Switches & Sockets

Introduction

In this section, we will explore everything you need to know about switches and sockets. Adding light switches and electrical sockets is a great way to add realism to a space, especially when following the guidelines below that are British Standards.

Overview

British Standards

Standard Dimensions
Kitchen Specifics

BREAKDOWN OF COMPONENTS

TYPES OF LIGHT SWITCHES

HOW THEY are FIXed

Exposed Walls
Tiled Surfaces
Wallpaper Surfaces

BESPOKE FITTINGS

british standards

Standard heights

Sockets must be at least 350mm from the corner of the room and 450mm from the floor.

Light switches should be maximum 1200mm from the floor.

kitchen specific

Sockets must be at least 150mm from the worktop. If there is an upstand the socket should be 100mm from the top of the upstand. This will allow the wire to flex underneath the plug.

They should also be at least 300mm from the sink and 100mm from the hob.

breakdown of components

BACKBOX

The back box (sometimes called flush box, knockout box or wall box) is the metal or plastic enclosure, which a flush-mounted switch or other device is fitted into.

These are usually fitted into the wall so the plug socket plate can sit flush to the wall.

PLATE

A plate is the front square (usually plastic or metal) that attaches to the backbox to hide the wires/ hole behind. Also referred to as a cover or surround.

GANG

In electrical terms, a gang is the name given to the number of buttons or sockets on a switch or socket plate, e.g. a 2-gang plate has two switches, a 4-gang socket means there are four sockets on the plate.

TYPES OF light switch

Dolly

- Dolly switches (also known as toggle switches) is the name of the toggle-like button you use to turn the switch on or off.

This is a more traditional or higher end styling choice.

rocker

This is a different style, more modern looking, sloped button that ‘rocks’ backward or forwards to turn a switch on or off.

This is more of an affordable option but can be elevated with different finishes.

dimmer

A dimmer is a button that pushes in and out to turn your lights on or off and rotates to dim the lights.

HOW THEY ARE FIXED

EXPOSED WALLS (CONCRETE, EXTERIOR AND BRICK)

Exposed walls are a little different from the usual plaster walls when it comes to attaching sockets/ switches.

Instead of the backbox being embedded into the wall, it will sit on the outside with a metal or plastic conduit (wire cover) concealing the wires that will then run into the floor or ceiling.

Tiled Surfaces

When putting sockets onto tiled surfaces, it can be assumed that the tiling takes place after the backbox has been installed.

The tiles will then be cut around the backbox as pictured to the right. Grout will be applied at this stage between all the tiles and the backbox.

The plate will now be screwed to the backbox, which will hide the rough edges of the grout and backbox.

Want to see a video of this? See below:

Wallpaper Surface

When featuring a patterned wallpaper, in order to not interrupt the pattern, some designers decide to go for a faux transparent plate.

This is done by sticking a sample of the wallpaper sample to the back of a transparent plate and lining it up with the wallpaper pattern on the wall.

BESPOKE FITTINGS

Page updated

Report abuse