Mounting a flush socket into wooden skirting

[oupia50]

Hi guys

I've be very pleased if somebody could advise me of the best way to fit 2 gang 13amp sockets into wooden skirting. The sockets at present are surface mounted and look ugly. I wish to make them flush with the skirting.

cheers

 

[andy]

Hi guys

I've be very pleased if somebody could advise me of the best way to fit 2 gang 13amp sockets into wooden skirting. The sockets at present are surface mounted and look ugly. I wish to make them flush with the skirting.

cheers

dont. put them higher in the wall

1: easier access

2: doesnt damage flex thru bein bent where it leaves plug

3: less likely to be damaged. we all know what women are like with the hoover...

 

[oupia50]

Andy

many thanks for your quick response appreciated. The problem that I have is that the quality skirting boards are quite high (30cm). They have large holes drilled into them for the ring circuit feeding the sockets. It would be very difficult to achieve a satisfactory repair to the woodwork after the surface mounted boxes have been removed. I also then have the problem of chipping into plaster and redecorating etc etc. Although your solution is the more eloquent, I think it may involve a lot more work. Can you think of any other solutions. I have seen sockets fitted flush before into skirting. I just don't know the best way of doing it

many thanks

oupia50

 

[andy]

dry liner? you might have to notch the wood a bit for the fixing lugs tho

 

[plugwash]

if you do this then i'd be tempted to do two things to reduce the risk of problems

1: mount the sockets such that the cable exits upwards rather than downwards.
2: use metal fronted unswitched sockets (so anything that hits them just hits an essentially flat metal surface).

 

[andy]

1: mount the sockets such that the cable exits upwards rather than downwards

hopefully theyll be a little higher allowing it to go normally

 

[oupia50]

andy+plugwash

thanks very much for your helpful comments. I will try the dry lining option first with one and see how i get on

cheers guys

 

[securespark]

Why not just use standard metal boxes and nail them into the skirting?

Boxes usually have at least 2 holes near the edge of the box for this purpose. If you need more, just drill them.

Fitting D/L boxes will be a PIA, and may wreck your timber.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Or standard metal boxes fixed to the wall in the normal way? The skirting is going to have to be very thick indeed for a back-box to not require sinking into the wall to some extent.

If 'twere me I'd get a piece of wood cut to the size of a box, and the right thickness so that a jigsaw blade would only just go through the skirting, or even stopping a few mm short, screw it to the skirting, and cut round it. Then remove the bit of skirting, chisel the wall as appropriate and job done. Or if it's just plaster behind the skirting, not cement rendering, have the blade cut into that as well, the main thing is to avoid having the end banging into brick or cement.

WARNING - if you do this, make very sure you know where the cables are before you start sawing.

 

[Adam_151]

I'd have thought it'd be easier to use a wood chisel

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Guess it depends how qood you are with a chisel (not much margin around the hole that will be covered by the socket), how many holes you need to do and how long it will take, how much support there is to the back of the wood...

 

[HDRW]

...
If 'twere me I'd get a piece of wood cut to the size of a box, and the right thickness so that a jigsaw blade would only just go through the skirting, or even stopping a few mm short, screw it to the skirting, and cut round it. Then remove the bit of skirting, chisel the wall as appropriate and job done. Or if it's just plaster behind the skirting, not cement rendering, have the blade cut into that as well, the main thing is to avoid having the end banging into brick or cement.

That last part needs emphasising! Just one stroke of a jigsaw blade hitting something solid can break the drive inside the saw (guess how I know this ) I would never try to use a jigsaw to do a blind cut, because the chance of wrecking the equipment is very high (it doesn't break the blade, but the expensive electrical part!) And incidentally in my house the plaster finishes at the top of the skirting - behind the latter is just brickwork, so you may find the same.

This is one case where a "Rotozip" type saw, actually a small high-speed router, is a good choice if you can guide it accurately (ie. not by hand!). You can start the cut by plunging it at an angle then just rout around the line. Set the depth to the thickness of the skirting less a mm.