Old work boxes vs. cut-in boxes for retrofits which way do you go?

I had to wire up a living room last Tuesday and couldn't decide between old work boxes and the plastic cut-in style for the switches. I went with the cut-in boxes but one came loose after I put the drywall screws in too tight. Do any of you have a clear winner for existing walls?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbaraw4725d ago

I had three cut-in boxes pop on me last year when I overtightened them in some old plaster. The metal ears just bent right out and I had to cut the drywall bigger to patch it up. Totally feel your pain, why do those plastic ones seem so easy to mess up?

julia_lee25d agoTop Commenter

Doesn't it feel like those plastic tabs were designed by someone who never actually installed a box? I've learned the hard way that you gotta be gentle with them, almost like you're barely snugging them up. If you even look at the screws wrong with a impact driver, the whole thing just crumbles and you're left with a wobbly mess.