Cables and covers on the wall, how do I proceed?

[Alex Andersson.]

Hello!

I've started fixing up my hallway, currently removing the wallpaper. There's both an electrical cabinet and a cover for an outlet I don't recognize, so I'm quite nervous about whether I can steam/use water around these. I'm specifically wondering what I should do about the awful yellow cover and the disgusting cable going into a round metal plate?!
I don't understand what these cables are, wonder if they are connected to the cables sticking out above the door? There was a box there before, which I guess was an old doorbell. I threw it away, and my plan is to cut down, tape up, and plaster over these cables.

The building is from 1943, and the whole hallway has generally always looked really nasty, but it was never renovated because I never had the energy to deal with the wallpaper. The kitchen was fully renovated, and all other rooms got new floors and walls when I moved in 2016.

Very grateful for any advice, I'm basically Googling my way through everything I'm doing concerning this project and am counting on it not being perfect, but regardless, it's a massive upgrade from the previous dirty wallpaper hell!

 

[Albans doktor]

Hello!

I've started fixing my hallway, currently removing the wallpaper. There are both an electrical cabinet and a cover for an outlet I don't recognize, so I'm quite nervous about whether I can steam/use water around these. I'm specifically wondering what to do about the horrible yellow cover and the disgusting wire that goes into some round metal plate?!
I don't understand what these wires are, wondering if they are connected to the wires sticking out above the door? There used to be a box there that I guess was an old doorbell. I threw that away, and my plan is to cut down, tape up, and plaster over these wires.

The building is from 1943, and the entire hallway has always looked really nasty, but I never got around to renovating it as I never had the energy to deal with the wallpaper. The kitchen was fully renovated, and all other rooms got new floors and walls when I moved in 2016.

Very grateful for all the advice, I basically Google everything I do regarding this project and expect it won't be perfect, but regardless, a brutal upgrade from the previous dirty wallpaper hell!

It certainly looks like an old telephony cable. Could very well have gone to a doorbell. The round metal plate might be a junction box? And the yellow cover is a fiber outlet. You want to be careful with that because if something happens to it, you will need to call a technician. Get a voltage tester, so you can check before cutting any wires to ensure you don't cut a power cable.

You should absolutely not use water or steam around an electrical panel or electricity in general. It's best to scrape the wallpaper off mechanically with a putty knife/utility knife or something similar. On other surfaces where there's no electrical risk, you can use wallpaper remover, a solution you roll on to make removing the wallpaper easier. Then you can fill and paint so the hallway won't look like a crack den anymore!

 

[Alex Andersson.]

It certainly looks like an old telephone line. It could very well have been connected to a doorbell. The round metal plate might be a junction box? And the yellow cover is a fiber outlet. You want to be careful with that, because if anything happens to it, you'll need to call a technician. Get a voltage tester so you can check before you cut any wires, ensuring you don't cut into an electrical cable.

You should absolutely not use water or steam around an electrical panel, or electricity in general.. just scrape off the wallpaper mechanically with a spatula/knife or similar. On other surfaces where you’re not at risk with electricity, you can advantageously use wallpaper remover, a product you roll on so the wallpaper comes off more easily. Then you can fill and paint so the hallway doesn't look like a drug den anymore!

Thanks for the response!

A voltage tester like a "voltage detector" for 99.90 at biltema? My Bosch electrical and metal detector didn't react at all to the wires above the door. I was thinking of maybe putting some cable cover on the dirty wires that go into the round metal plate, but I don't know exactly how to do it "nicely". I can't completely fill over the metal plate, can I?

The top layer of wallpaper is very easy to peel off and when I was doing that another wire appeared. This wire ran along a doorway (under the wallpaper somewhat carelessly) and down to the other side of the doorway, where it just ended. Is it common to wallpaper over wires like this? It wasn’t even close to the doorframe. What kind of wire could it be?

Haha, "drug den" is sadly a fitting description... The wall against the neighbor seems to have more holes/plugs than concrete, tape, and non-functional wires, each strip of wallpaper hides a new exciting discovery.

 

[Albans doktor]

Yes, exactly, a pen like that. It's unlikely there's electricity in any of your wires, but it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side.

What does it look like behind the metal plate? Can it be removed? If there's nothing sensible in there and just loose wires that serve no purpose, I would seal the hole. The hole can be filled with something like gypsum plaster/mortar/house fix or similar, and then you can fine putty over it later.

It's common for small wires like telephone/doorbell wires to be wallpapered over since these wires are usually stapled along baseboards/moldings. The wire you've found now is probably something else, maybe a speaker wire or some low-voltage lighting? Regardless, it doesn't serve any purpose today.

 

[Alex Andersson.]

Yes, exactly, such a pen. It’s not likely there’s electricity on any of your cables, but it doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side.

What does it look like behind the metal plate, can it be loosened? If there’s nothing sensible in there and just loose wires serving no function, I would seal the hole. The hole can be filled with something like gypsum/plaster/mortar/house fix or similar, then you can fine-spackle it afterwards.

It's common for small wires such as phone/doorbell to be wallpapered over since these cables are often stapled along skirting/trim. The wire you’ve found now is probably something else, maybe a speaker wire or some low voltage lighting? Regardless, it serves no function today anyhow.

I unscrewed that yellowed fiber cover because I wanted to see why there was duct tape sticking out, and that wire also goes behind the metal plate. The duct tape didn’t seem to serve any function. The smell that came loose when I removed it is not from this century…

The current internet source/router-like box is partially on top of the metal plate, which has prevented me from removing the plate. There’s a nice warning text that it’s owned by the property and should not be dismantled, and any damage to it will be charged, so I don’t dare pull hard on either it or the plate as I don’t know how it’s attached.

I’ll get a pen, and hopefully, I can cut the damaged wires at least. If I can get rid of them, the headache will be significantly milder. But as you said, I should be careful with the fiber box (I had already unscrewed it before I read your warning) so I guess I just have to paint it the same color as the wall?

 

[S.Hellman]

Could it be that condensation water has run down the data cable into the socket, and that someone tried to seal it with duct tape?
The strip below the socket looks water-damaged.

 

[S.Hellman]

Nah, taking back my previous answer, now I see that the network cable comes from the metal cover.

 

[Albans doktor]

I unscrewed that yellowed fiber cover because I wanted to see why there was duct tape sticking out, and that cable also goes behind the metal plate. The duct tape didn't seem to serve any purpose. The smell that was released when I removed it is not from this century...

The current internet source/router-looking box sits partially on top of the metal plate, which has prevented me from removing the plate. There's a nice warning text stating that it belongs to the property and should not be dismantled, and any tampering with it will be billed, so I'm hesitant to pull hard on either it or the plate as I don't know how it's attached.

I'm going to get a pen, and hopefully, I can cut the broken wires at least. If I can get rid of those, the headache will be much milder. But as you said, I should be careful with the fiber box (I had already unscrewed it before I read your warning), so I guess I'll just have to paint it the same color as the wall(?)

Yeah, if so, the only option is probably just to paint over the mess. Unless you want to involve the board/property owner to potentially get permission to dismantle something that's installed, but it's not very likely that such an intervention would be approved. However, if you have a good rapport with someone "in charge of the property," you can always broach the subject.