Recessed Bathroom Medicine Cabinet Installation

A recessed bathroom medicine cabinet will add much-needed storage space to a small bathroom. Follow these installation steps for a project you can complete in an afternoon.

1. Find Studs

You will need to hang your medicine cabinet between two studs. If the cabinet doesn’t fit in between the studs and you’re not experienced in bracing studs, you may need to hire a professional or stick with a non-recessed cabinet instead.

2. Mark the Spot

Use a pencil to outline the entire area where you plan to install the cabinet.

3. Cut a Small Hole

Using your drywall saw, cut a small hole in the wall in between the area you‘ve outlined. This hole only needs to be large enough to peer around the inside of the wall.

4. Check for Wires and Plumbling

Using the flashlight, take a look and make sure there isn’t any electrical wiring or plumbing in the way. You don’t want to cut in to any of this by mistake. If there isn’t enough room to install the cabinet, you will need to call a professional or consider a wall mounted cabinet instead.

5. Cut Out the Marked Area

Cut around the marking you’ve made where the cabinet will be. Use caution when cutting so that you don’t cut the opposite wall, too.

6. Build the Frame

Using the lumber that you’ve pre-measured, nail the lumber to the studs on both sides. This will serve as a frame for your medicine cabinet.

7. Insert Cabinet

Once your frame is in place, you can slide the medicine cabinet in to place. Level the cabinet to make sure it's even, and open and close the doors to ensure they have enough room to operate properly.

8. Drill Into Place

There should be holes already drilled into the sides of the cabinet. Use these pre-drilled holes to secure the cabinet to the lumber. You can use your drill if you have enough space; if not, just screw them in by hand.

Once installed, make sure your cabinet is completely secured in the wall before you put things inside. As long as you’ve secured it to the lumber and the lumber is secured to the studs, your cabinet should be safe and ready for storage.