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Today I’m FINALLY sharing part 2 of our DIY medicine cabinet. This DIY was part of our half-bathroom renovation that we did for the spring 2021 One Room Challenge. If you’re looking for part one to see how to DIY a medicine cabinet and the supplies and tools you’ll need, you can find it here.
Missed the event? Click on the links below to catch up on all the fun we had that spring!
WE’RE FINALLY DOING IT | SPRING ONE ROOM CHALLENGE
WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
DIY medicine cabinet with sliding mirror
Well, it took me a lot longer than I expected to write part 2. But I’m super excited to finally share how our DIY medicine cabinet turned out. It took us a bit longer to complete the bathroom but we finally got the mirror hung towards the end of September 2021.
When we started planning the renovation of our half bath, I knew I wanted to keep the storage our old medicine cabinet provided us but give it a major glow-up.
I started searching online for a ready-made cabinets and quickly decided that wasn’t going to work for our project.
For one thing, we needed a custom size. The original medicine cabinet was only 4″ deep and 14″ wide. Fitting perfectly between the studs. Everything I found was way too big. Secondly, everything I found that I sorta liked, was way too expensive. I knew we could create exactly what we needed for a lot less.
Finally, and most important to me, I wanted to be able to use an antique mirror to bring some character and charm to the space.
Because of these reasons, I started down the path of creating a DIY medicine cabinet with a sliding mirror.
Building the cabinet
In part 1, I shared all about how we constructed the cabinet and the supplies and tools we used to build it.
It’s nothing special. Just a box with a back panel, that came together rather easily. The trickiest part was adding the perfectly spaced holes for the adjustable shelves. And, even that part was made easy with the help of this tool.
Painting our medicine cabinet
Once we had our cabinet built, it was time to start prepping it for paint.
Our old medicine cabinet was powder blue metal with glass adjustable shelves. When designing our new cabinet, I knew I wanted something that I could paint. I wanted it to match the walls and blend in with the surroundings. We built our cabinet out of MDF and primed the boards first before we painted them.
I wasn’t looking for an aerosol spray primer but the only thing Home Depot had in stock at the time was this shellac base white primer by B-I-N. So, I grabbed a can and got to work spraying the medicine cabinet later that day.
The spray ended up working out great but I did need 2 cans to finish this project. I started by spraying the outside of the cabinet that would be recessed and hidden in the wall. Don’t be like me. Don’t waste your time spraying the outside of the cabinet.
It didn’t take long for the primer to dry. Once it was set I gave it a light sanding in the areas where it got a little heavy from overspray.
Next, it was time to paint! In the early stages of planning the design of our bathroom, I originally thought it would be fun to add a pop of color or pattern on the inside. In the end, though, I decided to keep it simple and paint the interior and the shelves Mistletoe by Benjamin Moore to match the walls.
I love that it all just fades into the background and becomes this great functional and utilitarian piece. It’s beautifully understated. I still may add some color or pattern to the inside down the road. Just to bring a little fun every time we open it.
Sourcing an Antique Mirror
From the beginning, I knew I wanted an antique mirror for our bathroom. It’s such a small space and I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to add character and charm where we could. We already added some by installing wall paneling and selecting a traditional tile for the floor. The mirror was another opportunity to bring in some character.
Once I knew how big our medicine cabinet was going to be I started to source the mirror. At this point, I wasn’t set on the mechanism for installing and operating the mirror and wanted to leave our options open.
I was hoping to find something unique in design and/or shape. I took photos and measurements of everything I found while shopping.
While I hunted for the perfect mirror, I made the decision to use drawer slides to attach and open the cabinet. Based on what I was finding, I thought this would be the best and most unique way to make this DIY work.
I started looking for a mirror that fit the space but also had a frame large enough to mount the drawer slides too. I ended up finding the PERFECT simple mirror. The frame on the mirror was the perfect size to work with the drawer slides. It was also JUST big enough to cover the cabinet while allowing a bit of the trim to frame it around the edges.
Installing Our DIY Cabinet
Once we had our cabinet built and painted, installing our DIY medicine cabinet was super simple. First, though, we had to add a bit of reinforcement.
When we were demoing the bathroom and removing the old medicine cabinet, we noticed that the stud on the right had been damaged. A chunk of it had been cut out and was just laying against the cabinet in the wall.
When it was time to install the cabinet, we nailed the loose piece back into place and added an additional stud next to it. Giving us extra support and reinforcement. We then screwed the cabinet into the studs and at this point, we were ready to finish drywall.
Once the drywall was complete, we added some simple trim along the edges. This did two things for us. It helped to create a finished edge to conceal the seam between the box and the drywall. It also added a surface for us to attach the drawer slides which would allow us to access the cabinet. All that was left to do was to finish painting and move on to installing the mirror.
Creating the sliding mirror
I was super excited to get this mirror installed and to see my idea come to life. I found simple drawer slides that come in a variety of sizes at Home Depot. We ended up going with the 16″ drawer slide and it was the perfect length for the size of our mirror and cabinet.
We installed the main portion of the drawer slide to the trim. It had to overlap the edge of the cabinet opening on the top and bottom just a bit. We then attached the slide portion to the back of the mirrror frame.
The thing that made this mirror so perfect for this application was the width of the frame around the mirror. We had very little wiggle room between the edge of the frame on the back and the position of the drawer slide on the trim. We had just enough space on the back to attach the slide and align it with the kit on the trim
The Final Reveal Of Our DIY Medicine Cabinet
Once we installed the drawer slides on the top and bottom, we were done! It was the coolest thing to slide that mirror for the first time and to see our idea come to life.
I’m so glad we thought outside the box and DIYed our own medicine cabinet. Not only was it so much cheaper, but we were able to create a look that perfectly fit our style. I hope this inspires you on your next project!
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