How to Install Cable Receptacles in Drywall

Turn off the circuit breaker to the area where the cable receptacle will be installed.

Slide a stud finder along the wall around the area where you want to install the cable receptacle. Mark the stud once you have found it.

Measure the cable receptacle. Mark these measurements by drawing a box of the same size on the wall next to the location of the stud.

Cut a hole in the drywall an inch wider and taller than the box drawn on the wall with a drywall saw to expose the stud. Set the drywall section aside.

Run 14/2 cable to the hole from the circuit breaker.

Screw the cable receptacle to the stud with 1 1/2-inch wood screws in the four sections on the inside of the receptacle box or on the metal post that extends from the front of the receptacle and wraps around the stud.

Run the 14/2 cable into the receptacle from the back of the box. Secure the wires to the cable box by attaching the black wire to the black-labeled screw, the green wire to the green-labeled screw and the white wire to the white-labeled screw.

Cut a square the size of the cable receptacle into the center of the square of drywall that you previously removed from the wall. Find the center by lightly drawing diagonal lines across the square. The intersection point of the two lines is the center.

Place the drywall square against the hole in the wall. The opening in the middle will fit around the cable receptacle. If the receptacle is a model with wall attachment posts, screw these into the drywall with 1/2-inch screws. If the receptacle does not have these posts, it simply sits inside the drywall.

Spread plaster over the drywall square on the cut where the drywall square and the rest of the wall meet to reattach the drywall square. Allow the plaster to dry for four hours.

Smooth the plaster with sandpaper and screw the outlet faceplate, if applicable, onto the receptacle.