Newbie drywaller has questions.

Easiest way to patch I know of:

Cut a piece of thin cardboard to a shape and size that you can fit in the hole, but that’s bigger than the hole (you may need to bend the cardboard slightly). Put a piece of string through the center of the cardboard, put it in the hole, and then use the string to hold the cardboard on the back of the hole.

Apply spackle or plaster to build up on top of the cardboard, while holding the string, to patch the hole, but leave the whole thing concave. Wait for that to dry. Clip the string off close to the dried plaster. Apply another layer to bring the plaster up flush with the wallboard.

A layer or two of paint and nobody ever need know there was a hole there to begin with.

Obviously you can do the same thing around sockets. And I’m going to be doing a lot of this because I’m going to be re-running electrical in a house with walls that have been finished for 50 years, so there’ll be lots of holes where I’m pounding in staples to studs to hold wires.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/

on the cover plate issue you can buy larger plates, cover, at home depot/lowes…..you can buy spacers they are very easy to install…next time install the Sheetrock before you install the outlets…....have some fun and jump back in…not that big a deal

-- Todd- Oak Ridge, TN

I’ve used expandable foam insulation. let it cure, then cut out enough to apply drywall compound over it. This also helps sealup drafts.

As for the receptacle being recessed back from the face of the drywall, Dont worry about it. The screws that hold the elctrical plug/switch into the elec., box are usaully long enough to pull it out, flush to the drywall and being slighjtly recessed makes the cover plate fit snugly to the drywall.

Like some one said, if the elec., box is too far recessed you can buy extensions or replace the 7/32 UFC tpi screws with longer ones.