How To Paint Switches & Sockets

It’s been a mad few weeks around here but we’re getting close to completing our bedroom makeover.

It’s already gone through a huge change over the last few weeks. Our previously yucky floors have been sanded and we’ve not only painted the walls but have also painted the doors, radiators and skirting (more on that soon)!

After painting everywhere a dark colour one thing that really stood out – and not in a good way – were the bright white sockets and light switches so I decided to paint them, too!

I have to admit that I was a bit unsure about how well painting switches and sockets would work but it turned out so much better than I’d expected.

I should say that we’re only thinking of this as a temporary solution and we would eventually like to replace all switches and sockets throughout the whole apartment with these beauties but as it’ll cost us around 3000€ to do them all, it’s an upgrade that’ll have to wait for a long while!

Given that our current covers are just basic cheap ones we figured that we have nothing to lose. And, let’s face it, they couldn’t look much worse, could they?

If you’re thinking of painting your light switches and sockets here’s how we did it.

This is what you will need:

• Etch primer for plastic (this is the primer that we used)
• Paint in the colour of your choice – we’d recommend a water-based eggshell paint (check that it’s suitable for painting plastic)
• Sandpaper – at least 240 grit

This is how to paint light switches & sockets:

1. Remove & clean

Start by removing the covers from the wall. Obviously, it’s important to stay safe, so don’t forget to turn off the electricity first!

Then give them a thorough clean to remove any dirt and dust and make sure they’re completely dry before moving on to the next step.

2. Prime

When painting plastic, priming is the most important step as it ensures a good key between the smooth plastic and the paint. That’s why we used an etch primer to coat the switches and sockets before painting them. After all, we want the finish to be durable!

Give the covers a light spray with the primer and wait until it dries completely. Then give them a second coat of primer.

3. Paint

When the paint has dried you can finally start to paint the covers.

As always when painting, lots of thin coats are much better (and more durable) than one thick one.

We painted our switches and sockets three times. After letting each coat of paint drying thoroughly we then gave the covers a light sand with some fine sandpaper before applying the next coat of paint.

4. Let it dry

It’s kind of obvious that you have to wait for everything to dry before reattaching it to the wall but in this case, it’s even more important than usual. It takes a long time (around 28 days!) for the paint to fully cure and until it does the finish will still be a bit delicate.

So far, our painted switches and sockets are holding up really well and there’s not a single scratch or worn patch.

I’m really so pleased that I tried this project. It may not last forever (we’ll share an update after a few months) but they definitely look so much better than the white switches that were there before.

We still have a few updates and improvements to finish off in the bedroom and we’ll share the full reveal as soon as we’ve put the room back together!

Have you ever tried painting switches and sockets? Do you think we’re mad to paint everything the same colour? 

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