Phone Jack Addition

You can install an additional phone jack in any room if you have access to the space underneath.

Problem: You need a phone line for your computer, but the phone jack isn't located in a convenient place for your desk.

Solution: If you have access to the space underneath the office floor, you can easily install a phone jack in any wall.

Equipment list:
 
steel fish tape
electrical tape
hammer
wire strippers
measuring tape
drywall saw
stud finder
drill with Phillips bit and long spade bit
safety goggles
drywall-mounted electrical box
phone wire junction box
 
As the name implies, a drywall-mounted electrical box can be fastened directly to the drywall and does not require studs for support. Most of these boxes are made of plastic and are secured by tabs that clamp onto the front and back of the wall.

1. Determine the location for your new phone jack. A good place is near an existing electrical outlet. Make sure there will be no electrical wires or plumbing behind the wall. Use the stud finder to make sure you aren't placing your jack directly over a stud.
2. Measure the height of the existing outlet and transfer the measurement to the new location.
3. Use the front of the electrical box as a template for marking cut lines on the wall. Be sure to compensate for the front tabs, which will need to be flat against the wall surface.
4. Use a drywall saw to cut along the lines. Be sure not to make the hole too big; you can always enlarge the hole later if necessary.
5. Determine where to drill the hole for the phone wire. If the floor is carpeted, you can drive a long finish nail through the floor to serve as a reference. Otherwise, measure the distance from the outside wall to the phone jack and transfer that measurement to the space underneath the floor.
6. Use a long spade bit to drill into the sole plate, which is the bottom board of the wall above. If a wall or other obstruction prevents you from drilling straight up into the sole plate, drill at an angle so that the hole goes through the middle of the sole plate.
7. From upstairs, push the steel fish tape through the opening in the wall and fish it through the hole in the sole plate.
8. Downstairs, attach the phone line to the end of the fish tape and secure it with electrical tape. Go back upstairs and pull the fish tape back through the hole along with the phone wire.
9. Cut the phone wire. Be sure to hold the wire or it might fall back through the hole.
10. Use a screwdriver to break open a wire stay in the back of the box; push the wire through. You may want to tie a knot in the wire to prevent it from sliding out of the box.
11. Push the box into the hole and tighten the tab screws to secure it in place.
12. Cut 2" of sheeting off the phone line and strip 3/4" insulation from each wire. Make a hook on the end of each wire and attach the wires to the terminals on the phone jack following the color-coding. Secure the jack to the box with screws.
13. Use a junction box to splice the phone line into an existing line. If you use separate lines for the phone and computer, be sure to splice into the correct line. To keep the wire out of the way, you may want to run it through holes drilled into your floor joists.
14. Test the connections by plugging a phone into the new jack.