Mask Electrical Fixtures with Blockers or Tape

2:36

4:15

7.6K views

At 2:36 in

What you SHOULD Do When Painting A Room | Do's of Painting.

Watch on YouTube

What happens here

It is essential to mask off all light switches and electrical sockets before painting. The presenter introduces 'Socket Blockers' as a recommended tool, describing them as easy to 'peel, stick, paint,' and reusable. These clear plastic covers effectively block paint from reaching the electrical components. Alternatively, if 'Socket Blockers' are not available, you can use 1.5-inch masking tape. The presenter demonstrates wrapping a piece of tape around the switch to fully cover and protect it. Failing to mask these fixtures can lead to paint getting inside the switch or outlet, causing it to malfunction or creating a messy, unprofessional appearance. This is considered a best practice for both spraying and rolling applications, ensuring a clean and functional outcome.

Goal: Protect electrical outlets and light switches from paint splatters by either using specialized 'Socket Blockers' or traditional masking tape. This prevents paint damage, maintains a professional finish, and avoids potential functionality issues for the fixtures.

Tools and materials

1.5-inch Masking Tape
Socket Blockers

What they say

(1,170 characters)

Hide

you go from pan to wall all right so now I'm going to be masking off any light switches and um sockets so one of the things I do like to use is softball blockers it's an easy way to mask off switches in place and they are reusable all they have it the adhesive on them they just come on and off and you definitely want to mask these off I've got a socket over here previous painters didn't mask off and they got paint all over it if you don't have availability get socket blockers you can also just mask it off just with tape and what we do is we use an inch and a half tape to mask off our switches and plates so we can just take a piece of tape put it over the top and of course you know you don't have to go to this extent if you're really careful rolling but it's better safe than sorry if you accidentally just roll over this switch right here you're going to get paint down inside the switch it's going to cause a switch not to function properly so it's always best practice professional practice to cover your plates and the socket blockers actually work if you're spraying or rolling they're an excellent little device to use and once again they are possible too

Auto-generated from the video audio.