How to Build an In-the-Wall Audio Equipment Cabinet

Preparing the Wall Space

• 1

  Use a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall where you intend to install your cabinet. Mark the position of the studs on the wall in pencil.

• 2

  Measure the distance between each pair of adjacent studs. Decide whether this distance is adequate as the width for your cabinet. If it is not, use the measuring tape to mark the appropriate width of your cabinet on the wall.

• 3

  Sketch the outline of your audio equipment cabinet in the shape of a rectangle on the wall in pencil. If you are building your cabinet between two studs, use the inside edges of the studs as the sides of your cabinet template. Use a meter stick and level to keep your lines straight.

• 4

  Line up the tip of a drywall saw with the middle of one of the lines you drew on the wall. Use the palm of your hand to tap the saw's handle, driving the blade through the drywall. Move the saw in and out of the drywall in a slow sawing motion, cutting along the line.

• 5

  Cut along all four lines drawn on the wall using the drywall saw. If your template extends beyond the width between two adjacent wall studs you, might need to cut out individual panels of drywall from between each pair of interior studs. Remove each drywall cut-out and set it aside.

• 6

  Use a reciprocating saw to cut through any interior studs inside the wall opening that results from the completion of Step 5. Cut through all but a half inch of the interior studs along the top and bottom of the wall space using the reciprocating saw. Finish the cuts using a hand saw and pull the studs gently away from the wall.

• 7

  Measure the space between the two wall studs on either end of the wall space. Depending on the size of your drywall cutout, the studs might not be aligned with the edges of the cutout. If they are not, measure between the studs behind the wall closest to the edges of the cutout.

• 8

  Cut two pieces of 2-by-4-inch hardwood to the measurement you took in Step 7 using a circular saw. Slide these boards horizontally into the wall opening between the end studs. Position one board against the cutoff studs at the top of the opening and one against the lower studs.

• 9

  Drive 3-inch wood screws through the pieces of 2-by-4 hardwood into the cut-off studs to secure the boards in place. Drive additional screws at an angle through the ends of the boards into the end studs. These boards will frame the space for your cabinet and reinforce the wall where you removed the studs.

Installing the Cabinet

• 10

  Measure the depth of the wall space from the outside edge of the drywall to the back of the inside wall to find the depth of your audio equipment cabinet. Cut two pieces of 1/2-inch plywood using this depth and the overall length of the cabinet with a circular saw. These boards are the top and bottom panels for your cabinet.

• 11

  Slide the top and bottom panels horizontally into the wall opening so they are flush against the 2-by-4 reinforcement boards you installed earlier. Drive nails from a nail gun through the plywood into the hardwood to attach the panels.

• 12

  Use the circular saw to cut two pieces of 1/2-inch plywood to the depth of the wall space and the height between the top and bottom panels. Slide these boards vertically between the ends of the top and bottom panels so they are aligned with the sides of the wall space. Drive nails from the nail gun at an angle through the side panels into the top and bottom panels to secure them.

• 13

  Measure and mark the desired position for your cabinet shelves along the side panels in pencil. Refer to the height of the audio equipment you plan to store in the cabinet to determine the appropriate height for each shelf.

• 14

  Cut your shelves out of 1/2-inch plywood to the depth of the wall space and the length of the cabinet, minus 1 inch to account for the thickness of the side panels. Install the shelves horizontally between the side panels where you made the pencil marks. Drive nails at an angle through the edges of each shelf into the side panels and back wall to secure them in place.

• 15

  Cut a sheet of 1/2-inch plywood to the total length and height of the wall opening for your cabinet door. Screw a metal hinge to the underside of the door along one edge about two inches from each corner.

• 16

  Lay the door flat over the wall opening and screw the other side of each hinge to the inside edge of the adjacent side panel. Open and close the door to test the hinges.