How to Measure Drywall for Cutting an Outlet Hole
- 1). Measure the distance between the bottom of the wall socket and the nearest bottom edge -- either the floor or the edge of an already-installed piece of drywall -- and write this measurement on a piece of paper.
- 2). Use the measuring tape to measure the distance between the side edge of the outlet box and the nearest wall edge. Note this distance on a piece of paper.
- 3). Measure the width and height of the outlet box.
- 4). Mark the two distances related to the position of the outlet on the piece of drywall that is to be mounted over the wall outlet. Make a mark on the drywall where both the side edge and the bottom edge of the outlet begin.
- 5). Use the measurements of the outlet box to make a cutting template that is as wide and as high as the outlet and that lines up with the side and bottom markings you marked previously. Use a T-square to ensure you get perfectly straight lines.
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