Sometimes a piece of drywall has to take on a rather contorted shape to fit a complicated wall or ceiling. Add some cutouts for light fixtures, switches or outlets and you’ve got a piece that represents a good hunk of time and attention. When I’m faced with laying out such a piece, I use a pattern made of 1/2-in. rigid foam insulation. This material comes in lightweight 4×8 sheets, so lifting it into place to check alignment is easy. To mark fixtures, I simply push nails through the foam to locate the corners of electric boxes. Then I lay the insulation atop a piece of drywall and tap on the nails to transfer the corner marks to the drywall. If I need to make cutouts in the foam, I save them so that I can use sealing tape to put the foam board back together and use it for insulation.
Jim Klahn, Seattle, WA
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