The Cable Shield Cord Cover
They’ve done it! Finally! A light-capacity cord cover that’s tough as nails, but still has the sense and decorum to actually blend in with tile and wood flooring. If you’re wondering why I’m so tickled by a mere cord cover, then you’ve got to understand how much of a step up this is. Up until recently, if you wanted to hide floor cables and prevent cord-related tripping hazards around the house, the go-to product was the run-of-the-mill flexible plastic cord cover. Not that there’s anything wrong with flexible cord covers, per se. They’re economical, easy to use, and generally speaking, they get the job done. The only thing is, they fit in much better with concrete floors and commercial-grade carpet than with, say, nice residential tile and hardwood floors.
So, as you can imagine, the Cable Shield is a very welcome addition to the cord cover world. To begin with, it’s tough. Instead of using flexible plastic, the Cable Shield lives up to its name through its rugged, unyielding PVC construction, which can withstand weights up to 661 lbs. So bring on the stomping pedestrians, the rolling furniture, and the moving carts – these babies can take it!
But despite the Cable Shield’s name and overall strength, it has (dare I say it?)…. a prettier side. A little something that makes it appeal to even picky decor people (don’t feel bad there, I’m one too). That’s all thanks to the good looking finishes it comes in – which include woodgrain (hardwood floors, anyone?), terracotta and brown (for the tile fans), as well as black. From now on, you’ll never have to trade in your decor for a little home safety and organization.
Self-Adhesive Con-Tact® Paper
How did we ever get along before Con-Tact® paper? Before that smooth-on-one-side, sticky-on-the-other
vinyl “paper” on a roll appeared, what was covering our kitchen shelves, or lining our utensil drawers? I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, I didn’t exactly have access to a laminating machine, so clear Con-Tact® paper always saved the day whenever I had a particularly stunning art project that needed to be immortalized. Like I said, whatever did we do without it?
Up until a few weeks ago, I never really knew that Con-Tact® Paper came in a wood grain print — did you? It turns out that this less-seen pattern opens up even more possibilities than the regular clear and countryish floral patterns that you normally find at the store. We’ve found that wood grain Con-Tact® paper works particularly well for snazzing up/camouflaging otherwise blah-looking flexible plastic cord covers that are being used on hardwood or laminate flooring.
While there’s nothing wrong with solid-color cord covers per se, the hard truth is that sometimes you just don’t want them standing out against your shiny, cherry-stained flooring. Well, getting them to blend in has just become pretty darn easy. Just cut a strip of Con-Tact® paper that’s wide enough to span the cord cover and wrap a little bit around its edges, peel off the backing, and smooth it into place.
Wiremold Cord Protectors
Today, we’re getting back to basics with Wiremold Cord Protectors. Not only are these a customer favorite, they’re also some of the simplest products we have for protecting cables around the house or at the office. If you’ve never used light-duty cord covers, they’re the perfect way to guard cables that run across walkways. The combination of cords and pedestrians can be a dangerous one, because your cables can be crushed beyond use if they’re trampled on too much, and also threaten to snag the feet of people who aren’t watching where they’re going. These flat-lying cord covers are made of flexible plastic, and are designed with an arched top that makes them easy to walk or pull an office chair (or small cart) over.
Using a Wiremold cord protector is incredibly easy – the flat bottom surface is slit all the way along it’s length, so you just slip cables through the center slit, turn the cord cover right side up, and lay it on the floor in any direction you need it to go in. If you really want the cord protector to get a good grip on the floor, you can apply double-sided tape along the bottom edges to help it stay in place.
Because no two cable-protecting jobs are exactly the same, you have a choice of lengths, so you’re covered in just about any situation. Wiremold cord covers come in 5, 10, 25, and 50-foot lengths, and can be further trimmed to size using just a utility knife or heavy duty scissors. You also have 3 neutral color choices (beige, black, and grey) to match just about any decor, or, if you want your cord covers to really stand out for safety, you also have the option of high-visibilty yellow.
Cross-Guard™ ADA Compliant Access Ramps and Rails
Running heavy duty cord covers in closed construction zones or private warehouses is one thing, but if you’re planning on using them in public places, you’re going to have to think about ADA compliance. Heavy duty polyurethane cord covers are no problem for your average pedestrian to step over, but can be tricky, if not impossible, for individuals in wheelchairs to traverse. Because of this, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires high-capacity cord covers to be fitted with ramps and rails that ensure safe crossings for people who are physically disabled.
Luckily, these modular ramps aren’t just easy to obtain, they’re also very simple to install. Take Cross-Guard™ Modular ADA Compliant Access Ramps, for instance. They come in pairs ( to cover both the “up” and “down” slopes), and can be installed by just one person, no tools needed. The ramp sections just snap onto the cord covers, and stay in place. You’re left with smooth, gradual, high-traction slopes that provide smooth crossings for wheelchairs, strollers, carts, and pedestrians, too.
Just like the Linebacker® and Guard Dog® cord covers that they’re compatible with, Cross-Guard™ ADA ramps come in 36″ (3 foot) lengths, which makes things really easy, because you just have to order one set of ramps for every cord cover you need to make compliant – no extra measuring or calculations needed. As a finishing touch, the ramps can be bordered with accessory rails, which keep wheels (and feet) from slipping over the edges during crossings.
FastLane™ Drop Over Cable Protector
When are people going to start watching where they step? Thanks to human nature, probably never; and nowhere is this more true than in busy, distracting environments like shopping malls and trade shows. Don’t let your power and data cables suffer just because others can’t avoid trampling them – keep your connections strong and cables intact by covering them up with FastLane Drop Over Cable Protectors.
FastLanes are like a happy medium between the flexible cord covers you’d use at home or in a small office, and the type of heavy duty polyurethane cable protectors that are often found in industrial settings and at jobsites. They offer the ruggedness you need to protect cables against brisk foot traffic, but they don’t entail the investment of heavy duty cable protectors, which you really only need to shell out for in situations involving vehicular traffic.
Like heavy-duty cord covers, FastLane™ cable protectors are molded from tough polyurethane, but they have a lightweight, scaled-down design that works by simply being set down over cables. The come in joinable 3-foot sections, so you can use one to span a narrow walkway, or connect multiples to cover just about any length of cable you need to. And when connected, they stay together really well, thanks to the heavy duty L-shape connectors that lock them end-to-end.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, people usually don’t watch where they’re going, and just as this can cause them to trample over objects on the ground (like cables), it can also lead to trip and fall accidents. In addition to protecting cords that you have running across your floor, the FastLane™ can also prevent pedestrians from tripping and hurting themselves – it’s equipped with molded-in safety warnings, as well as a high-traction surface tread that helps improve footing.
Electriduct Power Extensions
Filed under: Cord Covers, Power and Data Ditribution
Whenever you use extension cords anywhere there’s going to be a lot of people walking around, it’s always a good idea to bring in some cord covers as well, not only to protect the power extensions from being trampled, but also to prevent pedestrians from tripping. In the past, the extension cord/cord cover combination would have involved purchasing two separate products, but you no longer have to go through that hassle, thanks to Electriduct Power Extensions.
These all-in-one power extensions give you the best of the of power cord and cord cover worlds, combined into a single, simple-to-use product. Electriduct’s power extensions are actually power cords that are built into flexible cord covers, so whenever you need to bring an outlet across a room or a walkway, all you need to do is plug in a power extension, and lay it out in the direction you need it to go in. Your cord is run and protected in just one step! An additional benefit is that the outlet end of the power extension isn’t just a plastic connector like on most extension cords, but instead a sturdy, 2-receptacle outlet box.
Electriduct power extensions are available in lengths that range from 5 to 50 feet, and come in your choice of black, gray, and beige (which can blend into just about any home, office, or small business environment), as well as safety yellow, which stands out visually on jobsites to further prtect against tripping and run-over hazards.
ChordSavers™ Floor Cord Covers
It’s another Friday and I feel like ending the week on a high note, so I’m going to give all of you hardwood and laminate floor fans out there some good news. If you have floor cords to hide but don’t want to detract from your gorgeous wood-grain flooring with a plain plastic cord cover, then do I have the product for you. Meet the ChordSaver™ floor cord cover.
It may be made of heavy-duty PVC, but let me tell you, it looks just like wood. It’s available in Light Oak, Dark Oak, and Cherry wood grains to match most hardwood or laminate floors, but if none of those finishes work for you, you also have the option of a custom-stainable finish. ChordSavers™ also come in solid black, yellow, white, gray, and orange colrs, which work great on tile or painted cement floors.
As you may have guessed from the spelling of its name, the ChordSaver was originally developed for use by musicians, both onstage and in the studio. One of the nice things about it is that it comes in lightweight, relatively slim 3-foot sections, so it’s great for bands and working musicians who need to constantly set up, break down, and transport equipment from one venue to the next. With ChordSavers™, you no longer need to have a roadie dedicated strictly to cord covers.
Okay, I’ve been focusing mainly on the unique looks of the ChordSaver™, but being that it’s first and foremost a utilitarian product, let’s focus on its functional aspects for a moment. Like I mentioned, ChordSavers™ are made of rugged PVC, which makes a nice, hard covering that protects cables from the foot traffic trampling over them. And pedestrians are protected as well, thanks to the high traction non-skid backing that keeps the cord covers from sliding around underfoot.
Yellow Jacket Cable Protectors
Running cable and hoses across the ground or floor in industrial facilities, parking lots, and high-traffic public places like convention centers and stadiums can be an expensive undertaking, especially if the cables and hoses aren’t properly protected. Save yourself the outrageous expense of cable replacement and liability costs by making a one-time investment in extra heavy duty cable protectors like those by Yellow Jacket®.
Yellow Jacket® cable protectors are made of a proprietary high density polyurethane called Durathane, which is formulated to stand up to heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic so that your cables are safeguarded against impact, abrasion and crushing even in the harshest conditions. To keep things neat and organized inside the cord cover, you’ll find anywhere from 1 to 5 channels, so you have the option to separate different types of cables from one another (say, power and data) or keep individual hoses and lines securely in place.
To reduce your slip-and-fall liability, the surfaces of Yellow Jacket® protectors have a molded-in diamond tread pattern that gives pedestrians plenty of traction as they cross over the cord covers. Yellow Jackets® interlock together with dog-bone shaped connectors, which, while they lock snugly together, have been specifically designed to simply disconnect when placed under extreme duress, instead of just snapping off and ruining the entire cable protector. That’s just another way these cord covers can save you money in the long run.
Just how long will your investment in Yellow Jacket® cable covers be good for? How does 2 decades sound? There are actually Yellow Jackets® on record that have been under constant heavy use for over 20 years, and they’re still intact and functional.
Transparent Cord Protector
If you’ve ever wished that the sight of a simple plastic cord cover could make you go “oooooooooooooohhh!” the way twinkle lights do, then it looks like you’re about to meet your match. Allow me to introduce you to one of my personal favorites, the Transparent Cord Protector. This crystal clear, ultra-flexible cord cover has been designed with visibility (and Christmas lights) in mind. But this cool little number isn’t limited to the holidays – it’s perfect for decorating any floor or walkway you want to illuminate with strings of lights. And because it creates a protective barrier between your feet and the delicate light strands, it both preserves your lights and prevents you and your guests from tripping.
The transparent cord protector is very simple to use: just slit the bottom channel open with a utility knife, pop in the lights of your choice, flip the whole thing over onto its flat side, and you’re ready to go. And because it’s available in three different lengths (5 ft, 10 ft and 25 ft), you can choose the length that’s best suited to your decorating/cord protecting project. To cover longer distances, just buy a few and arrange them end-to-end.
While I generally suggest using your imagination with this product, I’m going to cheat a little and give you a few ideas on where you can start, based on what our customers have told us they use them for. Aside from decorating for holiday parties, these cord covers are also terrific for skater-proof floor illumination at roller rinks, and add a beautiful glow to home theater aisles, walkways, and patios.
*Please keep in mind that the Transparent Cord Protector does not come with lights – those are up to you. We suggest using either standard indoor/outdoor Christmas lights or rope lights.
Magic Carpet
I’ve since moved into a workspace with wood laminate flooring, but the floor in my first office was covered in carpet — as well as a cable that stretched all the way from my coworker’s phone to the jack across the room. I’ll tell you, it’s pretty tough to glide gracefully across one’s office when a killer phone cord is laying in wait to ambush one’s unsuspecting feet. Okay, maybe I’m being a little overdramatic… but we did get snagged on a regular basis.
My office-mates and I tried to make things a little safer with a plastic dropover cord cover, but no luck — while you can usually apply a little double-sided tape to keep dropovers in place on smooth floors, that trick doesn’t work on carpet, and the thing just kept sliding around.
One day not long after, I was planning a project that resulted in the SafCord cord cover coming across my desk. It never had the chance to stray far from my desk after that, because I wasted no time in slapping it down over that phone cable running across the floor. “What is it about the SafCord,” I’m sure you’re asking, “that let it do the job no other cord cover could?”
First of all , it’s made specifically for loop-style carpets, the family of floor coverings to which the commercial-grade carpet on my office floor belonged (I should mention here that it also works on Berber and looped rugs). When you put it down, it doesn’t budge — not even if you vacuum over it. Yet you can pull the SafCord up at any time, without any sign that it had ever been there. Would you believe me if I told you that there is no adhesive involved? The magic that locks it into place on carpet is actually just the “hook” side of hook-and-loop, which grabs onto looped carpet fibers.
Other cool features include the fact that SafCord has a completely flat profile (because it’s made of Cordura Nylon fabric), can be cut to length with scissors, is machine washable, and can be reused countless times. Oh yeah, and it also hides cords and prevents you from tripping…