This won't really answer your question but its how we handled this very thing. The medicine cabinets we choose had a slot on the side where the door hinges are. Fortunately the electrical box is right beside where we hung the cabinet. I just put the electric tooth brush on the bottom shelf of the cabinet the ran the cord through the slot to the electric box. You can't even see it and the door closes perfectly.

Thanks a lot, Eaglemom and Pepperidge_farm.

Eaglemom, the vanities I have shortlisted have a very tight fitting door so that option is ruled out for me!

As Pepperidge_farm suggests, I would try to cut a hole into the vanity's back and fit an outlet there. In fact one of my inspirations was her bath med cabinet!

However, this is not a complete diy. I have a contractor who is willing to experiment :-) So I will show him your pix and ask if he can do anything similar!

I would be interested in knowing any brands other than Robern who sell such a thing in med cabinets -- while I would definitely give a shot to Pepperidge_farm's suggestion.

Thanks a lot, for all your help.

Why not buy a Robern medicine cabinet that comes with an outlet already installed?

Three reasons why buying a robern is not viable option:

1. Lead time upto 7 weeks for the model (apparently there is only one)
2. Size is a bit nonstandard (if I remember correctly) and my cabinet will go on a side wall which does not have a lot of room
3. Price is hefty : 650.00 or so I was quoted. For just one outlet, paying $400.00 or so more does not make sense to me at least.

I want to help clarify some information. Robern does not sell the outlet system by itself. I called them today because I was curious. They have a lead time of zero days unless you are talking about the new Uplift cabinet which has a lead time of four weeks. There is not just one model that has the electrical outlet in it. It is an option on all the Roberns except the PLM series.

I don't understand the quote about the price? What is $650? What is $400? You can get the Robern cabinets in many different sizes. I have included a link to a website that maybe does a better job of explaining the cabinet options than Roberns website does. I am not endorsing the website but I find the information useful. It also is not just one outlet, there are two GFCI outlets in the cabinet. The cabinets also come in varying depths from 4", 6" or 8" that you can specify at time of order.

Maybe you can start out by telling what dimensions you are looking for or need in a medicine cabinet and then find out if Robern has a system. I personally like the Robern cabinets and I had one in a previous home. I am installing four in my current home over the summer. I just placed an order for 3 of the Uplift style cabinets.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robern Medicine cabinet with Electric

I have been looking for the same thing and found that in addition to Robern a company called Century makes cabinets with electric outlets. I was interested in the information by Homepro01 on the availability of Robern cabinets as some online vendors give 2-3 weeks delivery time.

Thanks, homepro1.

The $650 figures I talked about were quotes I got for robern with electrical outlets. without, I was quoted ~$250.00. Thus my mention of $400.00 difference for the electrical outlet.

Also, the irawoods site mentioned the electrical option but there is no way to "select" or "purchase" it! As a result it is not clear if this is an option in varying widths (14" included) -- or just one width (ie 19"). For me, I will need a 14" wide variety if available.

Any ideas?

Homeybird,
Got it now. You want a 14" wide medicine cabinet. Many of the cabinets come in 16" which is the smallest I see. There is an accessory cabinet though. If you want the electric option, you must use a MP series or MT series cabinet. There is another series but I don't know the name of it right now.

How tall do you want it? On the price quote, were they still offering the same MP series or did the quote you a PLM? If you are not getting the electrical option, they quoted you a different cabinet rather than the same cabinet without electrical. Even without electrical, the MP series is about $500.

Here is a link to a 16" MP series that is with the electric option. The product number will have an E after it. It will say LE or RE after the product number.

Mahnrut,
The 2-3weeks lead time is for shipping of the items from the manufacturer. Also, my local store carries a few of the Robern in stock in their own warehouse. The online vendors have to order directly from Robern and don't keep any inventory for most of the stuff they carry.

Just for comparison, here is a link to the Century Mirror that Mahnrut refers to. The pricing is a little more than Robern it appears but it gives you an option and their smallest medicine cabinet appears to be 15".

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robern 16

Here's ours. It is a DIY situation. LOL! Thank goodness for Sharpies.

Thanks a lot, homepro1.

I still cannot digest the price tag for just getting an electrical outlet in it! I think that I would try to go the diy route that golddust and pepperidge_farm have gone.

Thanks anyways, and I hope this thread and robern info helps other posters around here.

Homeybird,
Glad I could be of help. Just another note, don't buy a Robern cabinet if you intend to put your own outlet in it. They are aluminum bodied and mirrored on the inside. One small mistake, and the mirror is broken. You should look for a cabinet that does not have a mirror in the inside cabinet.

Golddust,
Which cabinet do you have and how is Dorothy?

Good luck!

Hi, homepro!

Your (our) Dorothy is great. Her cousin, the claw foot tub, got kidnapped by a loser refinisher but we got it back via another kidnapping with advice from police. Dorothy is lonely but the tub is back on track. We should have it in the bathroom this weekend. We put in a closet organizer. Woo! The shower is next.

I'm being lazy posting my album but our bathroom is coming along. Scroll down to the bottom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Upstairs bathroom project

It's Restoration Hardware's large Cartwright. medicine cabinet. I heard your question, just forgot to answer.

I found this through a Google search, and wanted to add a caution. The photograph and recommendations above may represent serious safety hazards. Any outlet in a bathroom within normal reach must be GFI protected. To install otherwise is a code violation, and puts you or your guests in serious risk.

An update on my 2009 posting. We now have had a Century Medicine cabinet with outlet in it since then (so over 8 years). A few years back we the electric cord from the mirror to the inside of the cabinet snapped (must have got trapped in the door over the years which weakened it). We called Century asking advice and they immediately sent us a new door with cord attached which was very easy to install ourselves. Excellent service and I am sure it was well out of warranty. That was years ago and no other issues.

Following

We are installing 2 large recessed medicine cabinet and looking for the best way to add a duplex receptacle inside each. Any products other than a typical surface mounted box?

Have you looked at sillites.com. We used these in our custom medicine cabinets.

Looks like a slick option! Thanks Garderner29014