Electrical sockets on uneven wall tiles

[cannaefixit]

Just about to tile my new kitchen with 200 x 100mm tiles (you know the ones with the chamfered profile).

It's clearly going to take some care going around window recesses and such like, which I think I'll take care of by mitre-ing the joins where the tile run changes direction.

Problem is, I don't know what I'm going to do about the electrical sockets.

Surface mounting the sockets will leave them standing quite proud of the tiles due to the chamfering. I suspect the job wouldn't look too good and it would be difficult to get the sockets sealed watertight around the edges.

If I mount the sockets flush with the plasterboard and tile around them that's a lot of work cutting awkward L-shaped tiles and might not look great either. At least I could seal around them.

What do people normally do with this type of tile? It's a small galley kitchen with 8 sockets above the worktop level so they are very noticeable and I'd like to get it right.

Advice appreciated.

 

[letiss]

Why don't you visit your local electrical wholesaler, buy some slim new sockets, switches that may take the bad look off it.
Once you have tiled and the adhesive is set, you could always lightly tighten up your sockets and grout or a thin line of white silicone round if you want to make the water tight.
Your walls shouldn't get that wet unless your doing your washing up with a jet washer!

 

[JohnD]

You normally mount the backing boxes so their fronts are flush with the finished wall, or slightly behind it. Then tile around them. When you fit the sockets, their faceplates overlap the back boxes enough to hide any ragged edges.

 

[cannaefixit]

Thanks guys
I've taken your advice letiss and bought some slimline sockets.
I also bought some steel socket boxes so I can bring them out flush with the tiled surface as you suggested JohnD (current ones are plastic with a lip and lugs that catch on the back of the plasterboard so they fit flush). Is it acceptable to just wedge the new steel boxes in place or do they have to be secured in some way so that they can't pull out?

Now, after I get over how much Homebase stung me for that little lot, I'll just have to try to arrange the tiles so that the edges of each socket sit on the flat of a tile, not the chamferred bits.

thanks

btw
The concern about waterproofing the socket edges Letiss is not the washing up. It's the fact that I am partial to the occasional fry up so the tiles around the cooker sometimes need a good hard scrub which tends to result in water pouring down the wall. I'll take my chances with cardiac arrest in exchange for a decent breakfast but getting electrocuted when doing the housework is not a way I want to go!

 

[Trazor]

You need to screw your back boxes to the wall, use rawlplugs/screws.

If you wedge them in place, they will work loose eventually, and you will lose your waterproof seal

 

[JohnD]

I did not realise you have a dry-lined wall. The steel boxes are usually recessed into a brick or block wall, secured with a couple of screws into the brickwork, and (preferably) mortared into place to prevent them moving.

Is there brickwork behind the plasterboard that you can screw them to? Or is it a hollow wall with plasterboard on the other side? Steel boxes can also be fixed to the wooden studs but this needs a bit of chiselling which would not be easy after the wall is built.

It might be possible to secure them with expanding foam or something behind (if they are just screwed they are liable to shift slightly) but someone else may have a better way to do it.

Your plastic boxes with spring lugs are the usual method in plasterboard walls. Sorry if I misdirected you.

 

[cannaefixit]

There is a brick wall behind the drylining but it's an outside wall and I know from experience that it's a swine to drill those bricks (fitted extractor grille recently). They're hard as nails and difficult to reach with a DIY drill from inside the flat.
I'm getting an electrician in to run off a couple of new spurs for the new hob and extractor (the joys of Part P ). If he has a decent drill I might ask him to do it.
Otherwise perhaps I could drill the sides of the boxes, screw a length of wood behind the plasterboard on either side of the hole, then screw the steel box to the strips of wood Sounds OK at 10pm but might turn out to be a total bodge Think I'll try it on one socket and see how it looks.

 

[JohnD]

you could perhapd Gripfill some blocks to the bricks, and screw the boxes to the blocks.