Odd Sized Light Switch Plates & Outlet Cover Solutions

Chances are, you never paid much attention to your switch plates until you started a home renovation project. You may have painted a room, added wainscot, removed wall panelling, added an addition or fully gutted your living space.

One of the last things that go back up are your light switch and outlet covers. And it turns out, often times a standard cover is not what you need.

There are many sizes of wall plates, and I'm going to break them down below. Keep reading to find the right solution for you.

Find Odd Sized Light Switch & Outlet Covers

Standard Cover Plates

First, let's go over a standard size plate.

Standard wall plates are 4.5" high and vary in width based on how many devices they cover.

Single plates for 1 electrical device (known as 1-gang plates) are 2.75" wide and double covers for 2 devices (known as 2-gang plates) are 4-9/16".

1 gang: 4.5" H x 2.75" W

2 gang: 4.5" H x 4-9/16" W

Standard plates are both taller and wider than the electrical devices and the wall box in order to cover everything up (as well as some space around the electrical box for the dry-wall cutout).

Mid-Size

If a little too much drywall was cut out around your electrical box, you may need to step up to a mid-size cover plate. Here are mid-size dimensions:

1 gang: 5-1/16" H x  3-1/4" W

2 gang: 5-1/16" H x 5-1/8" W

The orange area represents a standard plate size. You can see mid-sized covers are slightly larger all the way around.

Tall

Tall cover plates are same width as standard, but are 1/2" taller and have smooth rounded corners. Available only in white.

1 gang tall: 5" H x 2.75" W (same width as standard)

2 gang tall: 5" H x 4-9/16" W (same width as standard)

Tall Wide

Single gang tall plates also come in a wider size, adding an extra quarter inch of coverage to each side.

1 gang tall wide: 5" H x 3.5" W (only available in single-gang)

Get tall + wide covers in a variety of sizes & finishes by going "Oversized"...

Oversized

Often times, if the hole in your sheetrock is too large, you'll need to step up to an oversized plate.

Jumbo or XL plates are available in lots of finishes. By going a little bigger than mid-size, you don't have to buy plain white plastic covers. You can choose from a variety of nice finishes to complete your home upgrade.

1 gang oversized: 5.5" H x 3.5" W

2 gang oversized: 5.5" H x 5.5" W

See how a larger cover fixes this eye sore:

Extra Large

For really big mistakes, Kyle Switch Plates also carries these extra large sizes:

1-gang XL: 6.38" H x 4.5" W  -or-  7.5" H x 5.5W

2-gang XL: 7.5" H x 5.5" W

You can find XL plates grouped among Kyle's other oversized large switch covers.

We also carry large cover plates for old speakers and doorbell intercoms - scroll down to the last section below "Doorbell / Intercom Speaker Covers".

Expanders

If you have a special plate that doesn't come in larger sizes - say for an odd low voltage light switch or a plate in a specialty finish - you can place an expander underneath to extend wall coverage.

Kyle Switch Plates makes a variety of expander sizes for plates up to 5-gang.

1-gang expanders: 6" H x 4" W  -or-  6" H x 6" W

2-gang expanders: 6" H x 6" W

Expanders can also be used to protect the wall around a switch or outlet in a high-traffic area. They can help prevent wear-and-tear on a decorative surface such as wainscot or wallpaper.

Find all expander sizes among oversized wall plates here.

Narrow

Narrow plates come in handy when you lack space around your switches or outlets.

If your switch is super close to cabinetry, wood trim or an adjacent wall, a narrow plate might be just what you need.

Narrow plates come in a variety of widths such as 1.5" W, 1.75" W, 2" W, 2.5" W & 2.5" for single plates.

Narrow plates are also perfect for slim spots such as on a door jamb (as shown here in a hotel room):

Shop all narrow cover plates here to see all sizes.

Offset/Short - with Beveled Edge

In order to still cover the whole electrical box & prevent the device straps from sticking out, short plates are actually the same size as standard plates. What makes them "short" is that the cutouts have been shifted closer to one edge.

Offset or short wall plates are perfect when a standard cover won't fit. This is usually due to wall tile that ends mid-way up the wall with the trim coming too close to the electrical box.

Offset/Short - Flat with No Edge Bevel

If you need a plate that really is shorter than a standard one, you can get short flat plates. The shortest size is 4" H.

It's important to note that 4-inch sized covers will not fully cover the electrical device's straps. And because there's no edge bevel, there may be a gap between the plate and the wall if the electrical box isn't sunken down into the wall.

Shifted Cutouts - Short or Narrow Edge

We refer to our plates with shifted openings as "short", "half short" and "half narrow".

Shop narrow edge plates or offset opening plates that are short.

Deep

When a wall box sticks out from the wall, you need deep switch plates to fill in that gap that exists between a standard sized cover and the wall.

A wall box will stick out if you remove tile or wall paneling that the box used to sit flush with.

Or, you may have a gap caused by a bulky electrical device that won't sit back properly in the electrical box.

A standard plate has a 5/32" edge bevel, which is designed to reach back and sit flush with a properly installed electrical box. Deep plates have a bevel twice that size, so they reach back to fix gaps like this.

Deep plates cover boxes that stick out 1/16" of an inch - a very small amount.

Your specific situation may require a plate that fills a larger gap - see all protruding electrical box solutions here.

Large Doorbell / Intercom Speaker Covers

If you plan to remove a Nutone doorbell and intercom speaker, you can cover up the large hole with a blank doorbell cover plate.

We offer a variety of sizes and screw spacing options - both with and without cutouts. These plates have been the perfect solution for customers with NuTone, TekTone, M&S and other brand doorbell systems.

Be sure to measure your box and determine the spacing between the screw holes where the new cover will mount.

These doorbell intercom speaker covers can also be drilled into and used to mount a video doorbell system such as a Ring smart doorbell.

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Shop all sizes and configuration at Kyle Switch Plates.

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Outlet Covers with Offset Openings for Tight Spaces

Problem: There's not enough room for an outlet cover.

Causes: Board and batten, wainscoting, tile, cabinetry, paneling, granite countertop, backsplash, trim, door jamb, mirror, etc.

Solution: Narrow cover plates for electrical receptacles.

When updating your living space, you may run into this common problem:
outlet cover won't go back on due to lack of space around the electrical box.

Here's a prime example:

This backsplash has a bullnose tile trim, which is blocking the cover from going back on the switch and outlet.

A cover that used to fit just fine, no longer works after this wet bar's renovation.

Narrow switch plates are the perfect solution. Depending on your needs, Kyle Switch Plates carries 2 types of narrow covers:

• "narrow" covers that aren't as wide overall as standard ones
• "half narrow" covers with offset openings (cutouts closer to one side of plate to allow room for obstructions on one edge)

Shop all narrow covers here.

In the tile example shown above, a half narrow switch & outlet cover is all the homeowner needed (same overall plate size, but with offset or shifted openings for the devices).

Here's another example in which there's not enough clearance for an outlet cover. The board and batten accent wall shown below has a batten beam that's partially obstructing one edge of the electrical box.*

The homeowner chose a narrow outlet cover for the single duplex outlet.
But a half narrow duplex plate would have worked also.

*Obstructing an electrical box may be a code violation - be sure to heck your local electrical codes.

Find the right narrow cover plate here.

Need covers with less trim on top or bottom edge instead?

Shop short wall plates to find the solution if materials are blocking the top or bottom edge of your device cover.

Replacing a Nu-Tone Light Vent & Heat Switch Cover

If your bathroom has Nu-Tone switches for controlling the light, vent and heat, you may have trouble finding replacement covers when you renovate the room.

The first thing you need to know is that the shape of the light, vent and heat control switches are one type of "despard" switch.

Find links to replacement parts below:

Nu-Tone Switches

To replace these old Nu-Tone switches, you need to get Pass & Seymour 15A ACD1 switches (which comes in white, ivory and brown).

Mounting Straps

Since these switches are mounted in metal straps, if you don't have the old hardware, you'll need a new despard switch mounting strap to install the replacement ACD1 light, vent and heat switches.

Despard Switch Cover Plates

The correct replacement cover is this 3 Despard Switch Cover Plate (available in over 10 finishes).

Light, Vent, Heat Switch Labels

The new covers don't have "LIGHT", "VENT", and "HEAT" imprinted on them.

But you can order separate Nu-Tone switch labels that can be affixed to the side of the switches. They come with a strong adhesive so they can easily be added to one side of your new cover.

Don't neglect your old switches and covers when updating a bathroom. You'll love the fresh look.

Get Your Home Prepared for Holiday Guests

Are you hosting your family for Thanksgiving or having a Christmas holiday party with friends? This is the time to get your home guest-ready. Many people love having family and friends over during the holiday season and it's a fun time to show off any renovations or work you've done to your home since last year.

Do you have a tricky switch plate that needs to be replaced but you weren't able to find it at your local hardware store? We get a lot of calls this time of year from people who have waited last minute to fix this problem.

Many times you don't even realize you have an odd switch plate until a trip to the Home Depot. You'd be surprised how many configurations they don't carry. And, the more switches you have in the same plate, the more tricky it can be to find the right match. It gets even trickier if you want a specialty finish like stainless steel or oil rubbed bronze.

Save yourself the stress and order your plates early from Kyle Switch Plates. That way, you won't have to pay a fortune to have it shipped overnight it last second (although that's something we can do if need be!).

Kyle Switch Plates' oil rubbed bronze switch plates are especially popular with the rustic look everyone has going on in their homes these days. Adding quality wall plates to your room is the best way to polish off Restoration Hardware decor in any home.

Shop Kyle Switch Plates for coordinating light switches, outlets, decorative dimmer knobs and beautiful cover plates made in the USA.