Easy Solution For “Fixing” & Hiding Beige Outlets In A Room With White Trim

Welcome to the 749th Metamorphosis Monday! Last year I had the “almost finished” side of the basement painted. The walls were painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove and the trim was painted in Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. Chantilly Lace is a bright white with an LRV of 92.2.

Basement After Painting

 

Though this basement is a daylight basement with 5 good-size windows and two French doors, I wanted to keep the room feeling as light and bright as possible which is why I went with two shades of white for the walls and trim.

Basement Renovation, After Painting, Before Flooring

 

One thing that’s bugged me since I had it painted was how the electrical outlets and switches are beige which really doesn’t look great with the pretty white trim. I counted them up and there are 14 outlets on this side of the basement, a phone jack, 2 cable connection boxes, and 3 light switches–a single, a double, and a triple. That’s a lot of outlets and switch plates to change out! Not sure what an electrician would charge to change all those out, but I have a feeling it would be pricey since there are so many to change.

Inexpensive way to change and hide those beige than outlets with pretty white outlets

 

I drove over to Home Depot a few days ago and purchased the white outlets, outlet plates, and switch plates. Before doing that, I had been looking online since I was thinking of just ordering what I needed, but it got so confusing looking at all the different types online, I ended up just going in person to buy them. During the time I was shopping online, I came across these special outlet covers and decided to order them just to see how they looked and worked. They are outlet covers that are designed to fit right over your existing beige outlet (after removing the beige cover plate) thus, hiding the outlet so you don’t have to go to the expense of hiring an electrician to change them all out. (They are available here: White Outlet Covers Hide Beige/Tan Outlets.)

Hide Ugly Tan or Dark Outlets with White Covers, Outlets Still Work Great

 

They came quickly and I immediately removed one of my beige plates to try one out to see how they look. Not bad! I do like how they look! They have a modern feel which I really like and I love that you can’t see the beige outlet/receptacle underneath.

Replace Beige Tan Outlet Covers with White Covers

 

I wondered if an electrical plug would still go in easily, so I grabbed my vacuum from the other side of the basement and plugged it in. It worked great–no problems.

White Covers to hide old beige-tan outlets

 

I’m planning on having an electrician come out soon to add an outlet in the corner of the garage alongside my irrigation controller box thingy since I’m going to have the controller updated to a new one sometime soon.

Granite Garage Flooring, Garage Makeover

 

While he’s here, I’ll get a quote for having all the outlets and light switches changed out to see what it would cost. There will be the cost for the outlets/switches themselves, and of course, the labor to have them all changed out. If it’s not too terrible, I may let him do it, but if it’s as expensive as I expect, I may just go with these covers since they look great and function perfectly. You can read the reviews on these where I purchased them here: White Outlet Covers Hide Beige/Tan Outlets.

White Covers to hide old beige-tan outlets

 

Have you ever used these covers in your home? How did you like them? I never even knew these existed until I started shopping online for white outlets and switch plates. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Hide Ugly Tan or Dark Outlets with White Covers, Outlets Still Work Great

 

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Comments

  1. That’s a lot of outlets! Your attention to detail is amazing! Thanks Susan I hope it all works out the way you want it too~

  2. Susan,
    Hope the week ahead is wonderful for you!!
    Thanks again for hosting this charming party every week! I know how much time goes into doing so and I want you to know that it I truly appreciate it!! I hope you have a great week!
    Hugs,
    Deb

  3. Susan, you are a fount of information! I think they look great! I would be very curious to know what the electrician quotes you. I imagine it would be fairly costly and time consuming for him to change out all those plugs / outlets. But what a great solution you found in these cover plates. Thanks for this info. I hope you have a great week!

  4. SharonFromMichigan says

    Susan, have you considered replacing the receptacles & covers yourself? I know a lot of people have a healthy fear of electrical projects, but replacing receptacles really is an easy DIY. (most important is know where your circuit breakers are and turning them off before you begin) I taught myself how to do this a long time ago & not only does it save a lot of money, but you can do the project at your convenience & not have a stranger inside your home. YouTube is a great resource as well as any small hometown hardware stores where the people working there are willing to walk someone through the steps to DIY a project.

    • You know, I seriously thought about that and I’m pretty sure I know where the circuit breaker switches are since the electrician installed a whole new second panel when I had the basement finished and the screened porch added. Plus, if I take a hair dryer with me from outlet to outlet and plug it in, that should help me ensure I’ve turned off the outlet before I change it out. Isn’t YouTube awesome? I love going there for “how-to” videos. I’ll probably get a quote and decide after that, but I’m amazed at how great these covers look and work, too.

    • I must be missing something because mine just have the one screw in the middle and I’ve removed them many times over the years in different homes.

  5. just a thought here…why don’t you wait and see until after you have furniture or stuff down there most likely you’ll have table in front of the outlet and you’ll never see it/them once you have place items down there and if you not going to use that area for a living space why worry about it. just a thought…rls

  6. Good to know! Thanks Susan.

  7. I used these covers over all our outlets and love them. So clean and modern looking. No regrets! But I installed the first one upside-down; just be sure to install with the slots at the top (note to newbies).

  8. This issue has bugged me for years. I’ve even painted some and wallpapered others. Once I asked a decorator how she felt about the tan covers, and she said it didn’t bother her at all. Well, it does bother me. Glad to read you feel the same way.

  9. Shocked I never found these myself. THANK YOU SUSAN for showing me a cheap, simple solution to something that’s bugged me for decades…one husband, 3 builders and 4 electricians all managed to miss a few remaining mismatched outlets in various rooms after 3 remodels. This I can do myself! You made my day!

  10. I decided to do this last year. I have been updating an old condo, and when it was painted a very light beige with white trim, the outlets and switches stuck out like a sore thumb. My brother remodels homes (but doesn’t live in the same state) and he told me an electrician would take approximately 5 minutes per outlet to change. I had 20 outlets/switches. I have a good electrician I use, and he charges $65 an hour because he does it “on the side” from his regular job, otherwise it would be more. So it took over an hour and as far as I’m concerned was well worth it! I’m a person that believes in doing things the right way, and it just looked unfinished with the dark beige outlets. Money well spent. I would be curious to know a professional opinion of the outlets you bought. Yes, electricians are expensive, I’ve been paying for his weekends on his boat for the past year and a half, lol.

  11. Kaye Butler says

    Along the same topic, we replaced some of the outlets in our house with wall chargers. When our extended family is home, everyone is looking for a USB or outlet. These are available from Amazon.

  12. Tina W Reynolds says

    It really IS the little things that add up! In 2019, after a big repair/ replaster/ paint job in the dining room and powder room, we installed these:
    https://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Wiring-Devices-Light-Controls-Electrical-Outlets-Receptacles/Night-Light/N-5yc1vZc33aZ1z1pmf0?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-2003851-1420157-EdgeBingFlow&clickid=2yGUSwX46xyNRWrxATzA-1DoUkF0hkR9LV1h2c0 ( don’t know if the link will work, arrgghhh). It was a lot of work and expense. It really paid off later that year when my husband had total ankle replacement surgery and had to navigate the downstairs at night with a cast, then walker, knee scooter and lastly crutches! The night lights are still a big hit with both of us since they contribute to safety in a house where the kitties leave toys everywhere! I do love the idea of how easily the covers you found simply take care of the issue of the beige plates. Gosh, we had ALL beige plates when we moved in to our house. LOL, It was an “80’s thing” !

  13. Hi Susan,
    Your garage looks amazing. and thanks for telling us about those light receptables because we replaced a few with the old ones in white in our guest
    bedroom and I don’t like how they look, but figured I would just have to live
    with it……..now I will look for the kind you have. Problem solved.
    Thanks for hosting met monday every week.
    Blessings, Nellie

  14. M. Karen Lovell says

    I would have never even thought or seen the outlet covers. Electricians are expensive and this is a great solution! Thank you so much for sharing! In the room I re-did, it was so small and had only four outlets. I had my son rewire them with white ones. How I would have loved to have had these instead! I’m keeping these in mind with some future projects! Thanks so much!

  15. Your basement is wonderful. Here in So Cal we don’t have basements. We are definitely missing out. We have done all kinds of work in our 40 year old home in the last 6 months. DH changed out a few outlets and switches when we moved in 11 years ago but with the work going on lately he has changed out most of the rest. They outlets do start failing sometimes. Ours were just looking tired and old. They sure look better now. I’ve not seen the covers you found. Great idea.

  16. Those outlets look great…perfect in your space. I have beige/tan walls and went with brushed chrome covers with white outlets…works for me. Now I am looking at some for the bathrooms that have an automatic nightlight built in…another project!

    • The outlet with a nightlight is out there because I’ve seen them advertised on instagram and thought about buying at least two for the bedrooms. However, I have no idea any name associated with them. Of course you may already have the name. lol

  17. When I bought this house they had gold covers ! You show us the best stuff for an easier life. I do not have the patience to search online.
    Are you runny a tally on the basement project like the porch remodel ?
    Looks great.

  18. Linda Potter says

    I had outlets changed in pretty much my whole house, 3400 sqft, several years ago. I don’t remember it being super expensive.

  19. Linda Practical Parsimony says

    I hate beige, any shade of almost white, so I change outlets myself. I am not afraid of electricity, but I do turn off breakers. I had 4000 sq feet of house to change outlets. We had the kitchen gutted to the studs. The worst contractor ever put dark brown outlets on the white walls. It was gross, especially around the kitchen counters. I think he must have gotten them out of an old house and washed them up. I have never looked online for outlets. I will keep those covers in mind.

  20. Susan, I have so enjoyed seeing all your updates and the process you go through. I had an electrician come and do all my outlets and switches. It wasn’t terribly expensive, but wish I had thought to look into the covers you bought. I had a lot which also surprised me. I do like the updated look, too.

  21. I follow a gal on instagram who uses these in her home and loves them. She’s the reason I’m buying them for my new house, they can be painted the color of my walls. I like the look of them.

  22. Elizabeth Roderick says

    It’s amazing how some people don’t notice this kind of thing. I’ve always thought about it, even before we had outlet cover choices. Maybe that was my million dollar idea? Good for you it will all come together soon and be beautiful!

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