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charliehorse99

Most complicated under counter plugmold in the world? (pics!)

charliehorse99
11 years ago

I'm wraping up a kitchen remodel and I thought folks here might be interested in some of the details. One interesting detail is the Plugmold (aka Wiremold / Plug Mold)

Legrand Wiremold AL2000 series (clear anodized aluminum finish).

What makes this plugmold most complicated?:

1. It is recessed above a quartz full heigh backsplash. That is, instead of being mounted in front of the backsplash, it's mounted to the the wall behind, creating a recessed look and reducing the projection into the workspace. This required planning at the counter templating to reduce the full height BS enough to allow for the raceway to be mounted an an angle. We guessed a little and gave a little more height than probably necessary, but it was probably helpful to have during the tight installation. We did mount it about 1/4" outward from the edge of the backsplash to cover the rough BS material edge and hide some variation in BS height. I will probably end up caulking the bottom edge of the raceway between the BS to close the small gap visible from the underside

2. It's angled downward toward the countertop. This is a custom angled solution using plywood wedges and shims behind. This creates a more ergonomic plug insertional/removal.

3. Four pieces of raceway are lined up on three separate walls, all connected by two compound miters. One cut is inward at 45-degrees and one is outward at the same angle.

4. GFCI is located inside one of the lower cabinets. This required a lot of advance planning to have the plugmold wiring enter the lower cabinet and then re-emerge right at the point below the upper cabinets.

5. Integrated the under counter LED lighting wiring into the same raceway (for a small portion). This made for less visible wires for the UCL.

The miters were VERY difficult, and working with 12-gauge wire inside the raceway was very frustrating. The mitered edges are not bonded with anything, they are just lined up as close as possible. It's not perfect but I think it looks better than terminating the raceway before each corner.

We used raceway blanks above the sink since there is no useful reason to have plugs there.

There are no holes in the solid quartz backsplash now, which was the goal, and it puts outlets in some useful locations. The photos are taken from an angle below typical standing height so people in the room would generally not even see the plugmold or UCL's, but if you are seated at the island these are visible.

Parts were orded online from a site called Mr. Supply (they did great!).

Here is a list of the parts I used, with part numbers:

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold, Plugmold Multi Outlet Strip, AL20GB506

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold - AL2000 Series, Blank End Fitting, AL2010B

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold - AL2000 Series, Coupling, AL2001

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold - AL2000 Series, Cover Clip (Spring Steel), AL2006

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold - AL2000 Series, Raceway Base, AL2000B-5

Wiremold, Aluminum Plugmold - AL2000 Series, Raceway Cover, AL2000C-5.

Cuts were made with a saw blade meant for aluminum.

Labor was extensive. I would guess 2 people for 6+ hours, not including the electrical rough-in.

I hope you find this helpful for your plugmold adventures!

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