Outlet boxes can be placed in many spots, including the ceiling
Finishing or remodeling a room is the perfect time to add an outlet box (often called a gang box) into the ceiling. The rafters will be exposed, allowing you to easily run wiring to the spot where you want the outlet box to be positioned. Adding an outlet box is a fairly simple operation, but does take a little bit of planning and some consideration of the physical attributes of the final, finished ceiling.
Instructions
1. Determine the location for your outlet box. Take into consideration what kind of devices you'll be plugging into the outlet and where those devices will be, as well as proximity to existing electrical wiring and to a rafter that you can fix the outlet box to.
2. Run electrical cable to the location where you'll be installing the outlet box. This electrical cable should not yet be connected to an electrical source. Place the cable along the studs of the wall and the rafters, describing a path to the mounting location, and hold it in place with cable staples nailed into the wood. Leave about an extra foot of cable at the end where you'll be installing the outlet box.
3. Create an opening for the electrical cable in one end of the outlet box. In metal outlet boxes, knock out one of the prepared openings with a screwdriver and hammer, and with a plastic box, pry open one of the prepared openings with a screwdriver. Slide the end of the cable into the box and pull through any excess cable.
4. Place your outlet box in position against a ceiling rafter and nail it into place. Many outlet boxes will have nails pre-placed in the box -- just hammer these into the wood when the box is in place. When positioning the box, take into consideration the thickness of the eventual ceiling. For example, if you'll be finishing the ceiling with 1/2-inch-thick drywall, the edge of the outlet box should extend 1/2 inch past the edge of the rafter.
5. Wire your outlet to the cable and secure it inside the outlet box.
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