While looking through old photos this weekend I found some  of a project we did a while ago where we were asked to hide some ugly white switch plates. It's something we do all the time, it's also something I think gets overlooked all the time.

It's my opinion when painting a room using only a flat paint finish leave the switch plates alone. They are what they are. When they are painted they tend to chip or get very dirty very quickly.

However, when doing some type of painted finish I think they should definitely be painted to match the walls. Speaker covers, canned lights, the same, although with speaker covers I'd also say paint them don't leave them white. If they are prepared properly they won't chip and because a decorative finish usually has a protective finish they are easy to keep clean. In the case of these switch plates stone tends to darken with age so a little dirt won't hurt.

Just something to think about.