I have sconces like that. They were designed to be attached to a single-gang 3"H x 2"W switch box (example photo). Check the installation instructions.

Like wdccruise, I have mounted sconces with narrow mounting plates on standard receptacle boxes. Even if this is some imported sconce where, for some reason, the mounting holes don't align with the box hole spacing, it should be no problem to mount a standard strap on the box to fasten the sconce to. Is this guy really a licensed electrician? He sounds either clueless or lazy.

This discussion brings up a question I've had: does it matter what the box is intended for, as long as the fill limits are not exceeded? So, could I use a switch box as a junction box, etc.? (I guess so, because I see people here I trust saying you can remove an unwanted switch and pigtail the leads together and put a blank plate on it, thus converting it to a junction box!).

I'm trying to figure this out as well.

From what I'm reading from the commenters is....install a "3"H x 2"W" switch box (example photo) and then use a standard strap if fixture "holes don't align with the box hole spacing". (sorry for my ignorance, but what does a standard strap look like?)

I want nothing but drywall to be visible behind this sconce....this is an imported sconce that had no directions! The glass globe screws off the fixture backplate, which is metal.

AND THANKS FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS.

I decided to add onto the thread because I feel this question is relevant.

@midcentury_lover:

You're in trouble because that fixture is tiny and not standard US. Usually you'd have a 4" ceiling box (example) to which you'd attach a strap (included with the fixture) and fixture to the strap as explained in these instructions. Maybe you could buy a cover plate, drill holes for the wires and screws, attach the light to the plate, and the plate to the electrical box.

your electrician is failing you if you have to reach out to houzz..........just a thought.

@wdccruise, thanks so much for taking the time for the suggestions, but I want a clean look behind the sconce light fixture (drywall)....so the cover plate wouldn't be the clean look I'm going for. I was hoping I could buy a mini junction box with a smaller diameter. I'm trying to game-plan before the electrician comes over for rough-in so I'm not causing delays and headaches because I bought an imported light fixture that makes no sense. Plus, I like to do research and try to be informed as much as I can be. The electrician comes over tomorrow so, we'll see what he has to offer. Thanks. Just for reference, I'm realizing that the light fixture is a knock-off of thislight, but was constructed differently. It would be cool if it was built like the light fixture because then the install would be much easier (in this version of the light, the fixture's back plate acts as the junction box. (Here's theinstall instructionsif you're interested.).

Thanks again.

Would really like to know the solution you eventually arrived at. We are currently dealing with a sconce where the backplate is too small for the standard 3/0 4/0 junction box as well, I think the back plate's width is only around 2".

@Rene Wang: "Would really like to know the solution you eventually arrived at."

I had a similar sconce. It was designed to be installed in a 2" x 4" electrical box, the type typically used for a wall switch, not a light.

@midcentury_lover did you come up with a solution??

@Kim Cohen and @Rene Wang... I would have had to buy/find/make a metal wall plate to hide the junction box since the base of the sconce wouldn’t cover the j box. And that wouldn’t give me the clean look I’m going for so I’m picking out another sconce. 😢 I wish they made a mini circular j box!

https://www.grainger.com/product/RACO-Electrical-Box-6XC84

https://www.grainger.com/product/RACO-Electrical-Box-1RVT9

I had a similar issue, a sconce that was 4 inches wide that when mounted would have a 1/4 inch of the box exposed on each side. It was impossible to use a switch box. I ended up using a 3 1/2 inch old work black ceiling box. This box that I got at Lowes has a thin flange and 3 ears to grab behind the sheetrock.. I marked the round hole I needed to cut with a compass and then marked another circle about 3/16 inch outside of that one. I then carefully cut the hole for the box . Then I used a utility knife to score the outside line I had drawn and peeled away the thin strip of paper on the sheetrock surface. In the next step I pared away the sheetrock 1/16 to 1/8 inch deep so the box flange would be below the surface of the surrounding sheetrock. I then installed the box making sure the screw holes were in the correct orientation for my sconce and used compound to fill in over the box flange so it was even with the existing wall.

Has anyone attempted to use something like this? Narrow box available on Amazon but could work for sconce with narrow base?

Shannon- First, that's a surface mount box typically used for a small, DC low-voltage, push-button switch. Secondly, though I don't know the dimensions, it's clearly too small to provide adequate volume to satisfy electrical code box fill requirements. In short, there's no way it could work practically or code-wise to address the problem being discussed in this thread.

It appears that the RACO IRVT9 (referenced by RL Relocation LLC, above) would work.

mtvhike- Those shallow pan boxes work fine if you need something no bigger than 3-1/2". The only issue is that the volume is just big enough to legally allow only one 14 gauge Romex cable. If you have a second cable, like for continuing to another fixture, or are running a power cable and switch cable to that box, it won't pass code as it will exceed box fill limits.

kudzo9, the Raco box I referenced is 1.5" deep and has a fill limit of 11.8 cu in., isn't that enough?

myvhike- You're right...I missed that there were two hot links and I only clicked the one for the shallow box. Your comment is correct for the deeper box, and mine only applies to the shallower box.

Use a small diameter sconce box like the one Arlington makes (model number FSC3212R). It's only rated to hold 3 pounds, but I used a pair of them for some sconces I put in the master bedroom that are only 2 pounds per fixture. Nothing I could find locally was even close to being the right size for my project. These are old work retrofit boxes that pinch the drywall between a metal clamp on the back of the box and the plastic lip that sits flush to the face of the drywall. Perfect solution for European sconces that are too small to fully cover most US made junction boxes.

Curious to know where you all have found sconces with such narrow wall plates? I’ve had trouble finding anything less than 4.5 inches wide.

@ttpv: " where you all have found sconces with such narrow wall plates"

• https://www.visualcomfort.com/klee-20-wall-sconce-700wskle20
• https://www.visualcomfort.com/phobos-1-light-wall-sconce-700wsphb
• https://www.visualcomfort.com/linger-wall-sconce-700wslng
• https://oxygen.lighting/collections/oxygen_lighting_outdoor/products/oxygen-lighting-3-511-14-icon-sconce-polished-chrome-matte-white