How to Install an Outlet Inside a Medicine Cabinet

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Things You'll Need

  • Power drill

  • Outlet box

  • Screwdriver

  • Pencil

  • Power drill

  • Jig saw

  • Saw horses

  • Drywall saw

  • Fish wire

Many bathrooms in a home have a vanity and a mirror that is attached to a medicine cabinet. Some medicine cabinets can conceal a power outlet. Adding an electrical outlet to a medicine cabinet is similar to installing a new outlet in an existing wall. You can install an electrical outlet in a medicine cabinet after deciding where the outlet should be located.

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Step 1

Turn off the power to the bathroom. Locate the breaker box and switch off the breaker to cut the power.

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Step 2

Trace the outline of the electrical box in the medicine cabinet. Position the electrical box in the medicine cabinet where you want it located. Hold the box in place with one hand, and trace around it with a pencil with your other hand.

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Step 3

Remove the medicine cabinet from the wall. Use a power drill to remove the screws securing the medicine cabinet to the wall. Set the drill on reverse to remove the screws.

Step 4

Place the medicine cabinet on a pair of saw horses, right side up, so you can see the pencil outline.

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Step 5

Drill a hole in one corner of the pencil outline for the jigsaw using a power drill.

Step 6

Insert the jigsaw into the hole and cut along the outline to create the hole.

Step 7

Hold the medicine cabinet against the bathroom wall. Use a pencil to trace around the hole to draw an outline on the wall.

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Step 8

Cut a hole in the drywall using a drywall saw. Follow around the outline with the saw and then remove the piece of drywall to expose the hole.

Step 9

Run electrical wire from the circuit box to the location for the outlet. Use a fish wire to run electrical wire up through the floor to the hole in the wall.

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Step 10

Insert the electrical wire through the electrical box and set it in the wall. Attach it with screws using the power drill.

Step 11

Connect wires to the electrical outlet. Use a screwdriver to connect the black and white wires to the outlet. The black wire is the hot wire and the white wire is the ground.

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Step 12

Turn on the power to the bathroom. Switch the breakers back on, and test the outlet to make sure it is working properly.

Step 13

Place a cover over the outlet inside the medicine cabinet to cover the edges of the hole to complete the project.

Tip

Secure the electrical outlet to a wall stud, if possible.

Wall anchors can hold the electrical box firmly in place as you tighten the screws.

Warning

Wear eye protection when using a jigsaw

Always turn electrical power off in the room your will be working in.

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