[This is part of my How to Install Moldings series.]
Step 1: Move the Electrical Box for c. $75.00
Nearly all light switches are positioned too close to the side of a door frame to allow me to install wide moldings.
Sometimes I can get away with trimming a tad off of the side of the light switch cover. But not always.
And when my molding design requires that I move the entire light switch box over to make room for beautiful new moldings, I call a qualified electrician.
Here’s why.
Because the consequences of failing to do the job right are far too high.
It’s just not worth it. So I hire a local electrician to move the light switch box for me.
I’ve never had an electrician charge me more than $75.00 per box, and usually it’s more like $50.00 per light switch box or less.
Step 2: Repairing the Hole
What the electrician won’t do, however, is fix the resulting hole in the wall. Here’s how I do it.
The picture at the top of the page shows the small piece of mdf board I glued and nailed behind the drywall.
Below then I cut a piece of drywall to fit inside the hole.
I add some Liquid Nails to the back of this piece of drywall to hold securely in place.
You can usually buy small pieces of drywall at Home Depot for small repairs like this.
Above I don’t have a picture of this step, but I put a skim coat of joint compound over the whole thing and then quickly press pieces of mesh drywall tape into the joint compound over the seams.
Then I smooth over the joint compound with a putty knife and let it dry.
Sand, and repeat as necessary.
I always cover drywall repairs with a coat of primer before I put my finish coats of wall paint over.
Failing to prime the repaired section will show through the finish coats of wall paint.
Hope this helps.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers, Ken
