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The Kitchen Table

What a difference new switch plates make :o)

10 years ago

Got rid of those basic plastic ones and put in brushed nickel switchplates.

What a difference!

Upped a notch the way the room looks when I put them in.

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Comments (16)

trixietx
10 years ago
That is so true!
wifetojoeiii
10 years ago
You are SO right - and when I put in new switch plates I got obsessed with making sure the screws were all pointing in the same direction! Now I wipe them once a week and make sure the screws are all facing the same way...
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Can we talk switch plates?
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Comments (48)
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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1st and last switch plate....
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Comments (11)
Wow, thats beautiful!! I am new to the forums here and this is the section I found first and then registered. I am guessing there is a proper place to introduce myself and hopefully I will find it soon. I just started playing with glass and ceramic a few months ago and the first thing I tried to do is the lightswitch plates. Some have turned out ok but some I am having a problem with the glue not holding glass or ceramic tiles on. I am using weldbond glue, plastic plates and stained glass. When I sponge the plates off after grouting, sometimes a piece of glass will come off. Can you advise me on to what I may try to make them stick? Do I need to sand the plates first or maybe try a different glue? Thanks in advance to any response. I am sorry I should have started my own thread, didnt mean to take over this with writing a book.
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How-to for decorative switch plates?
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Comments (17)
I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but I've used the spanish "Loteria" game cards. Kind of like a bingo game with great pictures. Also, i found a great calendar called "Hecho en Mexico" with a bunch of great pictures (Madonnas, old movie posters, bullfighting posters, etc...) that i color copied and did all sorts of decoupage stuff with. I also did my bathroom in pages from my college textbooks (lit anthologies, art history, french) and have a really cool bathroom. the switchplate is hard to see as it is a black and white sketch of an old frenchman smoking. the switch comes out from where the cig would be so it kind of fades into the wall. Oh, also the joss paper you can get at asian stores is fun to use. Fake money (from the universal bank of hell, no less) as well as lots of pretty colors and a variety of motifs. copies of photos, greeting cards, train and plane tickets, cartoons, drawings from kids (or in my case students), all sorts of stuff can be used. mod podge is a good medium, matte or gloss depending on your preference. have fun!
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Painting switch plates etc.
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Comments (13)
Actually, you can paint the receptacle part, and the switch if you use a small brush. I used just a small brush like you get with kids watercolors. I changed out my receptacles to black in my kitchen, but couldn't find one which was receptacle/switch so just painted it with black paint. I usually use craft paint for that. Lutron, I think, makes a whole line of designer colored switches and covers for those who don't want to paint. Painting the registers are a bit trickier. Spray paint works best if you can find it in your color. Flat paint doesn't look as good, and catches dust like crazy. I had to strip a big one in my hall, very old house, very big air return, and then I spray painted it. It would look better if it were the wall color, but brushing or rolling it on those louvers is a pain. My ceiling ones are white, and I either spray paint, or replace when they begin to look ugly and don't clean off well. They're not that expensive either.
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ravencajun Zone 8b TX
10 years ago
Yes it is. We scored some fabulous ones at Hobby lobby, they are the old fashioned cast metal and have decorative fleur De lis on them to match all the other ones I have all over. I love how they look. We did all the switch plates and all the plug in plates too. I have had so many compliments on them. I may have to take them with me if we leave.
schoolhouse_gw
10 years ago
I'm finally getting the bathroom remodel finished that was started some years ago, the white ceramic tile behind the sink and on one wall was completed today. I bought white porcelain switchplates to replace the old black plastic ones and to match the tile, with new white toggles and rockers too.
patti43
10 years ago
I'd like the brushed chrome. What room did you put the new ones in?
kathyg_in_mi
10 years ago
OMG, Hospapasta, I thought I was the only one who turned the screws all the same way!
When we bought this house I replaced all the switch plates as we painted each room.
glenda_al
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes!!!! Screws all in the same direction :o)
teresava
10 years ago
OMG, when we bought our new house, my DH adjusted all the screws in our switchplates!! I would have never noticed, but he is a nut!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years ago
I paint our wall plates with the wall paint and then spray them with a protective polyurethane coating. Easy to clean and blend in with the wall.
kathyg_in_mi
10 years ago
I guess a few OCD people hang out on these forums. Even our beloved OP! (LOL, Glenda).
dedtired
10 years ago
Looks like I will be spending the day lining up the screws in the switchplates. Sigh.
Jodi_SoCal
10 years ago
I too think that new switch and socket plates make a big difference in a home. In fact, I recently changed out the 30+ year old switch plate for the light in the garage with a new chrome one and it makes me smile every time I enter the house from the garage. Yes, I'm that easy to make happy. LOL

I will buck the system and let all my screws remain willy nilly. :-)

Jodi-
bigfoot_liz
10 years ago
i have always had a thing for switch & socket plates LOL. 20 yrs ago in Chicago I wallpapered my bedroom w 3 walls small striped (mint/ivory) and 1 wall partially up to the wood decor shelves w a matching plaid in brighter pastel colors w mint too. I papered all the plates and spent 4 hrs on the plates on the plaid wall matching it up exactly so they receded into the wall visually LOL. now I have brushed nickel in the livingroom/diningroom and either accent ivory or matching the trim plates in the rest of the house. Every once in awhile I do check out Lowe's or HD for new styles just in case there is something i like better :-)) ~ liz
joyfulguy
10 years ago
Here's a thought - get screws that have a square hole instead of a slot to make them turn - called "Robinson" after the (reportedly Canadian) inventor.

Much more efficient/durable.

Less need for adjustment on the part of sharp-eyed denizens of the home - or would the squares both have to have their sides parallel?.

o j
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
10 years ago
these are the ones I have all over the house now thanks to Hobby Lobby, I love the fleur de lis and the heavy cast metal antique look. My husband did the sunroom with Route 66 stuff so he put that switch plate in there.

We got them all on one of their 50% off sales. They have some really cute switch plates. I have the matching outlet plates too.
The only ones that do not match are the ones that have multiple switches per plate all they have are the doubles, I have a few triples.
liz
10 years ago
when we were first married and dinks...I had bright brass...that I got from a specialty store for 10.00 a piece...thank god we had a small house and actually spent some of our wedding money on them...I've gone thru wallpapering like the other Liz here and blended them in...now I just paint them the same color of the walls and I'm happy if their just clean and not cracked...Like Jodi...all of my screws...including the ones in my head are willy nilly!!

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