2 Decora 1 Duplex Wall Plate

[Bartlett Vallee]

Carvedfrom premium hardwood lumber, these oak wood wall plates will cover a two gang electrical box with a GFCI or Decora outlet and a duplex outlet. We include antique bronze mounting screws, and they ship out sanded and unfinished.

Decora / Duplex / Decora Light Switch Covers - Outlet Covers. These switch plate covers are available in many colors and designs. Many of these switch plates are made in pre-finished metal, or heavy cold roll steel, then powder painted in many decorative colors. These wall plates are also available in the country style in Border, Stars, and Heart Designs or Southwestern designs. These Light Switch Covers - Outlet Covers are all manufactured right here in the USA. In stock, ready to deliver.

Leviton's outstanding wallplate selection includes standard single-gang and multi-gang, as well as outdoor weatherproof covers. Selected wallplates are available in various dimensions and are made of many different materials including nylon, plastic, brass and aluminum.

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At this point in time they are both considered duplex outlets. The square ones usually have the word "decor" or "decorator" in the description, and became a decorator item in the 80's. The ones with the hole in the center, for mounting the cover plate have been around since Adam, and have no actual name. The ones you want are readily available everywhere.

Note: There's actually no name for the ones with the hole in the center. They were the standard and just called two prong outlets, then three prong outlets when grounds came around. Leviton's square outlets were branded "Decora". Other manufacturers used decor or decorator for their description. As far as the comment about decora being the outlet with the center hole, I've never heard that being the case. Don't flag it, not professional. If others disagree with it, they won't up vote it.

The traditional style goes back a long time. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how long, but sometime in the early 20th century. This includes the "duplex with a screw in the middle" for receptacles and a small slot for a simple toggle switch for lighting (can be used for appliances too).

Sometime in the 1970s, Leviton started selling Decora switches and receptacles. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding an exact date. The Leviton history page has it lumped into the "1970s - 1980s" section. I first recall seeing a Decora light switch in 1980.

The neat thing about Decora is it provides a fairly large "do anything with it" rectangle. For a light switch, that means a nice big surface to press (unless split into 2 or 3 switches). For receptacles, that means no screw in the middle. But I think the most common reason to switch to Decora (or to any equivalent size from any other manufacturer) is GFCI. A typical GFCI duplex receptacle has the TEST/RESET buttons right where the screw and middle piece of the cover would be. It just doesn't work with the traditional style. And once you change one receptacle for GFCI, it is only natural to start changing others to use the same style, and in the end having one style cover plate is actually a good thing.

Electrically, assuming there is no GFCI involved, there is no difference between the traditional duplex receptacle and Decora-style duplex receptacle, or between the traditional "flip switch" and a Decora-style switch.

I believe it is called Screw Catch. I saw it on an outlet and looked it up. There is a patent on it. Or at least one was applied for by Cooper/Eagle. It is at least trademarked. Apparently this version of it came out in 1997. I am sure there is better information, but I haven't looked any further just yet. Just do a web search for Screw Catch TM.

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