Our house came with white, plastic outlet covers that (like Mom used to say) stick out like a sore thumb. I don't mind them in most places. They are functional and easy to wipe off. However, in the master bathroom and master bedroom I wanted to get some nicer covers. The cost of replacing all the covers in the bedroom floored me. It seems builders install three outlets on each wall these days. Here's my thrifty solution:
I decided that five outlets are visible, so I bought five nice outlet covers. The other six outlets are behind furniture. Since the original covers are bright white and the walls are dark, the contrast bothered me even though the outlets are behind dressers. I decided to paint the covers to match the walls. The problem is making paint stick to shiny plastic. If I could be happy with a color
similar to the walls, I could have used one of the Krylon Fusion colors. The Fusion line is formulated to stick to plastic with no surface preparation. I wanted to use the wall paint for an exact match, so ....
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| I sanded the covers with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the shine. That circular thing looks like something from around the pipes in my parents' bathroom. The electricians used it on the wall behind the television where the TV cables exit the wall. |
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| I sprayed the pieces with oil based Original Kilz since it will bond to plastic. Now they are dull white. |
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| I painted them with the wall paint. The color is so much nicer than it appears in the picture, honest! |
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| I painted the screw heads, also. I poked them into a wad of plastic foam to hold them steady while painting. |
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| End result. |
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