Let's Hide Things: Behind Useless Wall Outlets

While I was deciding on what to make for this contest I thought on something everyone had inside their homes. That 9 out of 10 people would not need to go to the store or order any parts online. Especially with Coronavirus, I wanted people to stay safe and have some fun. For me, it was cutting into the wall and creating something I have never seen done before. Not to mention finally getting a use for the Wall Plates that get installed and eventually become useless.

Step 1: Figure Out Size

I had an old Coax Cable Wall Plate upstairs of my home that I deemed to be completely useless. I started by unscrewing it from the wall and snapped the wall plate in half to remove the Coax cable then stuffed the cable back inside the wall. Your results may be different maybe a larger hole or maybe a plastic box installed. From there I measured how deep I could go before hitting the other wall and the size of the Wall Plate. Now I just needed to purchase a new Coax Cable Wall Plate from Walmart.

Step 2: Tinkercad

Sometimes, I find it easier to either draw on paper what I plan to make or use Tinkercad. This being an online Instructable I decided to use Tinkercad. I wanted an online 3D version so other people could have a leg up if they decided to try my Instructable.

Step 3: Simple Cardboard Drawer

I could have gone an easier route and found or purchased a box roughly the same size as what I needed to use as the drawer. For some reason I always have to do things in the most difficult way. So, I found a cardboard box I had made a few weeks earlier and drew out the dimensions I had got from the depth of the wall and rough size of the wall plate.

Step 4: Put It Together

The box was not the most elegant thing I have ever created but it served the purpose. I screwed the wall plate to the front of my box. I added some super glue for safe measure. The blue tape on my box was placed to hold it together before I glued it to make sure it would fit like I needed. Too many times I have to cut again due to incorrectly measuring/cutting.

Step 5: Rough Finished Product

My wall was so old and weak that I ended up making a larger mess and hole that I originally had measured. However, the idea worked like a charm. You simply hold onto the Coax Cable nub as a handle and you can pull out the drawer. As long as you measured the depth of the hole correctly it should fit flush against the wall so nobody would ever know there was something hidden.

Step 6: Mistakes

My skill level when doing work like this is about a 3 out of 10. I made more than a few mistakes. Firstly when I started cutting into the wall to make the hole bigger I cut too far to the left where the stud was. All this will be fixed with a drywall patch I plan to buy from Walmart. I will then update my Instructable to show the final final product. I am not happy on how the frame around the Wall Plate turned out but am thrilled that the idea and final result will be perfect.