How To Move An Outlet Up A Wall

Ii years ago when Adam and I planked our kitchen nosotros had no idea what to practice around the outlets and switches. Nosotros ended upwards just cutting the planks around the current outlets and leaving them like that. It never actually bothered me…but I never liked information technology either. The great thing about being a serial DIYer (or a DIY blog reader!) is that you lot are e'er learning new things, and while planking the boy's room I learned that no i expects you to get out your outlets cut around and unfinished looking. In fact, in that location is a really piece of cake fix for information technology.

Beginning thing you're going to desire to practise is turn off ability to the areas y'all will exist working on. I know y'all know this, but I have to stress it anyhow….you lot must be SO EXTREMELY careful with anything electrical considering if you practice it incorrect it tin kill you. Literally.

So this is our billow box. What I did was flip on the overhead light in the male child'southward room and switch off the assigned breaker, which caused the light to go off.

Good to become, correct? No so much. I went and grabbed a lamp to double-check everything. I plugged in a lamp and it came on, which meant the outlets nonetheless had power going to them. So I went dorsum to the billow box and looked effectually…turns out the outlets in that room are on a unlike breaker than the switches.

This is why double and triple checking isand so important. My breakers are labeled correctly, but I assumed that everything in their room would exist on the same one….which isn't the case. (I don't have one, but buying a voltage tester is a expert thought.)

Here is the underground to flush outlets…this petty plastic doodad called and electrical spacer (or outlet extender).

I bought mine at Habitation Depot – only I had to bulldoze to three different ones to find them (you tin't buy them online). Every employee looked at me similar I had ii heads when I tried to explicate what I was looking for, and finally a heroic beau customer knew what I was talking almost and plant them for me. You tin also buy them on Amazon, they are really overpriced but y'all don't have to get on a scavenger hunt to find them.

Anyway, each department of the spacer is a one/8 inch, you merely snap them together until yous find the right depth and cut off the excess. BTW, by "observe the correct depth" I actually mean practice a long serial of guess and check while using your teeth to repeatedly snap and unsnap them.

Next y'all place the spacer betwixt the 2 screw holes and screw it tightly in place.

Although, if you added enough depth the original screw won't be long plenty, and so volition have to buy longer ones.

Hither's the outlet at the new level, that black abyss behind it is the spacers.

The concluding step is to add together the outlet encompass. I purchased new ones that are 3/8 inch larger than normal so that all the edges will be hidden. If you lot program ahead and cutting your planks (or beadboard, or tile) accordingly you can apply the same covers…we didn't plan ahead though.

These new covers are also supposed to be unbreakable, which is nice considering I've cleaved my off-white share by screwing them in as well tightly. I know, I know…just call me Muscles.

Here is the outlet now, it looks and so much cleaner than it did before. At present to do my kitchen and dining room!

UPDATE –A reader sent me the following annotate, I wanted to share since I wouldn't want to recommend something that'due south a potential condom hazard.

I'm not sure your ready is 'safe'…Electric boxes must be flush to the wall surface if the wall surface is a flammable material. Boxes recessed behind combustible materials similar wood present a burn run a risk because the woods is left exposed to potential oestrus and sparks. Your box is recessed within the wall which allows the outlet to potentially in contact with the wood of your plank board. You should instead use a electrical box extension which is easily inserted inside the existing box and clamps to the outside of the plank board…of course using your actress long screws to screw into the original box. And then put on the large faceplate. The only time you tin employ the plastic pieces you bought are if yous are extending through a non-combustible surface (tile, concrete, sheetrock, plaster) and even then yous can only extend up to ane/4″.