How To Cut a Hole In Drywall
When it comes to renovating your house, and you are doing it yourself, some things require a lot of patience. Cutting holes in drywall used to be one of those things for me. No matter how many times I measured, I still would be slightly off. Or worse, I’d put the hole on the opposite side of the sheetrock. But there is a better way to find out where to make your cutouts. Here’s a quick tip I found recently to help you with how to cut a hole in drywall for electric outlets and switches fast and easy, with no measuring!
Yes, I Said No Measuring
The trick here is to use something to mark where the outlet, or switch, is on your drywall. I use toothpaste, but you can use caulk, lipstick, or anything that will transfer to your drywall and make a mark.
First, turn off the breaker or fuse to your electrical outlets and switches. Then, take a dab of toothpaste, and using a Q-Tip, apply it to each corner of your outlet or switch.
Next, dry fit your cut piece of drywall and press it in to the outlet or switch. The toothpaste will transfer to the back of your drywall showing you exactly where you’ll need to cut. If you have an extra outlet box, use that to trace around your transfer marks.
Finally, using a drywall saw, cut out a hole for your electric outlet or switch. Now your piece of drywall will fit perfectly around your outlet box.
Could It Really Be That Easy?
Yep! I just finished replacing drywall in my kitchen along where my backsplash will be and had to cut out holes for six outlet boxes. It took me no time at all to get perfect cutouts using this method. And I did not measure for them at all. Not only is this method easy, but it saved me so much time. Try it out the next time you have to install some drywall. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.
Here’s a quick 1 minute video showing exactly how:
