I’ve been getting a ton of emails asking about the ‘stainless’ switchplates that were pictured in the reveal of our newly painted kitchen. Many of you said you like this look, but have asked if they scratch easily. Here is a flashback to what they look like again:
So I’m here to tell you, they aren’t stainless!!! These were plain plastic white covers before I spray painted them. John actually came up with the idea. He’s so clever 
I used Rustoleum’s Metallic Paint and Primer in One in Satin Nickel and gave them one coat of even coverage. That’s all they needed. I probably used a total of half a can of paint on all 7 outlet covers in the kitchen. It would have cost us around $15 at Home Depot for all the specific wall covers that our kitchen needs, meaning some with 2 plugin outlets or one with a double outlet and one switch combo (see picture below). 
2-Gang Stainless Steel Toggle/Duplex Receptacle Wall Plate $2.99
One can of paint cost around $7.00, so that’s about half the price we would have paid if we had bought stainless covers, and we didn’t even use the whole can. So if you want me to get technical (hey, I’m in Finance, numbers are what I do!), you could say this little upgrade cost $3.50! Not too shabby. And just for the FYI, we haven’t had any problems with the paint getting scratched.
We also used this idea in the opposite way to camouflage our stainless air vent covers. Our vents are on the ceiling, and our ceilings are white, so the vent covers stuck out like a sore thumb.
We already had Valspar Paint and Primer in One in White, so we threw a coat on and they were dry in about an hour. The paint really helps draw your eye away from the ceiling now that the vent covers blend in a little better. I mean, who really wants to stare at air vents when you walk into a room??!! I forgot to take a picture of the dining room before, but there are 3 vents in a row in there, so the paint helped a lot!
We even painted the front room vents while we were at it.
So there ya have it! Two super quick and inexpensive little tips!
What tricks do you guys have up your sleeve? Spill the beans!
Welcome to Drab to Fab! We are doing our best to turn our 60s rancher from drab to fab by dabbling in DIY, crafty projects, design, food, and Whitney likes to throw in a little fashion! Share your projects and stories with us; we're glad you're here! 
What a great idea!!
We have stainless steel outlet covers in our bedroom, but we actually paid for them. It was before I discovered the wonders of spraypaint. We do have a few missing though and now I know what to do to finish it all off!
Clever!
NO way!!! That is so clever! I wonder if we could save some money this way… hmm… Thanks for the great idea!
Yay for spray paint! Also- love that clock in the last photo and that paint colour!
Great idea! Spray paint works wonders =)
Awesome idea! Those vents are always such an eyesore!
So smart! I have almond switches and plates. Awful! I would love to paint them but then I would have an almond switch surrounded by a silver plate – I don’t know if that would look better or worse. Ugh. Maybe I should just wait until we redo the electrical and then switch them out for white or stainless. They’re just so darn ugly I don’t know if I can look at them until then!
-Diana
We have these switch plates in my parents house and we’ve never had an issue with them scratching! They look great in your kitchen!
I used stainless switchplate covers in my last apartment, and they are not scratched. That was only with a years worth of use though.
Great idea!..amazing what a little can of spray paint can accomplish.