I am taking the time to update all of my outlets and switches in my home since they are 14+ years old or older and most of them are the METALLIC and NOT NYLON and have the vanity/cover plate entirely painted over and its taking me about 20 minutes of futile finagling of unscrewing the slotted screws (slots caked to the brim with paint) on EACH OUTLET/SWITCH, my issue and question to you awesome Goobers is,
Is there a safe, fast and efficient method to remove these paint filled vanity/cover plate slotted screws from the outlets and switches ?
Thank you in Advanced !!
Best Answer
t's the slot in the head of the plate screw that makes unscrewing the screws a hassle! I always curse slot headed screws when I encounter them!
The trick to use that makes the screws unscrew with no problems is to clean out the slot of the screw head. Using a utility knife slice through the dried paint that is clogging the slot. It may take a couple of passes with the knife blade, but it will clear the paint quickly.
Pay attention to your digits (fingers) location when slicing.
The screwdriver tip now has a deeper straighter slot to turn against. No more slipping.