Medicine Cabinet Buying Guide

Medicine Cabinet Buying Guide

In order to have a bathroom that doesn’t create a stressful and cluttered feeling, having extra storage is almost a necessity. If you have a bathroom where space is limited, you know the woes of having to optimize your bathroom essentials.

This is where bathroom medicine cabinets come in. Medicine cabinets provide you concealed storage and usually placed near your bathroom vanity. These hidden cabinets are very practical and also very functional for your bathroom decor.

There are many types of medicine cabinets that can go with the design of your decor. Here are a few different types to help you choose.

Installation Types

Recessed Medicine Cabinet

Modern medicine cabinets come with recessed mounting installations which are built into the wall and is a more current way of installing. This may take some extra work when installing if you don’t already have the outline cut out for the cabinet. The great benefit of recessed medicine cabinets is that it provides a much cleaner look for your bathroom since the cabinet won’t be sticking out as much. Instead it will be flush to the wall.

Surface Mount Medicine Cabinet

Surface mount medicine cabinets are a lot easier to install since there is less work that needs to be done to the wall prior to installation. This is a traditional way of installing your medicine cabinet. The cabinet is usually screwed to the wall or attached with an adhesive. The cabinet is usually sticking out a few inches from the wall.

Style

Choosing the right style is always important when remodelling or upgrading your decor. Fortunately, there are different styles of medicine cabinets. A very stylish type is a mirrored medicine cabinet. This is very practical and if you’re not paying attention, many people won’t even know that it’s a medicine cabinet. These cabinets have a mirror attached to the front to allow an extra functionality to storing your bathroom accessories.

Along with the mirrored function, there are medicine cabinets with different types of doors. There are medicine cabinets with one large door, double doors and tri-view doors. Depending on the type of tri-view, you can essentially divide the cabinet space between household members or easily organize your bathroom essentials by accessory types.

Size

There are both large medicine cabinets and small medicine cabinets. A fun hack to use for small medicine cabinets is that you can have two small mirrored medicine cabinets installed with your double bathroom vanity. This creates a personalized view and a very chic and stylish way to set up your bathroom. Opting in for one large medicine cabinet is a great option too. Having just one large medicine cabinet installed can create an illusion that the bathroom is much larger than it already is.

One thing to take note of us that if you do opt for the large medicine cabinet, the cabinet can get very heavy. You will need to keep this in mind while making your purchase and how it will affect your installation. If you have a heavy medicine cabinet, it will only get heavier with the things you put in it. Having it properly and carefully installed will ensure that your project goes safely and successfully.

Hardware

Whether it is the hardware or the types of shelves installed, having the right hardware can make or break your medicine cabinet. A great feature on wood medicine cabinets are soft-closing hinges. Older medicine cabinets probably won’t have this type of mechanism installed. Since the doors of the medicine cabinets are a bit thinner, if you apply too much force closing them, it might cause some damage. With soft-closing hinges, you can reduce or even eliminate this problem since the hinges will help you softly close the door on it’s own. When you are looking for your medicine cabinet, consider this a must-have feature.

How many shelves do you need?

The number of shelves you need for your medicine cabinet is important. If you have a lot of small items to put in your medicine cabinet, you will want more shelves. Medicine cabinet shelves are usually adjustable and movable so you don’t need to worry too much about the placement.

Complimentary Items

Having a few different options of storage space is handy thing to consider for your bathroom. Since medicine cabinets are usually only meant for smaller items, you can also look into linen and side cabinets that work amazingly well with medicine cabinets. Linen cabinets and side cabinets allow you to be able to store larger items.

There are also medicine cabinets with lights. These are a nice, decorative accessory that can go well with your bathroom. Usually these lights are installed above the mirror and may require electrical expertise if you do not already have them. Installing light fixtures above your medicine cabinet are usually an easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your look and there are is a huge selection of styles to choose from. If you are feeling fancy, you might also look into lighted medicine cabinet mirror combos where the light fixtures are already installed into the cabinet. If you have the budget for it, go for it but most people will opt for the more traditional route.

Where to Buy

For your brick and mortar stores, Home Depot and Lowes are great options. You can also purchase them from many reputable online retailers. For more information about medicine cabinets, speak with a specialist at Luxury Living Direct at (800) 574-3022.