When thinking about painting dark walls in my new office, switches and plugs must also be taken into consideration. I didn’t want WHITE switch plates everywhere because it would draw the eye right to them. I could have chosen black plates or metallic covers or even opted for a pretty decorative plate in a similar hue, but I didn’t want them to stand out at all. I wanted everything to be sort of seamless in the same color, no contrasting trim and nothing that would draw the eye anywhere but up or around.
Also, when you’re thinking about swapping out your light switch covers, you have to also think about the switches and plugs themselves, which are most often installed in white and are only available in white or black (unless you’re looking into custom or very high-end options). But for us average folk, it’s either one or the other.
Chad’s an electrician so he could have swapped out all the boxes to black but I didn’t want the extra cost so I chose to paint them the same color as the wall and see what happened.
We sprayed the walls rather than rolled for a few reasons; the woodworm walls are difficult to paint with a roller and avoid drips, I also wanted the textured ceiling painted in a few areas and since I wanted all of the trim and molding in the same color, it was far easier to spray (though it takes hours of prep work) See my office before and afters here.
We removed all the plates when we sprayed because I wanted to make sure the area behind the covers were painted, but left the plugs and switches so that the paint would hit them too… if we hadn’t, I’d have dark plates and white switches and plugs shining through, which just would not have looked good and the fine mist of the paint on them is far better than using a brush or roller, which would lay the paint on too thick.
ANYWAY I painted my light switch plate covers to match my walls and they turned out pretty great, so I thought I’d share.
ALSO NOTE: My walls are really textured so I did not mind brush strokes or texture because I wanted them to sort of match. Also, I used the same paint I used for the walls (Behr Marquee in Midnight Blue) for the perfect match.
So Here’s How I DIY’d them…
I did nothing to prepare my plastic plates except wash them. I’ve had no trouble with the paint sticking, but if you’re worried about that, you can sand them down a little or apply mineral spirits.
Don’t forget your screws! But also note that the paint might peal off of them quicker, so be very careful screwing them in with a screwdriver. Also, I forgot my gloss topcoat on them, so that’s probably why they were so fragile.
I used a foam sponge to apply my paint and just dipped it right into the paint can and applied a thick coat over the plates and on the edges.
Let them dry… then apply a second coat.
Stick your screws in a sponge or foam square… or anything that will keep them upright and dab on your paint to cover them entirely.
NOTE: I’ve also used spray paint on screws, which held up much better than this type of paint. If you can find a matching color spray paint for your metal screws, that may help.
When all your paint is dry… use a gloss or matte spray top coat to seal the deal.
I used Rut-Oleum 2x Painter’s Spray Gloss CLEAR
Then carefully install them.
And… Voila!
Have Fun!
* Find all my Home and Decor posts here
* Find all my A-frame Office posts here
A First Look at My New Office! My Desk Area – Before & Afters
