I'm redecorating the sitting room and it has all white plastic sockets, light switches, aerial points etc. I'd like to replace these with metal faceplates.
Is this a job that a reasonably competent d-i-y-er could take on? I'm assuming that the wiring schema won't differ? Will this hold good for dimmer switches as well?
From what I can gather, the fixings for the faceplates are at the same centres, but are the screws/threads likely to be the same? Or will I need to change the boxes as well?
Are all faceplates for sockets/light switches the same, or are they sized according to the depth of the box behind?
In other words, what do I need to do/measure to be able to change like for like?
A piece of cake IME. The cables should already be the right length so it's just a question of connecting them up to the new terminals. You'd be very unlucky if the holes didn't line up or the new bolts were the wrong length. The thread is standard AFAIK
What is age of house / wiring? The depth can be an issue if you have a shallow box and will be fitting a dimmer (in some cases) - but you can get a spacer
Should be straightforward enough in principle. The main assumption though is that you have ordinary "modern" wiring, ie you don't have an awful prehistoric system with crumbling rubber insulation - if that's the case don't touch this task with a bargepole.
Things to consider/watch out for - I'm sure others will add to the list!:
Remember that the positions of L, N and E terminals may not be in the same relative positions in the new sockets as in the old - check the labelling of the terminals.
Do you have a CPC (earth wire) in your lighting circuit? If not, then you wouldn't want to use metal faceplates, if so, is it accessible or has the original electrician who wired your plastic faceplates just chopped it off flush (which would make your task more complicated).
Are any of your light switches 2-way (ie, switchable from different positions)? If so they can be awkward to rewire; terminals not necessarily in the same position and without a bit of know-how there you could find yourself in a mess! Also the faceplates for 2-way lightswitches are different to 1-way.
Faceplates have no relevance to the depth of the box behind; you might just need longer screws than normal (recycle the old screws if need be?); and if the old faceplates are so old that their fixing holes are on different centres to the new ones, then as above I suggest you shouldn't be doing this at all! So no need to change backboxes.
If you've already got working dimmer switches, I can't think of any reason why replacing them with metal ones would be any issue.
It depends how old the original installation is. Round about 1970, the screw threads changed from BA to metric.
Some fittings are designed to fit shallow boxes. Makes a new installation easier, they say. If you're unlucky and have shallow boxes new fittings needing deeper ones won't fit. The other way round is OK. You're most likely to come across this with lighting switches.
Other thing to look out for is whether an earth is present at the light switches. Older installations may not have this. Which is fine with plastic switches but metal plate ones generally have to be earthed.
And the (I think Crabtree) plastic ones designed to fit shallower than usual backboxes. Replacing one of those with a 35mm metal would require some moderately enthusiastic chiselling.
Fine, although if your lighting circuit wiring is old, you may find you have no earth connection wired to each switch. That would preclude use of metal faceplates.
Generally yes. It should be a like for like swap - the actual terminal positions may be in different places on the fitting - but there will be a functional match.
Make sure if you have any lights switched from two positions you get
2-way switches. If you need a two position dimmer then you need master slave pairs.
They will probably be the same unless the back boxes are very old - in which case the thread of the screws may differ. In which case reuse the old screws.
Generally the same. Some are shallower than others and hence easier to squeeze into a shallow back box along with the wires.
(if you get stuck with difficulty getting too many wires into a shallow back box then you can order extenders from CPC that neatly space the faceplate a further 10mm off the wall).
Basically choose a range of accessories you like and order all the bits (see
To me, the very best looking fitting ever made would look worse than the cheapest one if spaced off the wall like this. It simply looks like the bodge it is.
The few times I have seen it done, you don't really notice it to be fair (with white accessories anyway!) - it also a significantly quicker and easier job than swapping out the back box for a deeper one).
Surely with plastic fittings it should be possible to find one that fits a shallow box?
Of course a dimmer may be the exception and I'd accept a spacer being used until decoration time - but that's a different scenario from changing plastic to metal fittings which is presumably being done for cosmetics.
Unless you have settled on a design that is not available in shallow versions.
The other common problem is co-ax outlets when rewired in CT100 - the bending radius is not as tight as your typical low loss co-ax and hence the spacers can be very useful there.
Right. But I must admit to never actually having used a plaster depth box
- as when I have tried to the plaster is never as deep as the box. So once you've decided to cut into the brick etc you might as well carry on and fit a decent depth one.
When I replaced the sockets in my 1960s house I found that the ones I had initially chosen (MK) has slightly smaller holes for the wires and that there was not enough space for the three cables that some sockets had (2 ring cables and one spur).
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