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Electrical Wiring

Do Switch plate covers come in sizes?

14 years ago

I'm having one of those days where even what should be the simplest of tasks is giving me a headache!

My house was built in 1974. I have replaced my switch plate covers before with no problem. I just got back from Home Depot and am trying to put on the new ones and they don't fit. I thought (WRONG!) there was only one size. The holes in the new switch plate are too close together. The switch that's in the wall has the screw holes 3 1/2 inches apart. The holes in the new switch plate are 2 1/2 inches apart. Do switch plate covers come in sizes...or am I going to have to get all new switches and / or junction boxes throughout my home in order to replace the covers? This isn't supposed to be so difficult! :-(

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Comments (4)

hendricus
14 years ago
Standard toggle switches and receptacles are 2 1/2" spacing. Decorator plates have a rectangular opening for switches and receptacles and are 3 3/4" spacing. There should be as many of one kind as the other at the big orange.

Basically, just return these and get the other kind.
sunny_dayz
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you, hendricus! There were no other options available in the style I chose. I'll go back and take a closer look in Home Depot and probably Lowe's too. Then there's always good old Ace Hardware! The hunt is on. :-)
Thanks again!
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Terriks -- that's beautiful tile -- and gorgeous paintjob on the outlet plate! You should go into business! There are also lots of sites online with huge selections of decorative wallplates... Do a google search for "wallplates" or "switchplates". But be aware that they are not cheap and some of them charge a hefty restocking fee for returns. Ask me how I know, LOL!
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I've found that when looking on ebay, it's best to use the words "vintage" or "antique" in the search. I look for vintage grate, antique grate. Right now, there's quite a few hits with vintage grate. For switchplates, I've never found that you'll get alot of covers at one time and it takes alot of patience to build up a quantity. So, I shop at classicaccents.net. I've purchased also from rejuvenation.com, but the switchplate covers are about the same, just cheaper from classicaccents. Do you live in a community that has architectural salvage stores? Because grates typically weight alot, often being made of cast iron, you can save on the shipping by shopping in store. That's the way we've purchased the grates that we have purchased. We're in greater Chicago but I've gone to salvage places across the country. Are you looking for other hardware pieces? If so, try the exact name in your searches.
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Given our kitchen surface choices are so different, I'm not sure this will help at all, but here is our metal-look screwless plates from Lutron: Hardware will be ORB and we have a copper+ORB range hood, copper sink, and stainless range and wall ovens. We chose them because boxy look echoed the shaker cabs (rather than curving in to meet the wall) and we did want a high contrast look both because of personal preference and for universal design reasons. The front is easier to clean (screwless), but the boxy ledge around it is harder to clean than a smooth curving surface. Like circuspeanut, I notice that it often reflects the colors in the kitchen depending on lighting and where you are standing. They can look stainless, green (when reflecting another wall) or black-gray (when up close looking down, reflecting the countertop).
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In some jurisdictions, this is against building codes. In all jurisdictions, this is a bad idea. No, they will not hold up to continual use. Light switches get alot of wear concentrated on the small edges, where the paint will wear off and leave the switch partly covered with paint, and partly the color underneath. Looks ugly and amateurish. Painting electrical outlets is even worse BTW - paint chips off when inserting a plug, lodges inside the receptacle slots, and eventually can lead to poor electrical contacts and bad connections. If you have to paint the switch bezel, at least take off the switchplate and paint it separately, and paint the wall beyond the place where the switchplate covers it. This will ease replacing a switch or outlet if necessary. But better to choose a matching or complementary color in the first place, or go with clear switchplates that take paint or wallpaper inserts behind them.
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hendricus
14 years ago
We have a Menards. Home Depot and Ace are too far and Lowe's has had a snotty attitude too many times.
sunny_dayz
Original Author
14 years ago
You just reminded me of something! I'm in Florida and after the hurricanes in 2004 we had gone to Lowes to look into having our kitchen remodeled. We were told by an employee..."We are so busy right now, no one can even sit and talk to you about a kitchen." HUH? We ended up not doing the kitchen then, but we're getting ready to do it this fall and guess where we are not going? I've never heard of Menards, but I wish we had one. I'm going to see if they have a website....

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