Installing Weekend Walls reclaimed wood panels is a breeze, but those pesky outlets can cause a headache to even the most seasoned interior decorator. There’s no need to worry, as your panels can be easily cut to fit around electrical and cable outlets. Follow these steps to make sure you do so safely and without altering your vision.
If you need additional help installing your panels around outlets, learn how to properly cut Weekend Walls panels and what tools you can use.
Turn off the breaker at your house’s main electrical panel. Once you have flipped the breaker to the “OFF” position, test the outlet by trying to turn on the lights or plugging in a small electrical appliance to the outlet you are working on.
Take the screws out of the face plate. Make sure to keep them in a safe place. We recommend taping the screws to the face plate for safe keeping.
Next loosen the screws that hold the light switch or outlet in place. Do not remove them completely; just back them out far enough to create a gap behind them to add a spacer.
The purpose of a spacer is to bring your light switch or outlet flush to the new paneling you are installing. To create a spacer use a razor knife and a scrap piece of Weekend Walls paneling material. Cut a small piece (Shim) no wider than the outlet and install the shim by placing it behind the loosened screws.
You are only loosening the screws in the outlet just enough to slip a small piece of WeekendWalls behind the screw to bring the outlet flush with your new wall thickness.
Once you have placed your shims behind the screws, lightly snug the screws back up so that your shims wont fall out.
Dry fit a piece of WeekendWalls to the edge of the outlet and mark both the edges and the top of the area to be cut out.
Using a square and a razor knife, cut against the grain along the lines that mark where the sides of the outlet will be. You can also use a coping saw to do this if you don’t feel comfortable with a razor knife. There are also other options for cutting this material in our installation section.
Once you have completed your cuts against the grain, make your final cut (for the top of the outlet) with the grain. Cutting with the grain is much easier and should be done last.
Snap out the excess piece and discard.
It is important to dry fit the newly cut piece. This allows you to trim the edges of your cuts if you were off a bit the first time. Keep that adhesive backing on until you know it fits perfectly!
Once you are confident your cut piece fits perfectly, just peel off the backing and stick it!
Repeat the same directions for measuring and cutting around the other half of your outlet. You got this!
Using the screws that you taped to the face plate, reinstall them so that everything fits just right.
Once everything is finished, flip the breaker back on and test that your electricity is working properly.