How to install an electrical box in drywall

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years. Installing electrical boxes is one of the first stages in electrical rough-in work. Electrical box installation is regarded as easy work—more like carpentry than electrical wiring.

Follow these expert tips to install an electrical box into drywall or plaster without the need for wall studs or joists. Not all fixtures need to be attached to a wall stud or joist. Installing these handy boxes only takes about 15 minutes and they give you the freedom to decorate your space exactly how you want. Try your hand at this small electrical project using our step-by-step instructions below. Before you get started, plan the job carefully, as running cable through walls covered with drywall or plaster can be difficult. Remodel boxes also called cut-in or old-work boxes clamp to the drywall or plaster rather than attach to a framing member, making the work easier. However, they are only as strong as the wall surface to which they are clamped.

How to install an electrical box in drywall

Adding an electrical box to your existing wall for a switch or outlet is easy when you have the right materials and know a few tricks. And you don't have to remove any drywall. The walls can stay in place. The key is to purchase an electrical box called a remodel box or an old-work box rather than a new-work or new-construction box. Many of these old-work boxes from home centers and other big home improvement stores do not come with paper templates. Either you make your template, transfer measurements to the wall with a ruler, or use the box itself as a template. Because these boxes taper from smaller to larger, you cannot use the back sides as templates. Fortunately, you can use the face as a template, since the face is flat. Tape the box to the wall with painter's tape, face-first. Apply tape to the top and bottom. It's not necessary to tape the sides. If you have an assistant, there's no need to tape the box.

Whatever standard you choose, try to maintain uniformity for all electrical boxes.

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Follow these expert tips to install an electrical box into drywall or plaster without the need for wall studs or joists. Not all fixtures need to be attached to a wall stud or joist. Installing these handy boxes only takes about 15 minutes and they give you the freedom to decorate your space exactly how you want. Try your hand at this small electrical project using our step-by-step instructions below. Before you get started, plan the job carefully, as running cable through walls covered with drywall or plaster can be difficult. Remodel boxes also called cut-in or old-work boxes clamp to the drywall or plaster rather than attach to a framing member, making the work easier. However, they are only as strong as the wall surface to which they are clamped. If the drywall or plaster is damaged , cut a larger hole and install a box that attaches directly to a stud or joist.

How to install an electrical box in drywall

Adding an electrical box to your existing wall for a switch or outlet is easy when you have the right materials and know a few tricks. And you don't have to remove any drywall. The walls can stay in place. The key is to purchase an electrical box called a remodel box or an old-work box rather than a new-work or new-construction box.

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Materials Old-work or remodel electrical box Drill with auger bit. This distance, too, can be adjusted for special circumstances. Tighten the screw until you feel resistance and the box is firmly attached. Measure content performance. The common practice for receptacle outlet boxes is to install them so the bottom edge is between 12 and 16 inches above the floor. While you should try to be precise, these are less critical because there are no tabs on the sides. Use a Drywall Reference Strip. What about between the studs? Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Before you get started, plan the job carefully, as running cable through walls covered with drywall or plaster can be difficult. With a utility knife cut the line deeply enough to cut through the drywall paper.

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More from The Spruce. Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process. Develop and improve services. Push the box into the hole. This type of box has wings that extend outward when you start to drive the screw, then grasp the back of the drywall as the screw is tightened. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. Begin by slightly pushing out the nails on the box by hand, so that when you place the box against the stud, the tips of the nails lightly pierce the wood. Yet another type right uses separate mounting brackets that slide in after the box is inserted and bend over the sides of the box to lock it in place. But sometimes, it's not always possible to find a suitable mounting point against the studs. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. This action places a great deal of strain on the outlet, day in and day out. While a perfect cut-out is ideal, it's always better to have a hole that is too small than too large. Related Articles. Cut the hole with a drywall saw. He worked as an electronic technician and later as an engineer for the IBM Corp.