Installing medicine cabinets

Installing Medicine Cabinets:

There are two ways to mount nearly any cabinet: recessed or flush mounting and surface mounting. Flush mounting should be left to someone who has done it before since it involves cutting the wallboard open and possibly having to cut the studs in case the cabinet exceeds 16 in. in width. Surface mounted medicine cabinets are installed quite easily by either screwing them straight to the 2x4s or installing some supports and hanging them like hanging a picture on the wall. When mounting the medicine cabinet it is important to keep in mind that it could be very heavy, consequently you will want to make certain it's securely mounted to the wall studs. If this is the case, you will need to use heavy duty brackets, which usually come with the cabinet.

The initial step is to find the studs where you will be attaching the cabinet. If you have a stud finder (obtainable in most hardware store tool sections) locate the center of the two studs the cabinet should cover and mark the wall.

If you don't own a stud finder, take a small finishing nail and use trial and error to find the 2x4s. Tap slightly with your finger on the wall in a horizontal direction until you hear the sound go lower, then gently hammer the nail in about 3/4 in. to find out if you discovered air or wood. If you discovered wood, drive the nail in two more times, 1/2 in. to the left and right of the original hole. This way you can estimate where the midpoint of the stud is. It isn't vital that you find the midpoint exactly, however you will need the screws to get a solid "bite."

If for any reason you can't locate the 2x4s you will need to utilize hollow wall anchors; the screw-in styles are the easiest to work with and are extremely solid. And do not worry about any of those little holes you made; the cabinet should hide them.

The following step is to align the cabinet with the studs. Hold your cabinet with the top just below the center marks or the holes and make sure it's in the horizontal position you want. Do not be concerned about leveling it yet. Mark the top of the cabinet, then set it down and pencil in two vertical lines from the marks on the top of the cabinet to the bottom. Drill the necessary holes on these two lines. Four holes should suffice, however if the cabinet is very heavy, make six or maybe eight holes.

Author's note: when it comes to hanging stuff on the wall, I truly believe in "too much is barely enough".

After the holes are drilled in your cabinet, place it on the wall precisely where you require it, level it, check the position again, double check your level, and then mark the holes on the wall. Set the cabinet down, then using a drill bit that is roughly half the thickness of the screw, drill pilot holes in the wall where you marked them and then carefully screw in the hardware. Be sure the holes are completely prepared before putting in the cabinet. The rationale for doing it like this is to make holding the cabinet and screwing it in a lot less difficult, not to mention more precise.

Hold the cabinet in place, screw it in, make sure all fasteners are tight, tidy up the mess, put the tools back in their place, fill the cabinet and you are finished.

Medicine cabinet styles | Manufacturers | Furniture styles | Resources