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My house walls are primarily made of poured concrete. To run wire through the walls I need to cut a groove in the concrete then plaster over.

Is it possible to use a bit that can cut (slowly) a groove through the concrete?

Glorfindel
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Justin Alexander
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    In theory, certainly. But you don't want to even attempt this. Concrete is by no means a homogenous thing, and the catastrophic results of encountering a particularly hard pebble along the path of the groove don't bear thinking about. This is a job for an angle grinder with a suitable disk. Or, the old-fashioned way, a heavy hammer and a cold chisel :-) –  Nov 02 '20 at 08:45
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    _If_ you could find a diamond straight bit you could _probably_ get away with it. **_However_** bear in mind that your router's motor isn't designed for pushing through something as hard as concrete. I'd suggest surface mount EMT conduit or, if you really want it in the wall, you could also use a concrete blade in a circular saw. I'd recommend asking about your wiring plan at [diy.se] - there are a _ton_ of very helpful electricians there who will help ensure your wiring is up to code. Keep in mind that if you do cut a groove, you _still_ have to have the wiring covered some how. – FreeMan Nov 02 '20 at 14:54
  • I'm voting to close this because it isn't about woodworking. It really belongs in the "DIY" stackexchange site, not this one. – SaSSafraS1232 Nov 02 '20 at 17:28
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    I am moving this to DIY where I believe it is more on topic. –  Nov 03 '20 at 00:31
  • Surface EMT makes the most sense - this is standard in warehouse and other brick/block/concrete structures. Do you **have** to cut & cover? Or is that just the first idea that comes to mind? It could be that the original wiring (and plumbing) was "built in" to the concrete by using molds so that the grooves were part of the design. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Nov 03 '20 at 00:50
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    Does this answer your question? [How do you comply with NEC receptacle requirements in row homes with brick walls?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/185937/how-do-you-comply-with-nec-receptacle-requirements-in-row-homes-with-brick-walls) – FreeMan Nov 03 '20 at 13:01

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This method or running wire is common or standard in parts of Europe/UK.

But the specialized tools to do it are saws, not routers. There are stone-cutting router bits seen in countertop work that might work, but likely far less efficient than using a saw.

There's an older post here someplace that showed a saw for the exact job from Germany...

Ecnerwal
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Concrete saws come in all sizes, from big monsters you push like a lawn mower, down to small 6" blades for battery powers Makitas and the like, plus onbviously 4" angle grinders with a masonry blade. I would suggest chaling a line and scoring with a 4" grinder and masonry blade as the cheapest way to score/ groove concrete.

SkipM
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