How to Cover a Switch Plate Cover With Wallpaper
Switch plate covers do not cost much to replace if you accidentally paint over one but wallpapering your switch plate cover to match the room or just to add character creates an extra bit of flair for the rooms of your home. You can find small remnants of wallpaper in sports or animal designs for kids' rooms or match your light switches and electrical outlet covers with wallpaper border left over from the border in your rooms. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Turn the power off in the room or area of the home in which you plan to remove and wallpaper the switch covers. Do this by locating the proper breaker in your breaker box and flipping the breaker switch into the off position.
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Remove the switch plate covers you want to wallpaper. For this you can use a manual screwdriver. Most commonly these switch plates are held in place with screws that require either a flat-head or Phillips-head screwdriver for removal. Examine the screws to determine the necessary screwdriver.
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Lay the switch plate cover with its front side facing up on top of the front side of a piece of wallpaper or border. Slide the switch cover around to position it directly over any design you may want to include on the finished product. Use a pencil to trace a very light line around the switch plate cover.
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Use scissors to cut out the necessary amount of wallpaper to cover the switch plate. Add an extra inch along the top, bottom and both sides so that you can wrap the wallpaper onto the back of the switch plate and avoid edges that stick out or become loose.
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Dip a sponge in water and wring it out fully so that the sponge is barely moist. Rub the moist sponge over the back of the wallpaper piece. Very quickly, before the paste has a chance to dry, stick the front side of the switch plate cover onto the wallpaper and wrap the excess over to the back of the switch plate.
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Use a utility knife to cut out an opening in the wallpaper through the large, rectangular hole in the switch plate cover. Carefully cut this piece out completely so you can feed the light switch lever back through the switch plate cover. Use the screws that held the cover into place to punch small holes through the wallpaper over the screw holes in the switch plate.
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Set the wallpapered switch plate back into place over the exposed light switch. Feed the switch lever though the large opening in the cover and align the screw holes in the switch cover with the mounting holes on the switch. Drive the screws back into place to hold the cover over the switch.
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Return power to the room or section of the home once you complete removing and replacing all the switches to which you have applied wallpaper.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit light switch image by David Ng from Fotolia.com
