Let’s face it – electrical panel doors are not stylish nor beautiful. That might be fine if your electrical panel is in unfinished basement. But if your electrical panel is located in a living area, these panel doors are dull, boring, and sometimes a downright eyesore. But not anymore. Today I’m going to share 11 inspiring ways to conceal an electrical panel.
These fellow bloggers turned their electric panel doors from eyesores into focal points and pieces of art. They found easy and frugal ways to hide their electrical panel doors yet still have easy access to it.
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Backstory
If you follow my blog you know that after living in my house for over 8 years we finally took the time to label our electric panel directory. It was a lot easier and faster than I expected (I show you here).
Our electrical panel is located in an unfinished basement. While our basement is clean, it’s definitely not a nice place to hang out for long periods of time. If we could, we would finish it and convert it into a family entertainment area. But unfortunately, the ceilings are too low so our basement will remain as-is.
But it got me thinking about homeowners who do finish their basements and need ideas to conceal their electric panel. Or have electrical panels located in main areas. And here’s what I found.
Can You Cover an Electrical Panel?
Depends. The local electrical codes in some municipalities prohibit covering residential electrical panels.
Why? If you have an emergency or fire, first responders may need to quickly access your electrical panel and cut the power. Having the electrical panel clearly visible helps the fire department locate it quicker.
Ultimately, check with you local building authorities to make sure you can conceal an electrical panel without violating any codes.
[Sidenote: Don’t know much about your electrical system? Here’s 14 Things Every Homeowner Should Know about Electricity].
DIY Versus Buy an Electrical Panel Cover?
Quick note… The first 10 ways listed below to conceal an electrical panel are DIY. But rest assured, they are NOT time consuming projects.
However, sometimes you just want to buy something and be done with it. I get that.
So the 11th way (at the bottom of this post) are photos of electrical panel covers for sale on Etsy with beautiful, creative options.
1. Picture Frame Electrical Panel Cover
Morgan and Sean, the creators behind Charleston Crafted, solved their problem of an ugly electric panel box readily viewable from their living room.
They used an old multi-picture poster frame filled with pictures of their travels and loves and hung it up over the panel just using four small hinges and magnets.
2. Rustic Wooden Sign Electrical Panel Cover
Cami from The Crafting Nook provides a detailed step-by-step tutorial to create a beautiful rustic wooden sign to conceal her home’s electrical panel.
She had a smaller, but still undesirable electrical panel right smack in her entrance way. And using a few pine boards, stain, paint, and little time, she built this sign that easily fit over her electrical panel
3. Woven Wall Hanging
Brittni, the founder of Paper & Stitch, has a 5 Minute Home Decor Hack perfect for hanging up and concealing an electrical panel. It involves a adding a dowel to hang a small (about 2 ft x 3 ft) soft rug accented with yarn and brass.
4. Dropcloth Magnet Electric Panel Cover
Cindy at DIY Beautify disguised her electrical panel with a smart DIY project by painting stencils on a heavy-duty painter’s drop cloth. To attach her art to the electrical panel box, she glued small button magnets to the back so that it’s easily removable when she needs to access the electrical box.
5. Vintage Window
The DIY electric panel cover from Mariel at Or So She Says is one of my favorites for old houses with a vintage classic look.
Using an antique window, she applied glass spray paint to turn the glass into a mirror, and used vintage hardware hinges to attach over the electrical panel.
6. Foam Poster Board Electrical Panel Cover
Emily at Queen of the Household found a frugal solution (i.e. under $2!) to conceal an electrical panel. She created a fun panel cover using two foam poster boards bought from the dollar store and a little ingenuity.
7 & 8. Canvas Electrical Panel Cover
As part of the One Room Challenge project, Jenn at Loveland Lodge covered the electrical panel in her laundry room using just a 2-inch thick canvas and a piece of fabric leftover from making pillows.
If you don’t have a canvas available or have a odd-sized electrical panel, Allison and Jay Goble at Project Goble stretched fabric over a DIY wood frame.
If you need a video to build the wood frame, check out this video from Checking With Chelsea.
9. Separate Room Electrical Panel Cover
For larger panels or multiple panels clustered together, Tarah from Grandma’s House DIY created a entire little room to disguise. She built the entire frame out of scrap lumber from the house renovation.
10. Pegboard Electrical Panel Cover
Most homeowners could always use more storage space in their houses, especially in utility rooms like the laundry area. Tania from Little Vintage Cottage used fabric-covered pegboard not only to cover her eyesore, but also create storage space for cleaning tools.
11. Buy an Electrical Panel Cover
If you don’t want to forego the DIY route, here’s a few options (with a range of prices) on Etsy that might be up your alley…..
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