New home builders do such a good job of hiding the breaker box, but if you own an older model home, that might not be the case. Many older houses and mobile homes blatantly display the breaker box door and they simply aren’t that attractive. Although some people hide the breaker box behind a picture it’s sometimes impossible to do that. For homes that have a breaker box that sticks out somewhat it’s difficult to hang a picture flat against the wall.
Since the breaker box covers are metal it’s easy to make magnetic decor pieces that will easily hide the hideous breaker box. These crafts are easy to do and will give you a nice wall hanging that sticks directly to the metallic breaker box door.
Any picture can become a magnetic picture for your breaker box simply by using button magnets. You’ll find the magnets at any craft store. Some of the magnets are available with a peel-away adhesive and others will require you to glue the magnets to the backside of the picture. The magnets are available in squares as well and can hold quite a lot of weight.
A large picture frame with broken or missing glass can help you easily hide the breaker box. Cut a piece of cork to make a cork board. The cork is available, sold by the roll, at any craft store. Remove any glass from the frame and glue the cork to the cardboard piece inside the frame. Get rid of any stand built in to the back of the frame. Either remove the back altogether or just remove the stand itself. Glue a magnet onto each corner on the back of the frame. Now your cork board will stick to the breaker box and hide it.
Use an ordinary place mat to make a different kind of cover for the fuse box. Glue the cloth mat to a thick piece of cardboard. Glue on silk flowers, leaves, vines, or other craft supplies. Make a flower garden to hang on the wall or just use felt letters to spell out a phrase on the place mat. Glue four button magnets on the back and you can instantly stick the new wall hanging to the breaker box door.
All of the above designs are great for a bedroom, but often, the breaker box is in the kitchen. Make a different design for there. Purchase an ordinary piece of sheet metal and affix the button magnets to the back. Stick the sheet metal piece to the breaker box door. Use children’s magnetic A-B-C’s to write notes to other family members or to create a shopping list. Store additional letters across the bottom of the metal. Make sure the metal has been filed and has no sharp edges.
You can even use an old game board to hide the ugly breaker box cover. Try making a photo display from a Scrabble board. Glue the Scrabble trays to the board. Put pictures in small frames and set them on the narrow trays. Use Scrabble tiles, if you want, to describe the picture. Glue the tiles beside the pictures to name the person in the picture or to create a word that describes the person. The photo display doesn’t necessarily have to be family photos. It can be made from vacation pictures or another theme. Add button magnets to the back of the Scrabble board to stick it to the breaker box door.
Every home has a breaker box but many homes have them conveniently covered up. If yours is out in the open you definitely want to hide it from your visitors. Do so by creating one of the above projects that will help you hide the box. The projects are easy to do and cost little. You’ll be happy to see the new creation on the wall rather than the unsightly breaker box!
