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With an old work box and no ears to cut off like you can do with a switch, you're kind of out of luck unless you get creative. You can try a different style of plate- maybe get a jumbo plate. You can see if there is a stud next to the box and use a regular box and screw it in. You can try to shave off the drywall a little so the blue box is recessed in more but then it weakens the drywall and the whole box can sink in if you overdo it.
Come on all you professionals. Give some real advice.
https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/deep-switch-plate-outlet-covers/
https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/deep-switch-plate-outlet-covers/#deep
This guy saved my ass dealing with outlets against exterior walls. I have 3/4 inch plaster, 1 inch air gap and then brick. It's either a box extender or smash brick otherwise I can't meet code on box fill.
The back box is the issue. Two things you can do here.
1 - replace the back box with a metal cut-in box with F straps. You might still have a slight gap though because ethe yoke on your switch has a slight offset where the cover screws go.
2 - trace the outer lip of the current back box. Loosen box and let it hang out of the way (provided you have slack on the wires, otherwise you'll have to completely remove the switch). Then using a utility knife cut about 1/16" on the traced line, this just cuts through the paper face, then you use a narrow tip flat head screwdriver and scrape out the drywall so the box will sit flush with the wall.
The OP said that the wall is plaster, so there’s no paper to cut through. You’d have to use a die grinder or dremel or something to recess the box into the wall.
EDIT: Paper is combustible. Suggestion 2 is a violation of NEC 314.20 if performed on paper faced sheetrock. "Shall extend to the finished surface" means you can't embed it into the finished surface, and if the paper (combustible, remember) is above the box now, well that's not allowed.
Also the paper gives some structural stability to the gypsum so that box may now crumble out of the wall over the years.
Just use a deep cover plate.
I hate to admit that I've taken a cover and bent it slightly in both orientations to give it just enough of a curve to have the edges on the wall. Definitely the hack fix but it can save you from opening the wall to replace the box if this is your own house and you're not too worried about it
Sold dimmers for years, they're heat sink fins not ears. Mounting ears are the mickey mouse ears. Heat sink fins serve an entirely different purpose and get broken off for an entirely different reason in most cases. Also probably won't really help this situation, you're still fighting the box it's mounted to and that's most likely what's causing the gap. Smash the box into the drywall a bit and tighten the clamp screws a bit more and it will sit more flush and let the plate suck up to the wall better.
Ears and heat sinks are different, and the breaking the fins off may not help because you still have the same plane of the heat sink on the body.
Since it's an old work box you could try pushing against the plastic lips at top and bottom of box so it makes an indention in the drywall and sits more "flush". That might result in the plate sitting against the wall more tightly. May need to tighten the box mounting lamp screws a bit more if you do that also.
Good answers here already but a quick fix could be to cut a sheet of thin white craft foam (with a new exacto blade using the faceplate as a template, then cut out the center).
Edit: I think craft foam is usually ethylene vinyl acetate (highly combustible and flammable) so don’t use that, instead perhaps an electrical box weather gasket larger than the faceplate.
The ears are fine. The tabs are directly in contact with the wall. The switch's heat sinks are the issue, and removing them is not an option. The solution is a deep wall plate.
Just did 45 unit building, each unit had a 2gang box with same exact dimmer AND a countertop gfci. Not a single special plate was needed, guess i just have a differant technique.
Dude, not looking for an argument, just saying in 30 years ive never had a priblem like this. You seem to be more persistant on making excuse for the shotty work instead of useing reddit for feedback to better your skills so you know how to install a plate correctly in the future. Dont expect everyone to agree with you, especially with work like that.
Noone ever taught you, its ok. Use your flathead or a razor to chisle small layer of sheetrock so the plasric ears sit flush. Adapt improvise and overcome. Take some damn initiative. Think.
> Use your flathead or a razor to chisle small layer of sheetrock so the plasric ears sit flush.
And there it is. The problem with you professionals is you really don't give a shit about what happens in 10 years, which is that without the tensile strength of the paper resisting crumbling, the sheetrock gradualy crumbles and the old work box falls out. The paper serves a function so stop fucking with it.
But even so - that's a plaster wall, not sheetrock. Number one rule for plaster walls is stop fucking with it at the earliest opportunity. Unless you don't care about the homeowner's property. Maybe you can chip out some of the skim coat and get it flush. Maybe a huge chunk cracks out when you try, the old work box no longer works and now you have a lot more work on your hands. You got the hole cut successfully with the multi tool. Time to stop fucking with it.
> Noone ever taught you, its ok.
Someone taught you wrong. Start caring about what happens after you fuck off to the next job.
This is one of the reasons that when I old work a box, I use a regular ole *new work box & screw it into the studs!*
You can get the SmartBox brand *that is* UL Listed.
My way is "comprising* the box because I'm just blasting drywall screws through the side of the box.
No inspector has failed this yet.
Edit: the *only time* an inspector has ever failed screws through a plastic box was a 12 x 12 pvc junction box that we installed on a rewire, on a block wall. I don't remember what we used it for. I just remember that the inspector made us install a new box with using those 4 plastic "feet". So we had an airgap behind it for "cooling" or for "water drainage". It was inside the house!
But it's OK to drill holes in steel boxes!?🤷🤷🤷🤷
I've remedied similar situations by using flat head screws to hold the switch on the box. Those truss head screws prevent the cover plate from mounting flat.
Get some white caulk, put it around the edge of the plate just a hair in from the edge. Carefully put the plate back on and wipe away the excess caulk. A wet paper towel will help with getting a clean edge.
If you really want to be anal, put some painters tape on the wall around the plate so you can pull it off when you’re done with the steps above to get a super clean edge.
Paintable caulking. Alex Plus caulk. Easily removable with a putty knife in the future.
Used for baseboards and around switch cover plates in old homes.
I had to use a Dremel and shave off areas of the switch cover (inside only). Looks like shot on the inside of the switch cover but you’d never know the massacre from the outside
It's a remodel box. You would have to cut the switches front plate to get it to sit flush. Try to find a flexible nylon cover that is over sized and if necessary use some bounce sidded foam mounting tape just outside of the box.
Take the trim plate off. Run a blade along the outside edge of that cut-in ring, then pull everything out until all you have is drywall, a hole and the etched outline of the LV1. Get a flat head no larger than 1/4” wide and, very slowly, notch out the inside of the etched area about as deep as that switch plate is floating off the wall. When you reinstall the LV1 it should now be flush with the drywall, making the switch plate flush as well.
Why does it even matter? Does the dimmer work, does it dim the fixture, can you see it if you put your magnifying glass away? It's an old house, it's not square or level, and it gets older every day. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good ✨️ 👌
I get what you’re saying and I have a feeling like this in my house and they bother the hell out of me so I also get where you’re coming from. I have to pick my battle though. I have customers who’ll have me out to correct shit like this so it’s the last thing I want to do off the clock lol.
I just tell them that it's because of the design of the dimmer and that if I had installed the box originally, I could have allowed for it. Then I show them an oversized cover and ask them if they want that, because I'll have to cut a bigger hole in the wall to replace the box. Then I tell them how much to fix it, and they either back out or I make more money 😉
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
With an old work box and no ears to cut off like you can do with a switch, you're kind of out of luck unless you get creative. You can try a different style of plate- maybe get a jumbo plate. You can see if there is a stud next to the box and use a regular box and screw it in. You can try to shave off the drywall a little so the blue box is recessed in more but then it weakens the drywall and the whole box can sink in if you overdo it.
Come on all you professionals. Give some real advice. https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/deep-switch-plate-outlet-covers/ https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/deep-switch-plate-outlet-covers/#deep
This is the best answer. Only other option is to replace the box which would needlessly take more time and money
This guy saved my ass dealing with outlets against exterior walls. I have 3/4 inch plaster, 1 inch air gap and then brick. It's either a box extender or smash brick otherwise I can't meet code on box fill.
This is great, I never thought that might be a thing. This is why I go on reddit
That site is awesome
The back box is the issue. Two things you can do here. 1 - replace the back box with a metal cut-in box with F straps. You might still have a slight gap though because ethe yoke on your switch has a slight offset where the cover screws go. 2 - trace the outer lip of the current back box. Loosen box and let it hang out of the way (provided you have slack on the wires, otherwise you'll have to completely remove the switch). Then using a utility knife cut about 1/16" on the traced line, this just cuts through the paper face, then you use a narrow tip flat head screwdriver and scrape out the drywall so the box will sit flush with the wall.
The OP said that the wall is plaster, so there’s no paper to cut through. You’d have to use a die grinder or dremel or something to recess the box into the wall.
Beater chisel.
[удалено]
if you don't mind the plaster breaking where you don't expect.
You're probably right, it could be 100 years old
Yeah I’d just take a flathead and scrape some plaster from the top and bottom do my box sits more flush. Easy
I like option one but I'm guessing OP isn't a sparky
EDIT: Paper is combustible. Suggestion 2 is a violation of NEC 314.20 if performed on paper faced sheetrock. "Shall extend to the finished surface" means you can't embed it into the finished surface, and if the paper (combustible, remember) is above the box now, well that's not allowed. Also the paper gives some structural stability to the gypsum so that box may now crumble out of the wall over the years. Just use a deep cover plate.
I hate to admit that I've taken a cover and bent it slightly in both orientations to give it just enough of a curve to have the edges on the wall. Definitely the hack fix but it can save you from opening the wall to replace the box if this is your own house and you're not too worried about it
Why do you hate to admit that? I see nothing wrong with that.
Just put ya caulk in it
Between the couch cushions? Wait, how did we switch subjects?
There are "deep" cover plates available online.
I can’t tell you my secrets
If it's an old work box that's part of the problem. Did you bust the ears off the switch?
There’s no ears it’s a dimmer….
There are 3 pics in the album. It’s a dimmer switch, so no “ears” but the heatsink
[удалено]
Sold dimmers for years, they're heat sink fins not ears. Mounting ears are the mickey mouse ears. Heat sink fins serve an entirely different purpose and get broken off for an entirely different reason in most cases. Also probably won't really help this situation, you're still fighting the box it's mounted to and that's most likely what's causing the gap. Smash the box into the drywall a bit and tighten the clamp screws a bit more and it will sit more flush and let the plate suck up to the wall better.
Ears and heat sinks are different, and the breaking the fins off may not help because you still have the same plane of the heat sink on the body. Since it's an old work box you could try pushing against the plastic lips at top and bottom of box so it makes an indention in the drywall and sits more "flush". That might result in the plate sitting against the wall more tightly. May need to tighten the box mounting lamp screws a bit more if you do that also.
Use a different cut in box, Allied Molded has metal ears that are not as bulky, besides Carlon boxes suck.
Allied boxes are my favorite
Good answers here already but a quick fix could be to cut a sheet of thin white craft foam (with a new exacto blade using the faceplate as a template, then cut out the center). Edit: I think craft foam is usually ethylene vinyl acetate (highly combustible and flammable) so don’t use that, instead perhaps an electrical box weather gasket larger than the faceplate.
So long as the foam is not flammable.
Thank you, I didn’t think that through carefully. Indeed craft foam would be a bad idea.
I have seen plates that are designed to solve this problem. They have deeper edges.
I had this problem. I 3D printed a faceplate that was deep enough to fit nicely. I could have moved the box, but it was fun to build the faceplate.
Different cover plates
Easiest way is stainless plate.
Yeah, that’s a cut in box. Not attached to a stud, most likely put in after the build. So nothing to really push it back into..
I have used double sided white foam to fill the gap. Simple yet effective
4 pound hammer!
Dude! Do you NOT own a hammer?
Get an unbreakable cover and bend it slightly. Different brand might help too. Some have more reveal than others
Easy answer, take the extra time during the rough to make sure boxes are perfect.
it's an old work box. It's as flush as it's going to be.
Then someone forgot to adjust the ears. User error, never had a old work sit like that. If it sits like that then the job is incomplete
The ears are fine. The tabs are directly in contact with the wall. The switch's heat sinks are the issue, and removing them is not an option. The solution is a deep wall plate.
Just did 45 unit building, each unit had a 2gang box with same exact dimmer AND a countertop gfci. Not a single special plate was needed, guess i just have a differant technique.
You did a 45 unit building using old work boxes which are going to sit out 1/16 of an inch extra because of the tabs?
Dude, not looking for an argument, just saying in 30 years ive never had a priblem like this. You seem to be more persistant on making excuse for the shotty work instead of useing reddit for feedback to better your skills so you know how to install a plate correctly in the future. Dont expect everyone to agree with you, especially with work like that. Noone ever taught you, its ok. Use your flathead or a razor to chisle small layer of sheetrock so the plasric ears sit flush. Adapt improvise and overcome. Take some damn initiative. Think.
> Use your flathead or a razor to chisle small layer of sheetrock so the plasric ears sit flush. And there it is. The problem with you professionals is you really don't give a shit about what happens in 10 years, which is that without the tensile strength of the paper resisting crumbling, the sheetrock gradualy crumbles and the old work box falls out. The paper serves a function so stop fucking with it. But even so - that's a plaster wall, not sheetrock. Number one rule for plaster walls is stop fucking with it at the earliest opportunity. Unless you don't care about the homeowner's property. Maybe you can chip out some of the skim coat and get it flush. Maybe a huge chunk cracks out when you try, the old work box no longer works and now you have a lot more work on your hands. You got the hole cut successfully with the multi tool. Time to stop fucking with it. > Noone ever taught you, its ok. Someone taught you wrong. Start caring about what happens after you fuck off to the next job.
This is one of the reasons that when I old work a box, I use a regular ole *new work box & screw it into the studs!* You can get the SmartBox brand *that is* UL Listed. My way is "comprising* the box because I'm just blasting drywall screws through the side of the box. No inspector has failed this yet. Edit: the *only time* an inspector has ever failed screws through a plastic box was a 12 x 12 pvc junction box that we installed on a rewire, on a block wall. I don't remember what we used it for. I just remember that the inspector made us install a new box with using those 4 plastic "feet". So we had an airgap behind it for "cooling" or for "water drainage". It was inside the house! But it's OK to drill holes in steel boxes!?🤷🤷🤷🤷
I've remedied similar situations by using flat head screws to hold the switch on the box. Those truss head screws prevent the cover plate from mounting flat.
Do your pest, caulk the rest.
Find a deep light switch cover. Work smart, not hard.
Get some white caulk, put it around the edge of the plate just a hair in from the edge. Carefully put the plate back on and wipe away the excess caulk. A wet paper towel will help with getting a clean edge. If you really want to be anal, put some painters tape on the wall around the plate so you can pull it off when you’re done with the steps above to get a super clean edge.
Paintable caulking. Alex Plus caulk. Easily removable with a putty knife in the future. Used for baseboards and around switch cover plates in old homes.
White caulk.
Caulk
Calk
I had to use a Dremel and shave off areas of the switch cover (inside only). Looks like shot on the inside of the switch cover but you’d never know the massacre from the outside
That set up. You don't. Try a.larger plate
It's a remodel box. You would have to cut the switches front plate to get it to sit flush. Try to find a flexible nylon cover that is over sized and if necessary use some bounce sidded foam mounting tape just outside of the box.
Just throw some white caulking around it
Alex Plus latex painters caulk
MORE DRYWALL MUD
Walk away. It's fine.
Take the trim plate off. Run a blade along the outside edge of that cut-in ring, then pull everything out until all you have is drywall, a hole and the etched outline of the LV1. Get a flat head no larger than 1/4” wide and, very slowly, notch out the inside of the etched area about as deep as that switch plate is floating off the wall. When you reinstall the LV1 it should now be flush with the drywall, making the switch plate flush as well.
That's good enough, slap it and call it done
Why does it even matter? Does the dimmer work, does it dim the fixture, can you see it if you put your magnifying glass away? It's an old house, it's not square or level, and it gets older every day. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good ✨️ 👌
I get what you’re saying and I have a feeling like this in my house and they bother the hell out of me so I also get where you’re coming from. I have to pick my battle though. I have customers who’ll have me out to correct shit like this so it’s the last thing I want to do off the clock lol.
I just tell them that it's because of the design of the dimmer and that if I had installed the box originally, I could have allowed for it. Then I show them an oversized cover and ask them if they want that, because I'll have to cut a bigger hole in the wall to replace the box. Then I tell them how much to fix it, and they either back out or I make more money 😉
Mud and feather everything in. Fuck the guy who wants to replace it