Screw less wall plates

[yeldogt]

Have to spec out the electrical soon for my new house.

Having to remove a bunch of Lutron Screwless wall plates recently due to a lighting strike ...got me thinking. Don't really love the Lutron .... they snap on to a baseplate as they all seem to .. but you see this plate from the side .. they look bulky. Also, I'm sort of over the shinny plastic that scratches over time.

Any pros who install a lot? I see cooper make them as well ... but the backplate looks weak ... The Lutron do stay in place

 

[AntonLargiader]

I always feel like I'm going to break the Lutrons but it hasn't happened yet. They do look a bit fat but it doesn't bother me.

 

[850xpeps]

Hate them. Never seem to sit nice or straight or flat. Plus they are expensive

 

[klassenl]

Never seem to sit nice or straight or flat. Plus they are expensive

I like them. But the above is true. Especially the expensive part.

 

[Bert_]

I don't get the point. The screws are painted to match the plate on the normal ones. Seems like a solution looking for a problem.

 

[SGKent]

I have lots of solutions looking for problems. Just send money and I will send the problem. Solutions are extra but reasonably priced.

 

[AntonLargiader]

To me they just look a bit more finished. If the switch is flat and square in the wall, it's no issue getting these to sit flat and square. If the switch isn't flat and square, none of the Decora-type switch plates look great. Decora style is a lot less forgiving of careless installation because the width magnifies any crookedness.

 

[yeldogt]

I always feel like I'm going to break the Lutrons but it hasn't happened yet. They do look a bit fat but it doesn't bother me.

I agree -- you really have to pull on them (Lutron)

I'm using mostly Lutron dimmers .. and the plates match the dimmers. I actually picked up a couple and the Leviton plates ..... they work well for outlets -- plus it matches the Leviton outlets I have. The Lutron plates are actually more noticeable.

The coopers are fine as well. All the manufacturers use a different finish -- annoying.

Guess it will depend on the outlets I use ...

 

[Terry D]

I have always used the lutons, never have broke one. It takes a little more work to get everything to look good as far as making sure the device is sitting straight and not sticking to far in or out. I tried the Pass and Seymors, in my opinion , they are junk

 

[Falcon67]

They used screwless wall plates in our race trailer. Most stay on the outlets - most of them. Hate 'em, will replace. One section of ruff road and 2 or 3 are laying the a floor. I use Decora covers in the house that hide the screws. Nice looking, bit of a hassle to get apart. Haven't broken one yet, but have tried!

 

[teamextreme]

I don't get the point. The screws are painted to match the plate on the normal ones. Seems like a solution looking for a problem.

+1
I've had dimmers that came with those silly things and immediately tossed them in the garbage and installed regular old plates.

 

[yeldogt]

+1
I've had dimmers that came with those silly things and immediately tossed them in the garbage and installed regular old plates.

you must be single

 

[teamextreme]

you must be single

Actually, no

 

[AntonLargiader]

The O.P. and I both are referring to the concealed screws (screwed on baseplate with snap on cover) like you have in your house. Are you talking about something else in the race trailer?

They used screwless wall plates in our race trailer. Most stay on the outlets - most of them. Hate 'em, will replace. One section of ruff road and 2 or 3 are laying the a floor. I use Decora covers in the house that hide the screws. Nice looking, bit of a hassle to get apart. Haven't broken one yet, but have tried!

 

[Platonic Solid]

Didn’t even know there was such a thing as snap-on wall plates. Certainly not something I’d pay extra for. A standard toggle switch with wall plate is only $1. If I was going to spend real money on cool sleek light switches, I’d be researching wireless options.

 

[AntonLargiader]

It's probably a matter of preference, but it has a cleaner look and you get color matching with the nontraditional colors. A lot of the ones I have were sold as sets, packaged with the switch.

 

[850xpeps]

It's probably a matter of preference, but it has a cleaner look and you get color matching with the nontraditional colors. A lot of the ones I have were sold as sets, packaged with the switch.

If the drywall or mud isn’t perfect they don’t sit flat and look sh!ty.

 

[AntonLargiader]

People who don't care about sh!ty drywall aren't going to care about exposed screws in the first place.

 

[850xpeps]

People who don't care about sh!ty drywall aren't going to care about exposed screws in the first place.

Lots of switches are by corners or joints and no one muds perfect or sands perfect. On top of that your not gonna fix the walls after. Some times stud twist. Whatever the issue these plates can sometimes leave gaps wall to plate. And it looks worse than exposed screws. Which I don’t think look bad.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I guess I see it a bit differently; we have some imperfect drywall and the only way the conventional covers lie flat is by tightening the screws to the point that the cover warps. That's visible to me. The screwless ones lie flatter but you'll have uneven edges. Pick your poison.

As with anything, if you want it to look good you need good workmanship.

 

[yeldogt]

People who don't care about sh!ty drywall aren't going to care about exposed screws in the first place.

yes -- it's all about a "unified look" .. I'm not into ivory outlets and white metal plates.

Also -- when I'm doing an old property the receptacles are in the baseboards .. and the switches are lower on the wall.

Looks like with the colors -- forced to go with the Lutron.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I think other companies do colors, but if you get a colored Lutron device and want a matching plate, you're probably going to use theirs. But I don't think there's anything nonstandard about the way the plate assembly mounts.

We have some of the Greenbriar and Mocha colored ones. Great matches with the paint in those rooms. But most are white.

Looking at random online images I see a lot of nonmatching devices and plates these days. Maybe it's the new thing. Black plates on colored device, brushed metal plate, etc. No reason to stick with Lutron's covers for that.

 

[yeldogt]

I think other companies do colors, but if you get a colored Lutron device and want a matching plate, you're probably going to use theirs. But I don't think there's anything nonstandard about the way the plate assembly mounts.

We have some of the Greenbriar and Mocha colored ones. Great matches with the paint in those rooms. But most are white.

Looking at random online images I see a lot of nonmatching devices and plates these days. Maybe it's the new thing. Black plates on colored device, brushed metal plate, etc. No reason to stick with Lutron's covers for that.

I like to hide -- the different colors of w/ Lutron work well.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

I have used a bunch of the legrand ones from lowes in the house....nice touch, looks great... I wouldnt use them in a garage because I'm not dropping that kind of $$ over regular ones....

 

[mobiledynamics]

lutron, leviton. I've even gone buying the lutron -matte- screwless- outlets. Turns out it's actually a standard duplex plate that gives it a square look. So I upgraded the outlet itself to comm. spec outlets and put the ~colored plate~ on it as well. I prefer the matte finish

ALL of them imo, do make the wallplate a bit proud, and if the wall is not dead flat (aka - perfect mud job), there will be a minute wavy reveal depeding on the wallplate. The ones that get the most use (switches) are the ones that tend to get's the most -broken clips- on the screwless wallplate mount.

I like the Vareo line. Screwless and pretty flat.