Often touted as a feature of tiny-home living, using the inside of your walls as storage space can be a good solution for any sized home. If you need a low profile medicine cabinet or some stealth kitchen storage, a hidden cupboard is a project that any enthusiastic DIYer can tackle.
Before you dive in, this is a project for interior walls in wood frame houses with drywall or lath and plaster. It’s not right for steel frame or concrete walls because your ability to carve out enough space and attach the pieces to the inside of the wall is limited, and some types of attachments can damage the structure of the wall.
For this project, you’ll need:
A sheet of ¼ inch plywood (two feet by four feet is plenty) or similar board large enough to cover the back of your cabinet.
A nail gun and brad nails
A piece of art or mirror to act as the cabinet door (Be sure to use one with a wood frame so that you can drill into it to attach your hardware.)
How to prep a wall to install a hidden cabinet
To choose the right wall, you’ll need to use a stud finder to locate a space between studs. A good spot won’t be near any wiring or plumbing, so keep that in mind. If you’re not sure of the wiring situation, turn off the power and drill a hole large enough to thread a snake camera through and take a look around before you proceed. Don’t cut into a wall until you’re sure it is free of wiring to avoid electric shock.
Once you’ve found a good spot on the wall between studs, mark out the shape of your cabinet by marking the top and bottom of your cabinet and determine the width by the distance between studs. Once you have marked out the area on your wall’s surface by drawing the outline of your cabinet, start to cut out the wall board to the inside of the space first with the oscillating saw using a drywall or plaster cutting attachment. Trim the wall about a quarter to a half-inch away from your marks and then use the same blade to make your final cut along the marks you made. This will prevent accidental cuts to the studs if your measurements are off a little bit. If you need some more instruction, here’s a useful video you can check out.
How to make the cabinet box
To make the box for your cabinet, cut the quarter inch plywood to the size of the hole you’ve made in the wall with the circular saw. Then, cut the top and bottom of the cabinet to the width of the hole. Subtract one and a half inches from the total height of the cabinet and cut two pieces for the sides.
Nail the top and bottom boards of the cabinet to the sides. You should end up with a rectangle that fits inside the hole you cut for the cabinet. Next, attach the back of the cabinet to the sides and top. Measure the inside space of your cabinet and cut one or two shelves for the inside from the one-by four boards you have left.
Attach the secret door and insert the cabinet into the wall
To make the front edge that you will hang your picture or mirror on, use your one-by-two, cut at 45-degree angles to make a front edge of the cabinet. It should look like a picture frame on the front edge of your cabinet when you’re done.
Then, use your drill to attach the hinges to one side of the cabinet and then attach the magnet to the other edge. Attach the picture or mirror to the hinges, making sure to hold it straight up and down. Then, attach the magnet to the back side of the picture. You should be able to pull the door open, and push it against the magnets to stay shut.
Now, insert your cabinet into the wall and nail it into the studs to keep it in place. Finish up by filling any nail holes with putty and painting the cabinet to match the color of your walls. This will help disguise the sliver of framing that might be visible and help it blend into its surroundings.
If you need a visual on how this can all come together, check out this YouTube tutorial from Ron Hazelton on adding recessed shelving into a wall.