Plasterboard & electric socket question

zebidee1

What's the usual way to do this if you are plasterboarding a wall?

A) Have socket back box in place and cut out plasterboard to fit round it, then fix board to wall...or

Take off back box, make small hole in plasterboard sheet for cable to poke through, fix plasterboard then cut out rectangle for back box then fix box in place?

ormus

back box fixed to wall with wire tied up inside. (first fix).
then PB fixed/applied. cut out should just lip over the edge of the box.
finally front plate fixed/connected up. (second fix).

zebidee1

That's what I thought.

Joiner has taken every socket and back box off every wall in the kitchen and says they need to be refixed afterwards (and he doesn't do that).

Flyfisher_2

It all depends on what type of wall you have; a solid brick/masonry wall or a stud partition wall and what type of plasterboard you are using, ordinary plasterboard or the type with foam/polystyrene insulation backing ?

nelly_2

have box in place on wall.

Place plasterboard then punch it where the box is

turn board around and notice perfectly sized and placed imprint of box

cut out with knife

re- offer up board with perfectly placed and sized hole


send nelly ten pound note in the post

zebidee1

Wall is timber framed stud partition. Plasterboard was supposed to be 12.5mmfoil backed but just found out it is 9.5mm standard.

I think he removed all the sockets and boxes for quickness for himself. I dont think most joiners would have done this.

I would have done it the way Nelly describes (but without sending the ten pound note......:D ).

RubyBish

Flyfisher wrote: »

It all depends on what type of wall you have; a solid brick/masonry wall or a stud partition wall and what type of plasterboard you are using, ordinary plasterboard or the type with foam/polystyrene insulation backing ?

What is the technique for when the plasterboard has insulation backing?

Flyfisher_2

Most electricians I know now use PVC dry lining back boxes for insulated board and cavity walls which would be method b)"make small hole in plasterboard sheet for cable to poke through, fix plasterboard then cut out rectangle for back box then fix box in place", they have a lip that sits on the outside face of the plasterboard and two lugs/clips that slide out of the box sides into or behind the plasterboard as a means of securing.

http://www.thesitebox.com/Category/4330/electrical-back-box.aspx

Shambler

What's a joiner doing messing with your electrics?

Tell him he will have to foot the bill for a spark to redo the work

HugoSP

The only problem with using the galvanised backboxes with plasterboard is that the thickness of the plasterboard interferes with the hole that the cable goes through, unless you can use a hole in the back.

To this end I have used galvanised with plasterboard but I have set the box back about 10mm and used extra long screws for the sockets.

BobProperty

zebidee1 wrote: »

.....I would have done it the way Nelly describes (but without sending the ten pound note......:D ).

Happens a lot to Nelly, that .....:rotfl: