Looking for small, inexpensive ways to make a rental kitchen just a little bit nicer? Here's one tip that we always follow when we move into a new home: Replace the switch plates and outlet covers.
Almost every rental home we've lived in has had those ugly plastic outlet covers and switch plates. They're grooved and cracked, in pale beige plastic, and in the kitchen they are usually covered in more grime than we care to clean.
For less than $20 you can replace the 3-4 outlet plates in the kitchen with stainless steel plates from Home Depot or Lowe's. Screw the old ones off and put away somewhere for when you move out. (We always replace them and take our own plates with us.)
This is a tiny detail that many people don't realize they notice. But there's something really effective about it. The stainless steel plates are easier to clean, and they often lie flatter to the wall than the old plastic ones. We always feel like the kitchen has had a tiny upgrade; it's a little step closer to it being our own space.
Now, if we could just do something about our kitchen counters and our walls...
Related: Rental Kitchen Makeover: Leea's Lovely Little Budget
(Image: Faith Durand)
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Such a great idea--the plastic switch plates have never been my favorite.
But only in the kitchen? Doesn't that make the rest of the place seem unfinished or cheated?
I had a terrible time keeping the stainless steel ones in our last house clean. They always showed water spots or fingerprints. Not fun.
We just installed new outlets and switches (and plates) throughout our entire house this weekend (something you probably can't do when you rent, though I've done it), changing from ivory to white. What a difference!
@Indy Jeffrey, oh I do it throughout the whole house -- but this is The Kitchn, so I was focusing on that room... :-)
We just started painting our new place this weekend (when all is said and done we will have painted the entire apartment, trim, walls, windows, everything), and this is one detail that won't be overlooked. And glad to see that the beige receptacle looks just fine with the stainless plate. My darling BF wasn't convinced. It truly is the small things sometime that make all the difference.
We did this when we moved into our small home four years ago, and what a different it makes! There are brushed Nickel ones that Home Depot sells for about $2-3 dollars. Along with painting our old, worn oak trim, I think this was one of the best, inexpensive facelifts we've done.
Ha ha! I thought that picture was the BEFORE.
I don't like stainless plates.
I think the contrast of the beige-y plastic & steel looks kinda bad. I'd prefer a nice bright white cover
Why isn't that a GFI socket
I bought the cheap regular beige plates and a can of plastic/metal spray paint in a color to match my walls (in this case, black) and spray painted all the plates so they blend seamlessly into the walls. Even non-matching but complementary colors could be nice. At about $0.60/cover and $5 for the paint (also had enough to do the railings), far cheaper than the colored plates at $3-5 each.
Love the spray paint idea, think I might be doing that this weekend! Thank Faithbck!
When I moved into my rental my landlord dropped off a bunch of stainless plates for me to use after I painted (we made a deal when I signed the lease that I would pay less rent the first month in exchange for painting the place myself) After I painted I put them up and they looked awful with the cheap beige plug. I'm pretty sure most landlords wouldn't want you to do this, but I just went and bought a box of recepticals ($0.75 each or 10 for $6 at home Depot) and changed out all my plugs to white plastic. I found a step by step tutorial on how to do it online and afterward I had my dad check them out to make sure I wasn't going to burn the place down. It was a very easy fix and now my plug-ins look great.
I like the idea! I think I'd need one that allows room for the GFI button.
I recently moved into a new apartment where all sorts of odd things were painted (including porcelain fixtures in the bathroom). I decided to take the paint off the switch plate covers so that they would be a little less horrible until I could replace them. Imagine my surprise when one of them turned out to be a beautiful yellow faux crystal plate!