The landline telephone, once a cornerstone of household connectivity and a marvel of technological innovation, has largely faded from modern homes. As more than half of all homeowners opt for mobile-only communication, these once essential wall-mounted phone jacks now stand as anachronistic reminders of a bygone era. Often unsightly and completely unnecessary, these relics can detract from your home’s aesthetic. Whether you’re a homeowner looking for a permanent solution or a renter seeking non-invasive alternatives, there’s a perfect fix for every old phone jack. I often prefer to cleanly remove and patch these openings in my own properties, but many ingenious and less permanent options exist.
This comprehensive guide explores various creative and practical ways to repurpose, cleverly disguise, or completely remove your old wall-mounted phone jacks. We’ll share expert advice and detailed tips, drawing insights from seasoned home repair professional Jim Marotta of YouTube’s Get It Done Home Repair, ensuring you can tackle this common household eyesore with confidence and style. From simple cosmetic fixes to functional upgrades, discover how to transform these obsolete fixtures into seamless parts of your contemporary living space.
Seamless Removal and Expert Patching for a Flawless Finish
For those seeking the most permanent and aesthetically pleasing solution, completely removing the old wall-mounted phone jack and patching the wall is often the ideal choice. This method ensures a clean, smooth surface that blends perfectly with the rest of your wall, eliminating any trace of the outdated fixture. To begin, you’ll first need to carefully remove the faceplate of the phone jack. Typically, this involves unscrewing one or two small screws. Once the faceplate is off, you’ll see the internal electrical box and a tangle of low-voltage wires. For safety and best practice, Jim Marotta strongly recommends disconnecting the wires at the main phone box (often located outside your home or in a utility closet) if at all possible. This ensures no residual current is flowing through the lines. Once disconnected, or if disconnecting at the main box isn’t feasible, carefully snip the wires close to the wall box, ensuring they are cut as short as possible. Crucially, insulate the ends of these wires individually with electrical tape. This prevents any potential for contact or short-circuiting, even though they are low voltage. Gently push the taped wire ends deep into the wall cavity, ensuring they won’t interfere with the patching process.
Next, you’ll need to remove the electrical box itself. Most phone jack boxes are either nailed to a stud or secured with adjustable wings designed for existing drywall. Carefully pry or unscrew the box to remove it from the wall opening. Once the box is out and the wires are safely tucked away, you’re left with a hole in your drywall. This is where a tried and true drywall repair method comes into play. For smaller holes left by phone jacks, a simple patch kit, a piece of mesh tape, or a small section of drywall cut to fit the opening will work wonders. Apply spackle or joint compound over the patch, feathering the edges to blend seamlessly with the existing wall. Allow it to dry thoroughly, then lightly sand until smooth. Repeat with a second coat if necessary for a perfectly even surface. Finally, prime the patched area and paint it to match your wall, and you’ll have a completely restored, unblemished wall, as if the phone jack was never there.
Creative Concealment: Transforming Old Jacks into Functional Message Centers
Old wall-mounted phone jacks frequently reside in kitchens, often in prime locations that can be repurposed for modern utility. This strategic placement makes them an excellent candidate for transformation into a central household message center. Instead of seeing an eyesore, envision a vibrant hub for family communication. To effectively hide the phone jack, consider installing a message board made of cork, a dry-erase board, or a classic chalkboard. The key to a successful disguise here is choosing a board with a recessed work surface or a sturdy frame that provides adequate clearance. This recess allows the wall jack and its faceplate to sit undisturbed behind the board, ensuring the message center lies perfectly flat and flush against the wall. Without this clearance, the board might protrude awkwardly, drawing attention to the very thing you’re trying to hide. Look for options with a frame depth of at least half an inch to an inch to accommodate the jack. Installation is usually straightforward, involving a couple of wall anchors or screws, positioning the board directly over the phone jack. This solution not only effectively conceals the outdated fixture but also adds a highly functional element to your kitchen or common area, providing a designated spot for important dates, reminders, shopping lists, or simply leaving cheerful notes for family members. It’s a stylish and practical upgrade that enhances organization and modernizes your space.
Artful Disguise: Elevating Your Decor with Artwork
Artwork offers an elegant and effortless way to hide an old wall-mounted phone jack, integrating the concealment seamlessly into your home’s decor. Canvas art, in particular, is an excellent option because its inherent structure—the wooden stretcher frame—naturally provides ample clearance for the phone jack and its wall plate. This means the artwork will hang flat against the wall, effectively making the jack disappear behind it without any unsightly bulging. You can choose to unleash your inner artist by picking up an inexpensive blank canvas and creating a personalized masterpiece that reflects your style. Alternatively, for those who prefer ready-made solutions, select a finished piece of artwork that complements your room’s existing color scheme and aesthetic. The beauty of this method lies in its versatility; you can choose anything from abstract paintings to serene landscapes or vibrant portraits. When selecting artwork, consider the size of the piece – it should be large enough to completely cover the phone jack with a generous margin, ensuring no edges peek out. For a different approach, if canvas art isn’t quite your preference, look for a picture frame with a significantly recessed back. Many shadow boxes or frames designed for displaying memorabilia offer this depth. Simply set a favorite photograph, a print, or a small piece of fabric art within the frame, hang it strategically over the phone jack, and instantly transform an unsightly spot into a point of visual interest. This method offers a non-permanent solution, perfect for renters, and allows for easy updates to your decor whenever inspiration strikes, making that ugly phone jack a distant memory.
Innovative Storage: Adding a Mini-Storage Cubbie
Transforming an old phone jack into a discreet mini-storage cubbie is both a creative and practical solution, particularly in areas where you might need a small, hidden spot for everyday essentials. This project begins with a simple, empty wooden cigar box or any small wooden box that mimics its design. These can often be found online, at craft stores, or even at local cigar shops for a modest price. The charm of a cigar box lies in its classic, often rustic aesthetic, which can be further customized. Once you have your box, carefully measure the dimensions of your existing phone jack and its faceplate. Using a utility knife, jigsaw, or Dremel tool, cut a hole in the bottom (which will be the back when mounted) of the box, ensuring it’s slightly larger than the phone jack faceplate. This allows the box to sit flush against the wall, neatly encapsulating the jack. To mount the cubbie, you can use small screws drilled through the back of the box into a wall stud if available, or use appropriate drywall anchors for secure fastening. If your chosen box doesn’t come with a latch or clasp, you can easily add a couple of small, strong magnets – one on the top inner edge and one on the bottom inner edge of the cubbie door – to keep it securely closed. For added functionality and ease of access, attach a small handle or knob to the front of the box. This mini-storage cubbie becomes the perfect hidden spot for stashing spare keys, small notepads, pens, stamps, a spare change, or other tiny items you want to keep out of sight but readily accessible. Paint, stain, or decoupage the box to match your decor, making it a truly unique and personalized addition to your home that cleverly conceals the old phone jack while adding valuable, albeit small, storage.
Masterful Concealment: Creating a Mini Secret Safe
For those who appreciate clever hidden storage, transforming an old phone jack opening into a mini secret safe is an exceptionally ingenious solution. Once you’ve removed the phone jack faceplate, the internal electrical box, and safely capped and tucked away the wires, you’re left with a perfectly sized cavity within your wall. This space is ideal for concealing small valuables that you want to keep secure and out of plain sight, such as emergency cash, small pieces of jewelry, important documents, or cherished small collectibles. Specialized products designed for this exact purpose are readily available on the market. A typical design for these hidden safes features a small, robust box, often made of plastic or metal, sized similarly to a standard single-gang electrical box. This covert safe is installed just like an “existing-work” electrical box, utilizing clever wings or clips that tighten securely behind the drywall, ensuring a firm, flush fit. The real brilliance lies in its disguise: these kits usually include a magnetic faceplate that convincingly resembles a common electrical outlet, a blank cover, or even a thermostat. Once this deceptive faceplate is snapped or screwed into place, the hidden safe becomes virtually undetectable. No one, not even the most inquisitive visitor, would ever suspect that valuable items are discreetly tucked away behind what appears to be an ordinary wall fixture. The editors at Family Handyman demonstrated this exact project, expertly turning a phone jack into a secret hiding spot. They affirmed it’s a remarkably easy and enjoyable DIY project that can be accomplished in just a few hours with a handful of basic tools, offering immense satisfaction and peace of mind knowing your valuables are hidden in plain sight.
Simple Sophistication: Installing a Blank Outlet Cover
For a straightforward, budget-friendly, and DIY-friendly solution that significantly improves the appearance of an old phone jack, consider installing a blank outlet cover. While this method doesn’t completely erase the opening from view, it undeniably makes the formerly conspicuous phone jack far less noticeable, blending it more effectively with your wall. The process is incredibly simple and requires minimal tools. Begin by unscrewing the old wall-mounted phone jack faceplate. Carefully disconnect and snip the wires, ensuring you tape off the ends individually with electrical tape for safety, then tuck them neatly back into the wall cavity. The next step is to install a standard single-gang blank outlet faceplate over the opening. These covers are inexpensive and widely available at any hardware store, often coming in various colors to match common wall tones. A crucial consideration: sometimes, the screw holes on the new blank plate may not align perfectly with the existing electrical box’s mounting points. If this occurs, you’ll need to remove the old phone jack box entirely and install a new single-gang “existing work” electrical box in its place. These boxes are designed to be retrofitted into existing drywall openings and typically secure themselves with wings that clamp behind the drywall. Once the new box is securely in place, or if the original holes aligned, simply attach the blank plate with its corresponding screws. For the most seamless finish, prime and paint the blank plate the exact same color as your wall. This small effort will make the cover virtually disappear, transforming an outdated eyesore into an unobtrusive, clean part of your wall, offering a subtle yet effective modernization.
Functional Conversion: Transforming the Opening into a Light Switch
For the more experienced DIY enthusiast with a solid understanding of basic electrical work, converting the opening left by an old wall-mounted phone jack into a functional light switch can be an incredibly practical and innovative upgrade. This solution is particularly appealing in older homes where lighting configurations might be less convenient, such as a ceiling light controlled only by a pull chain. By repurposing an existing wall opening, you can add a new light switch without the significant effort and mess of cutting a fresh hole in your drywall. However, it is paramount to stress that if you do not feel entirely comfortable or knowledgeable about electrical wiring, *this is a job best left to a qualified electrician*. Electrical work carries inherent risks and must be done correctly to ensure safety and compliance with building codes. For those who possess the necessary expertise, the process typically involves running new electrical wiring from the light fixture (or an existing junction box) to the former phone jack location. A new single-gang electrical box would be installed in the opening, and the light switch would then be wired and mounted within this box. I personally undertook this very project in an older home I once inhabited. The kitchen ceiling light was solely operated by a pull chain, which was inconvenient. The opening for the old wall-mounted phone jack proved to be the absolute perfect spot to install a new toggle switch, providing convenient control without the need to cut and patch a new hole in the wall. This not only added modern functionality but also significantly improved the usability and safety of the kitchen lighting, demonstrating how an old, unused fixture can be given a completely new, vital purpose.
Instant Upgrade: The Hi-Jack Coverage System
For those seeking an incredibly quick, tool-free, and functional solution to cover an old wall-mounted phone jack, the Hi-Jack Coverage System stands out as an excellent product. This innovative system is designed not only to conceal the unsightly jack but also to add a decorative and practical element to your wall. Its primary appeal lies in its ease of installation – the entire process takes less than a minute and requires absolutely no tools or additional materials. The system typically consists of two main components: a discreet bracket and a decorative unit. The bracket is ingeniously designed to securely fit directly over your existing standard phone jack faceplate, utilizing its screws or simply snapping into place without disturbing the jack itself. Once the bracket is in position, the separate decorative unit, which often features a small shelf, a convenient key hook, and an integrated picture frame, is then affixed to this bracket. The design is clever and thoughtful, offering immediate functionality and aesthetic improvement. Given that most wall-mounted phone jacks are commonly found in kitchens or entryways, the Hi-Jack Coverage System is an ideal option for maintaining organization and enhancing the visual appeal of these high-traffic areas. You can use the shelf for small decorative items or a tiny plant, hang your keys on the hook for easy access, and personalize the space with a cherished photograph in the frame. It’s a renter-friendly solution that allows you to improve the look and utility of your kitchen or hallway without any permanent modifications or extensive DIY effort, offering a fresh, organized, and stylish finish.
Quirky Utility: Covering it with a Beer Bottle Opener
For a truly unique and conversation-starting solution, especially suited for a kitchen, home bar, or living room, consider transforming your old landline phone jack into a readily available beer bottle opener. This quirky yet highly practical idea merges an obsolete fixture with a fun, functional upgrade. This method works particularly well if your phone jack plate is made of metal, as it provides a sturdy base. The critical step involves finding a wall-mounted beer bottle opener that either shares the same screw hole spacing as your existing phone jack faceplate or is designed in such a way that you can easily drill new, corresponding holes. If the screw holes don’t match, you’ll need a drill and appropriate drill bits for metal or plastic, depending on your phone jack plate material, to create new holes in the plate that align with your chosen bottle opener. Before attaching the opener, to elevate the look and ensure it complements your decor, consider spray painting the phone jack faceplate. Choose a color and finish that either matches your wall, coordinates with your kitchen appliances, or adds a bold pop of color. Once the paint has thoroughly dried and cured, carefully attach your bottle opener to the faceplate using screws. Ensure it’s securely fastened to withstand repeated use. Finally, re-attach the entire assembly – the modified faceplate with the attached bottle opener – back onto the wall over the phone jack opening. This innovative hack not only brilliantly conceals the outdated phone jack but also introduces a convenient, often-used tool into your space, adding a touch of personality and ensuring you’re always ready to crack open a cold beverage with ease and style.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Old Phone Jacks
Should you keep your old landline phone jack?
In most modern households, keeping an old landline phone jack is largely unnecessary. While you might consider keeping the house equipped for a landline in the rare event you change your mind or a future homeowner desires one, the practical reality is that landline usage has significantly declined. As Jim Marotta, host of YouTube’s Get It Done Home Repair, succinctly puts it: “There is no use for the old wiring and jack in the wall, except maybe for a place to hang a calendar.” For the vast majority, removing or repurposing these obsolete fixtures is the more logical and aesthetically pleasing choice.
Are the wires in an old phone jack dangerous? Do I need to cap them?
Phone lines carry very low voltage (typically 48 volts DC when idle, and around 90 volts AC when ringing), which is generally not considered dangerous in the same way household electrical wiring (120-240 volts AC) is. You are unlikely to get a significant shock from touching phone wires. However, it’s always best practice to treat any exposed wiring with caution. When removing a phone jack, it is highly recommended to snip the wires and individually cap the ends with electrical tape. This prevents any accidental contact, potential interference with other systems, or very rare short circuits, providing complete peace of mind, even though the risk is minimal.
Can I use the old phone wiring for anything else, like Ethernet?
While telephone wiring (typically Cat3 or Cat5) is technically capable of carrying some data signals, it is generally not suitable for modern high-speed Ethernet (Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat7 are required for optimal performance). The older phone lines lack the necessary twists, shielding, and quality to consistently support high-speed internet connections without significant signal degradation or interference. Attempting to convert them often results in unreliable and slow network performance. For robust wired internet, it’s always best to install new, dedicated Ethernet cabling.
What if I’m renting? Can I still address an old phone jack?
Absolutely! If you’re renting, permanent removal and patching might not be an option without landlord approval. However, many of the solutions discussed, such as covering the jack with artwork, a message center, a Hi-Jack Coverage System, or even a mini-storage cubbie, are non-permanent and can be easily reversed when you move out. Always communicate with your landlord if you’re considering any modifications, even minor ones, to ensure you’re in compliance with your lease agreement. Non-invasive covering solutions are usually safe bets for renters.
What tools will I generally need for these projects?
The tools required will vary depending on the chosen solution. For simple covering options, you might only need a screwdriver (to remove the old faceplate) and possibly a drill for mounting. For removal and patching, you’ll need a screwdriver, wire cutters, electrical tape, a drywall patch kit, spackle, sandpaper, primer, and paint. For more advanced projects like the secret safe or cubbie, you might also need a utility knife, jigsaw, or Dremel tool. Always gather your tools and materials before starting any project to ensure a smooth process.
About the Experts
- Jim Marotta is the seasoned host of YouTube’s Get It Done Home Repair, a popular channel dedicated to providing practical, easy-to-follow home repair how-to videos specifically tailored for homeowners. With a robust community of over 44 thousand subscribers, Jim’s channel is a trusted resource for tackling common household projects with confidence and competence.