I'm designing a corner in my room with floating shelves to showcase statues and some electronic gadgets. The shelves are 2 inches thick and spaced 4-5 inches apart, with LED strips already integrated on the front. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate USB outlets at the back of the shelves. I'm collaborating with both a carpenter and an electrician, so the quality and complexity of the work aren't concerns.
I'd like to install a few USB-A and USB-C outlets embedded in the back to plug in the statues as needed. However, I've come across some challenges: 1. Most grommets are over 2 inches thick; the 1.5-inch ones don't allow for heat dissipation, which could cause damage. 2. Using loose keystone jacks or snap on connectors tied to a transformer seems unsafe, as this isn't their intended use. 3. The Legrand Wiremold Plugmold system could work due to its raceways, but I'm worried it'll look bad against the dark maple wood of the shelves since the available colors are limited to white, black, ivory, gray, and steel.
2 Answers
Just curious—are those shelves stacked or spaced randomly? Knowing the setup could help in finding a better solution for the outlets!
Have you considered using regular outlets with built-in USB ports? They offer more flexibility because if something goes wrong with a specific USB connection, you can still use the regular outlet. Plus, your electrician could run low voltage wiring to that location just as easily as Romex. Maybe I’m just not seeing the full picture here, but it’s worth thinking about!
For sure! I'm stuck with 6 floating shelves and want a total of 24 connections, so a regular outlet isn't really what I'm after.
They’re stacked, with 13 inches between each shelf.