Stainless steel surface boxes?

Heh!

The boxes will be out of sight why cant you just use the normal galvanised type?

No, they boxes are not out of site, cos they're mounted directly onto the wood itself. Using boxes like these

Is there no way to recess them? I've recessed plain galvanised boxes into wood before, if there is no back you can customise by drilling and screwing through the sides.

Yes, the type the OP points at are low profile ones intended only for flush mounting. Surface mount ones have a different shaped faceplate. You will likely find they overhang a metalic surface box.

In message , Piers Finlayson writes

wall" description. If the wall is hollow you could probably use a dry lining box. These allow you to retrofit a flush box into a hollow wall. You can then add whatever face plate you wish.

Hth Someone

Nah, it's a solid wood wall. Built out of beams and panels.

(My house is a semi - the full house was split down the middle many, many years ago, probably before I was born. As part of adding the staircase to my half a two storey wooden wall was fitted.)

Surely there is some void behind the wood? Are you just not allowed to cut in because of party wall fire/noise considerations?

Christian.

over the box the same diameter as the socket.

I guess the closest might be the grey metal clad boxes but you have to buy the sockets as well,

eg:

Surface mount boxes that take 'flush' sockets are only available in plastic, IIRC. Proper surface mount sockets - they have slightly smaller outside dimensions with rounded corners and a lip that fits over the box - have steel boxes, but only painted in an approximate match to the socket if polished metal. And not all ranges do matching flush and surface sockets. As regards a stainless steel box - never seen them. Hostile environments where they'd be a good idea wouldn't be suitable for ordinary sockets anyway.