For a Professional Look
Remove the Switch Plates and Outlet Covers

Always remove the electrical switch plates and outlet covers before beginning any interior house-painting project. This will provide a very clean look.

The alternative is to spend time cutting around these items or wrap them with tape. Most likely, leaving the switch plates and outlet covers in place will glue them to the wall. Making them difficult to remove and replace later.

The screws are easy to lose. It's a good idea to reinstall the screws to the wall plates and outlet covers back into the switches and outlets. No need to tighten, a couple of turns will be enough. Now you know where they are, this will make re-installation of the plates and covers easier and faster.

Other wall plates can be uninstalled. Phone jacks and cable TV covers can be loosened and/or removed. If possible, put then into the box in order to keep them out of the way.

It's a good idea to cut around these obstacles or risk getting some paint on them. Since the wall plates and covers aren’t installed this will only take a few minutes per coat.

Allow the interior house paint to dry a few hours before reinstalling the switch plates and outlet covers and there is no need to over tighten. The covers could stick to the fresh and soft paint if over tightened.

With all the wall plates and outlet covers removed, the painting will be easier and provide a better finished look.