Using drywall in the construction of walls, room partitions or other purposes during repairs, it is often necessary to conduct electrical wiring in order to power soffits, chandeliers, make sockets and switches. At first glance, such frauds may seem rather complicated, however, even a novice builder or self-taught should have no problems, the main thing is to know how and what to do.
So how to install plasterboards for drywall? This question is one of the most common during the repair, and we will answer it now, along the way, having painted all the subtleties and possible difficulties of this process.
The choice of material
So, the socket boxes for drywall, of course, are somewhat different from those used when installing electricians in concrete or brick. Their main difference is the fact that no use of concrete and other means for reliable fixation and sinking of the undergrowth is required. Drywall walls are hollow or, as they say, hollow.
Thus, when choosing a wall socket for drywall, you must first pay attention to what material it is made of. The most common and cheapest option is ordinary plastic, but wiring using such means is considered unsafe, and not in vain. The best choice for everyone is a self-extinguishing plastic socket. Such a device with a short circuit or a fire in the wiring will not begin to melt and ignite at the speed that ordinary plastic.
On the contrary, the combustion process will in every way be suspended, delayed, and even if the problem is serious, the owner will have time to react to the strange smell that appeared in the room before the irreparable happens. In addition, drywall is also a flammable material, and a reasonable choice of a socket can greatly help you out.
Dimensional characteristics of the sockets
The sockets for drywall are also different in size , so once you have decided on the material, you can make measurements. Here, attention should be paid to the parameter of free space under the sheet of drywall, that is, the cavity of the wall itself. The standard for podrozetniki is a distance of more than 50 millimeters, that is, the podrozetnik for drywall usually has a landing depth of 45-50 mm. For accurate measurement, you just need to take into account the thickness of the drywall sheet and the distance from its surface to the inner wall. Such calculations are carried out using the most ordinary roulette, and with the results you should go to the market or to a hardware store, where you will find the details of the necessary configuration.
As for all other measurements and characteristics, they are repelled by the socket or light switch you have chosen, so there is probably nothing to be said, it is better to take the part you bought and come with it to a specialized store.
Installation of rosettes and previous preparations
As in most construction works in which drywall appears, before the installation of podrozetniki in drywall begins, some manipulations should be carried out with the wall itself. To do this, first of all, you will need a putty and a special type of primer, which is able to impregnate the gypsum sheet.
So, all ongoing actions will fit into several points:
- To begin with, it is worth treating the wall with the aforementioned primer and wait until it is absorbed and dry. This is done using a conventional construction roller and will not cause any difficulties even for a novice builder.
- After the primer dries, the time of putty comes. It should be applied with a wide trowel with a non-thick layer, in order to give the sheet of drywall greater rigidity and to avoid crumbling it while drilling holes for the socket.
- The final step is marking the surface, for which you will need your drywall sockets for drywall. Often, the diameter of the hole is 45 millimeters, however, there are different cases and it is best to make markings by applying purchased models of installation boxes to the wall.
Drilling process
Once the preparatory work in the form of wall treatment and marking is over, it's time to start drilling holes. For this, the best solution would be to have a special nozzle for a drill, with the help of which a hole of the required diameter can be easily drilled, however, if you don’t have such devices, it will be enough to purchase an ordinary drill of a large diameter and have an assembly knife on hand . With such simple tools, you can easily install the wall sockets for drywall, the main thing in this matter is to remember that the hole must be of a strictly specified diameter and the socket element must fit right into it, only then can proper fixation and safety be achieved.
The device rosettes
Now that everything is ready and the holes have been drilled, we will give a few words on how to install the socket box in drywall and pay attention to some of its design features.
The fact is that on each part of this type there are 4 bolts. Two of them are directly responsible for fixing the socket you bought, and the other two for the rigidity of fixing the socket. At the moment, we will need the last two bolts.
Installation process
In order to correctly mount the socket, it is necessary to press it into the prepared hole with a simple but careful movement and begin to tighten the two aforementioned bolts with a Phillips screwdriver. Their mechanism is designed in such a way that special hinges (paws) are attached to them, which, at the time of twisting, begin to move along the thread towards the socket, thereby pressing it to the drywall sheet, providing tight fixation. Such hinges can be either metal or plastic, but this moment does not affect the strength of fixation.
By the way, before the installation of the sockets in the drywall is completed and you tighten both bolts, fixing the sockets, do not forget to insert a wire into it that will provide power to the socket or switch.