Hide an Unsightly Electrical Breaker Box
An electrical breaker box is an essential piece of safety equipment in any home. From this panel, you can cut the power to any electrical circuit in your home, allowing you to safely perform repairs or make changes to your home's wiring. Unfortunately, breaker boxes are typically housed in an unsightly gray metal panel. If this panel is located in a prominent location in your home such as the kitchen, you may want to learn how to safely and legally hide an unsightly electrical breaker box.
Steps
- Review the clearance requirements specified by your building code. Building codes vary widely between countries, cities, and other jurisdictions, but nearly all of them will contain some clearance provision regarding electrical panels.
- Usually this provision will designate a minimum unobstructed distance in front of the electrical panel. This provision allows electricians and homeowners to safely work on the panel. However, a hinged cover or decorative frame may still be legal within this provision.
- To determine the legal requirements in your local jurisdiction, call your local building council. Talking to a building inspector for your city, county, or state should help you determine the clearance requirements easily.
- Paint over the electrical panel. A quick, inexpensive, and safe way to improve the appearance of an electrical panel is by painting it. Two options are painting it using the same color as your wall to blend it in, and painting it a contrasting color that works within your decorating scheme.
- To paint the metal breaker box, you will want to prime it using a primer designed for metal surfaces. This will prevent the paint from peeling and cracking.
- Position a piece of artwork over the breaker box. Another straightforward and quick way to hide a breaker box is by covering it with a piece of artwork. You can use either a framed art print or a piece of canvas artwork for this task.
- Begin by measuring the height and width of your breaker box. These dimensions will give you the minimum dimensions of your artwork necessary for covering the panel completely.
- Always consult with a building inspector before pursuing this option. In many cases, the ease of removing the art from its mounting clip would ensure its legality, but it is possible that this option might be ruled unsafe by making the panel inaccessible.
- Build or affix a cabinet over the electrical panel. Another option for hiding a breaker box is covering it with a functioning cabinet. You can either build a cabinet around the breaker box from scratch or buy a pre-made cabinet that fits over the panel.
- As long as the cabinet has a functioning, hinged door and does not prevent the removal of the electrical panel's front cover, this solution will usually be code compliant. The key consideration is whether the cabinet-enclosed panel still offers a safe and comfortable working environment for an electrician.
- Inexpensive options for hiding a breaker box with a cabinet include buying pre-fabricated medicine cabinets or spice cabinets from a home improvement store.
Tips
- If you want to turn the electrical panel cover into a functional space, you can cover it with a cork bulletin board or paint the panel with chalkboard paint.
- It will nearly always be illegal to render a break box inaccessible. This means that hiding a breaker box with a large piece of furniture is not a viable option.
Things You'll Need
- Paint
- Artwork
- Pre-made cabinet
