Had a real mess with a 100-foot coax run in an old Denver apartment building
Honestly, I was sure I could fish it through the existing chase, but the plaster walls had metal mesh inside that shredded the jacket. Tbh, I ended up having to surface-mount a new line along the baseboard, which took an extra two hours. Has anyone else found a better way to deal with those old lath and plaster walls without going external?
Metal mesh inside plaster is the worst. That stuff turns a simple fish tape into a metal cheese grater for your cable. I've had some luck with a fiberglass rod instead of steel tape, but even then it's mostly about luck and a lot of swearing. Once that lath grabs you, the only winning move is to admit defeat and get the surface mount clips out.
Ugh, bullet tips just snap off in that mess. I keep a fiberglass fish stick and a whole lot of patience for those walls. Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses and go around.