 26, 2021

Best answer: Round Crown Cable Staples, and I think you will need a compatible staple gun as well.
posted by mskyle at 9:15 AM on May 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Those are wire staples. You put them in with a special staple gun (which can also do regular square/flat staples).

They were once a very popular way to secure communications wiring, but are not considered best practice for data cabling (Cat-5, etc.) because they can pinch the cable too tightly.

Instead of cable staples, I would look at nail-secured plastic cable clips. Like these. If you get the 3/8" size (IIRC) you can use them for Cat-5, Cat-6, and coaxial TV cable.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:17 AM on May 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all. Is there a chance, with something like the Round Crown ones, that I can just hammer them in (as opposed to other stuff that requires a gun)?
posted by critzer at 9:36 AM on May 26, 2021

Best answer: There are variations that work with a hammer.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 9:45 AM on May 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Yes, please get the kind meant for a hammer if you want to hammer them in. Hammering in regular staples will probably deform them, and also has a higher risk of cutting into the cable which can cause problems.
posted by primethyme at 9:50 AM on May 26, 2021

If obscuring rather than securing is your goal, maybe look at Wiremold or similar instead.
posted by primethyme at 9:51 AM on May 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have both the staples and the cable clips and I would suggest the clips as well or look over the options for cable management over at monoprice.
posted by zenon at 10:02 AM on May 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: FWIW what I'm actually trying to staple down is an extension cord like this one. Apologies, should have mentioned that before. So now the challenge is finding brackets that will definitely support that size. I do like the clips others have suggested, just want to make sure they're not too small.
posted by critzer at 10:32 AM on May 26, 2021

Is there carpet ? If so you can hide the cables by carefully pushing the cable under the edge of the baseboard. I used my fingers, but you can also use something flattish and not sharp (for example the end of a wooden ruler, not a knife or scissors; screwdriver is iffy)
posted by TimHare at 10:47 AM on May 26, 2021

I would be hesitant to push an extension cord under the baseboard. The consequences of a nick or overheating are much more severe there than with low voltage (coax, audio, phone, ethernet, etc.) cables.
posted by primethyme at 11:14 AM on May 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Generally speaking, the US National Electrical Code frowns on any permanent installation of power extension cords, but yeah, you definitely shouldn't try to jam it between the baseboard and carpet.
posted by zamboni at 1:41 PM on May 26, 2021

For an extension cord, would a cord concealer work instead? Tracks fit a variety of cord diameters.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:27 PM on May 26, 2021

For that I would go with cable tie mounts- either stickers or saddle mounts that screw in. You can find packages that include everything you need that have the benefit of all fitting together and color matching. I use the saddle style ones a bunch, they are all the same and are fab for stuff like xmas lights and exterior cabling. For a power strip exposed to foot traffic I would suggest stickers as I would want it to more easily release from it's anchor if someone tripped or caught it and not damage it. A razor against a cutting board works best to trim the excess cable tie off, just unplug everything while you are waving it around.
posted by zenon at 9:26 AM on May 27, 2021