Dose anybody know where I can find some electrical wall plug sockets with unfinished pine back plates? All the walls in my 19th C home are timbered to about waist height with dark stained pitch pine panels and I’m looking for plug sockets that I can stain to match. All the timbered back plates that I’ve seen on the web are made of hard woods with a purpose made finish : -Oak ,Ash, Beech etc which makes them all quite expensive and it would be a crime to sand them down and stain them. So far, I haven’t been able to find plain simple ‘cheepo’ pine back plates ready to decorate. Any pointers in the right direction appreciated.
- Thread starter michael
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skier-hughes
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Search for a local timber yard and ask them to cut you some?
Skier, that sounds like an even more expensive option than buying a ready made wall socket with ash back plate considering also that all the electrical connection gubbins and switches have to be installed. Also cut outs would have to be made to take the plastic socket housings. Where would you buy the socket housings anyway?
Feltwell
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These claim to be British made, if you can find who the manufaturer is you may be able to persuade them to sell you unfinished Ash for you to stain yourself.
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Manufacturers/Kilnwood/Wooden_Accessories/index.html
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Manufacturers/Kilnwood/Wooden_Accessories/index.html
Yes I’ve seen this. The site is TLC aka A1 electrics in Tunbridge wells not too far from me also based in Crawley. These are the cheapest fittings I’ve seen so far but I’m sure pine would be much cheaper. I’ve tried entering Kilnwood, the TLC socket name on the search engine and it comes up with a forest owned by the forestry commission also located in the Kent/East Sussex area but there’s no mention of wooden sockets or light switches there.
Andrew Bodenham
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These electrical fittings with wooden faceplates are probably made in ash rather than pine because of the superior mechnical and machining properties of ash. Most pines would be too soft to reliably accept the small screws etc. which will be holding the electrical components onto the faceplate.
Your best bet is probably to buy the items in the 'oak finish', then add your own woodstain over the top to achieve a match for your 'pitch pine' colour.
Personally I would go with a more traditional approach by mounting a reproduction switch or socket (ceramic / 'bakelite' colour) on a wooden pattress. This could be cut from pitchpine and stained down to match your panelling, perhaps with edge moulding to match other detailing in the room.
Your best bet is probably to buy the items in the 'oak finish', then add your own woodstain over the top to achieve a match for your 'pitch pine' colour.
Personally I would go with a more traditional approach by mounting a reproduction switch or socket (ceramic / 'bakelite' colour) on a wooden pattress. This could be cut from pitchpine and stained down to match your panelling, perhaps with edge moulding to match other detailing in the room.