fixing drywall around outlet

3553 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by oldrivers, May 11, 2011

titan7

Discussion Starter · Apr 20, 2011

Okay so we get the kitchen remodled complete tear out to the studs we add some outlets. electric guys turn a 2 gang box into a 3 gang box it was attached to the stud on the the right side. So 2 months later, tonight, I am making dinner and notice what looks like a bulge on the left side of the outlet cover? So I take the cover off and what happened was as the outlet was screwed into the box on the left side, it pulled the left edge of the plastic box into the drywall and cracked the mud/drywall.

The electrician must have tightened the outlet too much or??? So I was able to get glue in joint and push it back in place, I also trimed a bit of the mud so when the outlet is tightened it will not push on the mud again. think this will hold. I really hope so as we just got every finished and painted, it would be a nightmare to attemt to retexture paint etc.

Any other ideaS?

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Willie T

· #2 · Apr 20, 2011 (Edited)

I know it won't help you much now, but for others having this same thing done, here is how it should have been to keep the box from flexing.

That 2x4 could go on either the top or the bottom of the box. Sometimes, on a long box, we put it on both top and bottom. Creates a minor hassle for the electrician sometimes, but they know how to work around it.

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Willie T

· #5 · Apr 20, 2011 (Edited)

Can you take a pair of pliers and bend the round 'ears' off the top and bottom of the receptacle mounting strip? Check to see that you won't need them to seat the receptacle properly before you remove them.

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Willie T

· #6 · Apr 20, 2011

It is a dirty shame that many of today's 'tradesmen' (and I have to say that I use that word very loosely anymore) are so lazy, or rushed, or starved for money that the correct and proficient ways of performing construction have almost become a thing of the past.

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fixing drywall around outlet

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