Installing A Medicine Cabinet
A newlywed couple purchased their first home, a foreclosure, which needs a lot of work. One of the items they want installed is a new medicine cabinet, mainly because the one they had was stolen before they took possession of the house.
There are two styles of medicine cabinets, either surface mounted or recessed. Surface mounted is easier to install but looks like an afterthought. A recessed medicine cabinet is much cleaner looking, but involves you cutting a hole in the drywall to install it.
The newlywed couple had the recessed style stolen, and so it was very easy to buy the same size, place it in the hole, and screw it to the studs. However, if you were installing one as new, you would need to cut a hole in your wall and install it. They typically fit nicely in between the studs, but you run the hazard of finding electrical or plumbing lines in the wall after you've cut it open. You will want to use a stud finder and mark off the location of the studs before you start cutting. When you do cut the wall, cut shallow so that if a cable or pipe is in the wall you won't damage it. You will either have to re-route these or find a new location for your medicine cabinet. After the hole is cut, screw it to the studs.
A surface mounted medicine cabinet installation is about as easy as hanging a picture. Find the studs, level it, and screw it to the wall. You at least have to screw it to one stud. If the cabinet is not wide enough to span two studs, use a wall anchor, such as an EZ toggle to hold it in place.