How to Sheetrock an Existing Wall With Electrical Outlets

Turn off the circuit breaker to the outlets. Insert the two leads on the neon tester into each outlet. If the light stays off, the power is off. Remove the screws that hold the outlets to the wiring boxes. Loosen the terminal screws on the outlets to remove the wires. Push the wires to the back of the wiring boxes.

Adjust the circular foot on the rotary saw to equal the thickness of the drywall plus 1/4 inch. Mark the center-line of each wiring box on the floor directly beneath the box. Measure the height of the approximate center of each box.

Fit a wiring-box extension over each outlet box in the wall. Screw the extension to the existing box with the supplied screws.

Place the stud finder against the wall. Push the locate button and slide the stud finder horizontally along the wall. The light will indicate the position of each stud. Mark the center of each stud on the floor.

Measure from a corner to the center of a stud that is between 32 and 48 inches from the corner. Measure the height of the wall from floor to ceiling.

Measure and mark a piece of drywall to the wall height. Place the drywall square on the drywall with the "T" against the long edge and the leg of the square aligned with the mark. Score the paper across the width of the sheet with the utility knife using the square as a guide. Snap the drywall on the cut mark and cut the paper on the back side to remove the waste piece.

Measure and mark the width of the drywall to the length measured between the corner to the stud at the top and bottom of the sheet. Place the square against the end of the sheet on the mark and cut the paper along the square length. Repeat at the other end. Snap the sheet on the cut line and cut the paper on the other side.

Place the cut piece of drywall in position on the wall. Mark the outlet center on the drywall. Hold the rotary saw firmly and turn it on. Plunge the bit into the drywall at the center of the outlet and move it to the right until the bit encounters the outlet extension.

Withdraw the bit about 1/4 inch to lift it over the edge of the extension, and push it back in. Hold the tip of the bit against the extension as you move it counterclockwise around the extension. Continue following the extension with the bit until the outlet box opening is cut out. The drywall will now fit on the wall around the outlet box.

Drive drywall screws through the drywall into the studs with one screw placed every 16 inches along each stud.

Measure and cut additional sheets of drywall in the same manner. Cut out the outlets with the rotary saw and screw the sheetrock in place. Continue until the wall is covered.