When you cover a wall with fake stone panels, one of the classiest ways to treat electrical switches and outlets is to surround them with beveled stone frames. The frames are part of our Wellington line of dry stack fake stone wall panels, but you can use them with other panels as well. They come in seven colors, so you’re sure to find one that coordinates with just about any panel color.
Ah, but you say: “What about double and triple switches?”
I’m so happy you asked. The answer’s in the picture:
You see the trick right away. But let’s spell it out and fill in the details. First, for a double switch.
- You’ll need two frames for a double switch. And you’ll need a tube of matching textured caulk to form the “grout line” between the two frame pieces.
- Cut each of the two frames into a C shape, keeping the legs of the C as long as possible without cutting into the miters at the corners.
- Dry fit the two pieces together and lay your switch plate on top to check for size. You’ll want just enough space between the legs of the Cs to form a nice-looking grout line. If the legs are too long, carefully trim off a bit.
- You can assemble the two pieces in place on the wall, or on a work surface ahead of time. If you assemble them on a work surface, lay down a sheet of wax paper to work on. Apply a little grout to the ends of the legs, and position the pieces together so they’re square, even and properly spaced. Then carefully wipe the caulk to form a neat grout line. Leave the assembly undisturbed while the caulk firms up, and then handle it gently when you glue it to the wall the next day.
For a triple switch, you follow the same procedure, but you need to add straight pieces between the legs of the Cs to make the frame wider. So you end up with two grout lines top and bottom.
The good news is that you can cut these two extra straight pieces from the leftover bits of the two frames you’ve already cut. You don’t need to buy and cut up a third frame.
