Ugly, white, wiring boxes

Numpie

Please does anybody know if it is possible to buy coloured back boxes for electrical switches and sockets? I have found lots of places that sell really nice light switches and plug sockets but have only been able to find ugly white plastic back boxes. I need them because the switches are on wood panelling and so there is nowhere for the wiring to go, the white boxes look awful on oak panels.

ormus

well i have seen red ones. mainly used for fire alarms.

Imp

I'm sure you could paint them

sillygoose

Get some Fablon (sticky backed plastic, DIY stores like B&Q) its quite tough and easy to use, stretch some pieces around the boxes and trim with a sharp craft knife.
Available in many colours and finishes - including Oak

diable

bungle4x4 wrote: »

sink the pattresses (white boxes) into the wall, then you dont see them at all.

the white boxes, are generally the cheapest way of doing a wiring job.

Can you cut a hole in the wood panelling and use a plasterboard pattress to get the switch flush?

keystone

diable wrote: »

Can you cut a hole in the wood panelling and use a plasterboard pattress to get the switch flush?

Agree entirely. The cable must come up behind the panelling in the first place I would have thought.

bungle4x4 wrote:

sink the pattresses (white boxes) into the wall, then you dont see them at all. the white boxes, are generally the cheapest way of doing a wiring job

Metal back box 40p, surface patress 59p, drylining box 71p. Hardly going to break the bank but the dryline box (as diable suggests) enables you to secure the box to the panel itself as it grips it rather than having to secure the conventional back box to the wall behind the panel. The concept of burying a patress seems totally off the wall TBH.

Cheers

27col

Unless I am misreading the op. He seems to think that a coloured surface box is less ugly than a white surface box. Surface wiring is ugly and intrusive, period. I would do whatever it took to make sure the wiring was not visible, and any sockets and switches were flush mounted. If the wires are hidden then there is no reason why the boxes should not be as well.

Numpie

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions, Not sure what a plasterboard patress is yet.... but am going to investigate that option further.

keystone

Numpie wrote: »

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions, Not sure what a plasterboard patress is yet.... but am going to investigate that option further.

This is a drylining box (plasterboard patress as someone has called it but ask for a drylining box in the merchants). It grips the material (usually plasterboard) between the edge of the yellow ratchet lugs (which are adjustable for depth) and the rim of the box itself. When the switch plate is attached using the normal machine screws to the lugs ithey pull the whole lot tighter together and rigidly fix it to the plasterboard. In your case we are suggesting you use these with your panelling.




For comparison this is a patress (for surface mounting)



HTH

Cheers

diable

keystone wrote: »

This is a drylining box (plasterboard patress as someone has called it but ask for a drylining box in the merchants). It grips the material (usually plasterboard) between the edge of the yellow ratchet lugs (which are adjustable for depth) and the rim of the box itself. When the switch plate is attached using the normal machine screws to the lugs ithey pull the whole lot tighter together and rigidly fix it to the plasterboard. In your case we are suggesting you use these with your panelling.




For comparison this is a patress (for surface mounting)



HTH

Cheers

Hits Nail on Head ;p