# Easy Way to Fix Annoying Gaps Around Single Gang Boxes



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

The people who put the finishing cement on the interior walls of my house did a spectacularly bad job, and each time I had to replace an electrical switch or wall receptacle, a huge chunk of finishing cement would fall off from around the opening for the electrical box where it is the thinnest. :mad2:

At first I simply put Selley's No More Gaps around the edge of the wall plate to cover up the gap made by the crumbling finishing cement, (not too bad of a solution) but this made it difficult each and every time I would have to go back inside the box to change something.

I made the below drawing on a piece of 8" x 11" sheet of paper, and it is essentially a pattern to make a trim ring to go around the edge of the box to hide the ugly gap. This way I don't have to spend twenty minutes cutting off the old caulking material, and then having to reply it all over again. 

View attachment 86730


If you decide to use the above jpeg image, make sure that the screw holes are 3 1/4" inches apart when it comes off your printer, or it won't fit on a standard single gang box. You can play around with the inside and outside edges, but the screw holes will have to remain in their current positions, or it won't fit. 

Next I cut out my drawing and used it to make the below proto type from the cover of a Sky Flakes crackers box. It took me several attempts to make a ring cover that I was happy with, so if your materials are limited I recommend practicing a bit before you go to make your real one.

View attachment 86738



Next I used some material from a left over gutter downspout to make the actual trim ring that I planned to install onto the wall. I had a left over box lying around, so I used that to make sure that it would fit before I tried attaching it to the box in the wall.

View attachment 86746


Once I was sure it would fit, I pulled the switch out from the wall (power off) and was able to slip the trim ring I had just made over and around the switch assembly, like putting a button through a button hole. Below is what the finished product looks like. I know it looks kinda silly, but it does the job, and it seems to add more support to the switch cover on some of my boxes in which a lot of finishing cement has broken off.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Tried to look at your attachments, all I got was 'invalid link'. Did click on the pic of finished product and it did show.

Fred


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

fmartin_gila said:


> tried to look at your attachments, all i got was 'invalid link'. Did click on the pic of finished product and it did show.
> 
> Fred











This is the drawing I made


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

fmartin_gila said:


> tried to look at your attachments, all i got was 'invalid link'. Did click on the pic of finished product and it did show.
> 
> Fred












Here is my first proto type made from the lid of a Sky Flakes box.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

fmartin_gila said:


> tried to look at your attachments, all i got was 'invalid link'. Did click on the pic of finished product and it did show.
> 
> Fred











Test fitting one of my later attempts on an extra box I had lying around.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Maxx62 said:


> View attachment 86786
> 
> 
> Test fitting one of my later attempts on an extra box I had lying around.


Just curious, can they be seen now?


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

They can be viewed by clicking on the pics but I tried the attachments on your first post again and still get "invalid link". Can see what you accomplished by the pics.

Fred


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

fmartin_gila said:


> They can be viewed by clicking on the pics but I tried the attachments on your first post again and still get "invalid link". Can see what you accomplished by the pics.
> 
> Fred


Hmmm...strange? Well it looks like I can't modify my original post to remove the links that aren't working, but as long as people can see the pictures I included in follow up comments. Also, if a moderator happens to look at this, I can see the pictures myself in the above original post, but apparently no one else can?


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