How to Build a Recessed Medicine Cabinet With a Mirror on the Door

Most bathrooms have limited space for storage and mirrors, which makes combining a recessed medicine cabinet with a mirror a good idea. Cutting a hole into the wall to add the medicine cabinet must be done to an interior wall rather than an exterior wall where the cabinet would interfere with the insulation. Setting the cabinet inside the wall is an easier project than expected with the right tools and proper planning to avoid plumbing and electrical wiring.

1-by-4-by-20 inch pine boards (2)
1-by-4-by-15 inch pine boards (2)
1/2-by-3-by-13 inch plywood sheets (2)
1/2-by-15-by-20 inch plywood sheet
15-by-20 inch wood-framed mirror
2-by-4-by-15 inch pine board
Hammer
2-inch wood nails
1-inch brad nails
Stud finder
Square
Drywall saw
4-inch wood screws
Cordless drill
3/4-inch piano hinge with screws
Screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Draw two 18-inch length-wise lines on two 1-by-4-by-20 inch pine boards with a line 1-inch from each length-wise edge of the boards.
- 2
  Drill 1/4-inch-diameter holes that are 1 inch apart along the two lines on the 20-inch boards.
- 3
  Nail a 1-by-4-by-15 inch pine board to the ends of the two 20-inch boards with 2-inch wood nails and a hammer.
- 4
  Attach a second 15-inch board to the open ends of the 20-inch boards with 2-inch wood nails and a hammer. This is the frame of the medicine cabinet.
- 5
  Nail a 1/2-by-15-by-20 inch plywood sheet to one side of the cabinet frame with 1-inch brad nails spaced at 1-inch intervals and 1/2-inch from the edge of the plywood.
- 6
  Locate two studs on the wall where you want to install the medicine cabinet with a stud finder. Mark the studs with a pencil.
- 7
  Draw a 16-by-20 inch rectangle on the wall in the mounting location for the medicine cabinet at the studs. Cut out the drywall with a drywall saw at a 45-degree angle along the rectangle.
- 8
  Drive a 2-by-4-by-15 inch board between the two studs and flush with the bottom of the drywall hole. Use 4-inch wood screws driven at a 45-degree angle with a cordless drill.
- 9
  Insert the medicine cabinet into the hole in the drywall then drill two 4-inch wood screws into the bottom of the cabinet and two in each side with the cordless drill.
- 10
  Attach a 3/4-inch piano hinge to the back edge of a wood-framed mirror with the screws included in the hinge package and the cordless drill.
- 11
  Pre-drill a screw hole into the front of the framed mirror then screw a cabinet knob into the hole.
- 12
  Screw the piano hinge into the exposed edge of the medicine cabinet's frame with the screws included in the hinge package.

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