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ttosh_gw

Plugmold, do you regret it?

ttosh
14 years ago

I have made up my mind to have plugmold. For the whole run of perimeter cabinets. The electrician came and did the work. We will be putting in a backsplash and I don't like the look of a bunch of outlets. I'm having second thoughts now though. If you have put in all plugmold, do you regret not having a standard wall outlet? Are you happy with the plugmold? I have heard that it looks "tacky" but I didn't think so.. I have no problem unplugging the coffee pot!

Comments (16)

  • 3katz4me
    14 years ago

    I like having it since I have a pattern in my blacksplash that would not have been nearly as nice looking if it had outlets in the middle of it. I think though if you have more of a plain backsplash it's not bad to have regular outlets particularly if the color blends in somewhat. Someone I know has a very dark backsplash with those standard ivory outlets and it's not the greatest look in my opinion.

    The things I keep plugged in are in a little section of countertop that you don't see unless you're standing right in front of that area. The cord from the coffee maker is pretty much hidden by the coffee maker itself because it is so tall. The bean grinder and toaster however do have a rather unsightly cord going up to the plug. I sometimes unplug those if I don't like looking at the cords.

    I think it's a good idea if you are going to have some things plugged in all the time - and in plain view of you and everyone - to have those outlets down behind the small appliances. Of course this means you have to know for sure where you're going to place things before you actually get to use the new kitchen.

    I don't regret it. I gave this a lot of thought in advance and I'm happy with my decision. Below is a picture of my backsplash - wouldn't look so great with outlets in the middle of it.

    {{gwi:1575690}}

  • jeri
    14 years ago

    I donÂt have plugmold  that was something I learned about after DH redid all the walls and he wasnÂt about to change it. Knowing about them and not having them has been frustrating! So many times I would prefer to work "here", but canÂt because of the length of cord and the location of the outlet. Several times I have made a point to show DH real life examples of how they would have been handy to have.

    We are in a new home now and will be redoing the kitchen, but wouldnÂt you know? There is only one upper cabinet! However, there will be an island and IÂm pretty sure someone on here put plugmold around the perimeter of her island. I *love* that idea. No matter where I want to work  be it cooking or crafts  there will be a place to plug in.

    I suppose if you know for sure where items that will remain plugged in at all times are going to live, you could place an outlet in that location further down and the rest could be plugmold. This would probably be the *best* of all worlds. :-)

  • holligator
    14 years ago

    We used plugmold (and other low-profile, under-cab outlets for shorter runs) in most of the kitchen, but we included regular outlets in two spots where we knew we'd have things plugged in all the time (the coffee maker and the toaster). The appliances hide those outlets, and I didn't want to see cords hanging down all the time. This arrangement has worked out perfectly for us.

  • cali_wendy
    14 years ago

    We did the same...plugmold except where we were planning the coffee pot. There is one outlet in the backsplash that is hidden by the coffee pot.

    We have 2 other regular outlets in our island.

    No regrets. I think the backsplash looks much nicer without the outlets. :)

  • lowspark
    14 years ago

    I have plugmold on the entire perimiter of my kitchen and I love it. No interruptions in my backsplash.

    However, I do have an appliance garage where all my most-used appliances live and are always plugged in (to plugmold!). I rarely need to use the plugmold plugs in the rest of the kitchen and when I do, it's plug in, use, and unplug. If I had something plugged in all the time, with a dangling cord, I might feel differently.

  • chicagoans
    14 years ago

    Wish I had known about it! I HATE the look of plastic outlet covers (and switch plates.) I just think they detract from the overall look. I used oil rubbed bronze covers for the whole house and fake stone covers on the backsplash (tumbled trav), but the stone covers don't exactly match so plugmold would have been nice.

    The one picture I saw of plugmold didn't have a GFCI switch. Is this an issue?

  • ttosh
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the answers! Now, would you put regular outlets or plugmold on your island?

  • morton5
    14 years ago

    I put a length of plugmold at my desk area, because I thought it would be helpful with all the electronic devices we have to charge. It was more expensive than I had planned, because code required that the plugmold have child resistant plugs. I think I spent more than $200 for 6 feet of plugmold. Not worth it-- the kids prefer to charge their cell phones in their own rooms, anyway.

  • jeri
    14 years ago

    Now, would you put regular outlets or plugmold on your island?

    Ttosh  you might want to start a new thread for this  it may get lost in this one. IÂm pretty darn sure someone on this forum has plugmold around the perimeter of their island. I too would like to hear more about that.

  • plllog
    14 years ago

    My island has plugmold, but it's an unusual configuration with a 6" overhang. I prefer the looks of plugmold, and you can paint the housing of the metal kind before you wire it if you want to have a particular color.

    You (or electrician) can put a GFI switch on plugmold, but if you're using it for all of your outlets, you can also put it on its own circuit and make the whole circuit GFI. Otherwise, there's a whole thing about the order of the plugs and switches where you have to know what you're doing to wire the GFI correctly.

  • loves2cook4six
    14 years ago

    Do I regret it? A little. I have my KA out on the counter and use it everyday so unplugging it is a PITA. We also have a phone plugged in, a computer and a digital picture frame. You can see black cords trailing up the walls on all of them.

    I wish I'd thought ahead and planned a couple of outlets in the backsplash that would have been hidden by appliances or the frame.

    An "old" gw'er put her outlets behind a tilt out drawer front, completely invisible when not being used.

  • needsometips08
    14 years ago

    Whoops, I started a separate thread about island plugmold, but it looks like the conversation is continuing on here! Hopefully it won't lead to confusion.

  • plllog
    14 years ago

    Loves2cook4six,

    You might be able to run a couple of outlets where you want them without making a bigger hole in the backsplash than where the outlets go. It's worth talking to your electrician about if it's really a PITA.

  • ttosh
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Shoot, now I'm wondering if I should lower one of the electrical wires down a bit for one part of the wall because I know the coffee pot will be there always. Stinks because we have the plastering done already...
    But I would hate to have the backsplash done and then think about it.

  • loves2cook4six
    14 years ago

    ttosh, if you still can I would definitely add the lower outlets. You can put them really low - an inch or so above the counter, then they are really hidden by the appliance

    Maybe these will help:

  • ludy-2009
    14 years ago

    Have plugmold under cabinets and love it. Have "sillites" in island and prefer them over plugmold for the island. Do not regret either. Check out sillites at www.sillites.com. Good luck!

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