When you cover a wall with fake stone panels, one of the classiest ways to treat electrical switches and outlets is to surround them with beveled stone frames. The frames are part of our Wellington line of dry stack fake stone wall panels, but you can use them with other panels as well. They come in seven colors, so you’re sure to find one that coordinates with just about any panel color.

Ah, but you say: “What about double and triple switches?”

I’m so happy you asked. The answer’s in the picture:

You see the trick right away. But let’s spell it out and fill in the details. First, for a double switch.

• You’ll need two frames for a double switch. And you’ll need a tube of matching textured caulk to form the “grout line” between the two frame pieces.
• Cut each of the two frames into a C shape, keeping the legs of the C as long as possible without cutting into the miters at the corners.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Dry fit the two pieces together and lay your switch plate on top to check for size. You’ll want just enough space between the legs of the Cs to form a nice-looking grout line. If the legs are too long, carefully trim off a bit.
• You can assemble the two pieces in place on the wall, or on a work surface ahead of time. If you assemble them on a work surface, lay down a sheet of wax paper to work on. Apply a little grout to the ends of the legs, and position the pieces together so they’re square, even and properly spaced. Then carefully wipe the caulk to form a neat grout line. Leave the assembly undisturbed while the caulk firms up, and then handle it gently when you glue it to the wall the next day.

For a triple switch, you follow the same procedure, but you need to add straight pieces between the legs of the Cs to make the frame wider. So you end up with two grout lines top and bottom.

The good news is that you can cut these two extra straight pieces from the leftover bits of the two frames you’ve already cut. You don’t need to buy and cut up a third frame.

Entrance with Nailon Stone in Glacier White

There are two towns in the area where I live that are about six miles away from each other, yet virtually a universe apart when it comes to their building aesthetic. One of them is your classic New England village, with stately old whaling captain houses – lots of white wood and black shutters. The other is well…not. The majority of the town is covered in little summer cottages and restaurants that are every bright color you could imagine, usually in the pink and purple families. We’re not talking understated lavenders and roses here…

Exterior with Glacier White Nailon Stone

So shocking magenta or violet may not be your cup of tea, but the average white wood house isn’t really your bag either. You might want to consider the look of white brick or stone. White looks good with everything, no matter what your landscaping or surrounding areas look like, yet the texture can give your house that little something extra. And what a more perfect time to spiffy up your home’s exterior than spring?

Luckily faux panels are super-easy to clean, and if after awhile you feel like a change, they easily can be painted. You just might want to avoid that can of Pepto-Bismol pink.

Colonial White Nailon Brick

We drove the panels down to Bethesda, MD, from our warehouse on Long Island, NY. (Road trip!) Producer David Sibila and the production crew were great. The host, Bill Duggan, wasn’t actually there for the taping – maybe that’s why I got a little camera time. In the video you can see me offloading the panels and showing Leann how they look up on the wall.

So why did they choose FauxPanels.com? The show lets the homeowners select the materials they want for the project. Leann found us on the internet and picked out our red faux brick paneling. They decided to paint it white to match their house – although these days we have a white brick panel available.

The interesting thing about the homeowner’s garage was that it was only 6-8 feet deep, so it couldn’t actually fit a car. They removed the garage door to make it into a nice outdoor alcove. They wanted it to blend in with the rest of house’s white brick exterior – hence the painted faux paneling.

After a long day of filming and paneling, I headed home with my empty van – leaving the homeowners happy and excited about their new converted alcove. Of course, it then took over a year for the episode to air on TV – but the best faux things in life are worth waiting for.