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always struggle to get the electrical box flush with drywall...help

always struggle to get the electrical box flush with drywall...help


  #1  
Old 06-19-08, 07:44 AM
W
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always struggle to get the electrical box flush with drywall...help

I will be putting up 1/2" drywall later today. I have a couple of electrical boxes I need to mount to the studs first. My question is what is the best method for ensuring the box is seated to the correct depth and that its flush with the drywall so when I attach the faceplate it looks as it should? I always seem to be a little off when doing this. I notice there are notches on the electrical boxes. Are these supposed to serve as a guide, and if so, is it a guide for 1/2" thick drywall or another thickness? What is the trick to getting this right? Is the box supposed to be exactly flush with the drywall? thanks in advance.
 
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Old 06-19-08, 07:51 AM
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IF you have the time, go to your local big box and get the adjustable boxes. You mount them to the stud and they have an adjustment screw to bring the box flush with the drywall. They are slightly more expensive, but if you don't have that many and are that concerned about mounting the standard boxes, I think it would be well worth it.

Good luck,
Tom
 
  #3  
Old 06-19-08, 10:45 AM
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If you are using plastic nail-on boxes they have little "nubs" on the side where it attaches to the stud. Sometimes these nubs are 3/8 inch long and sometimes they are 1/2 inch long from the open face of the box. Either way, you just hold the box on the stud with the nubs lightly touching the stud and nail them in. Even if you have the 3/8 inch nubs and are using 1/2 inch drywall the box will be "properly" set.

 
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Old 06-19-08, 11:17 AM
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Great. Thank you very much! that is what I needed!
 
  #5  
Old 06-19-08, 12:33 PM
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Boxes

Furd's suggestion works when the stud has square corners. Some studs are slightly rounded on the corners which can cause a problem.

Use a scrap piece of OSB or 1/2 inch plywood as a gauge. Place it on the face of the stud and set the box flush with the outer face of the gauge block.
 
  #6  
Old 06-19-08, 02:16 PM
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Yes, make yourself a 1/2" thick template out of a scrap of plywood or drywall and use that to flush the boxes as you mount them.
 
 

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