Pro Handyman Blog

Cutting Drywall To Add Electric Outlet

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If you are adding an electric outlet in you house, you will need to cut a hole in your drywall. The hole you cut has to be the correct size for the remodeling box you will install.

A remodeling box is a plastic junction box that sits at the wall surface while the box resides inside the wall. You don't need to secure it to a wall stud since the box has mechanical wings that clamp it to the drywall. However, the size of the hole you cut is very important. The hole has to be big enough to allow the box to sit in the wall, but not so big that the mechanical wings can't grip the drywall.

So the best thing to do is to place the rear of the box against the wall where you will install it. Mark around the rear of the box with a pencil. This will be the rough cut, and you will have to fine tune it later. Use a drywall saw and make a shallow cut. Pull the piece of drywall out and place the box in the wall. It won't go in all the way because the wings jut out in two areas. You will need to cut these areas out somewhat until the box fits.

Once the box will completely go into the wall up to it's front lip, you can push the cables into the box and push the box into the hole. Use a philips head screwdriver and twist the screws which cause the mechanical wings to pop out and clamp against the rear of the drywall.