Wall Storage Compartment

I built a detached home office over 2017-2018. As part of the permitting process the city required the use of a prefab shearwall in the corner of building nearest to door. This “part” came with hole cut out in the middle of it and seemed like the perfect opportunity to use as small storage compartment above the desk that will eventually be placed in front of it.

So I left the hole exposed after installing the drywall.

Since rough composite presswood isn’t attractive, I decided to stain it dark. I used 1x2 walnut to frame out the exposed opening perimeter. You may have noticed the vertical channels cut in the wall from the first pic. I plugged their openings with walnut scraps and wood glue. The glass shown below is holding the top plug in place while the glue dries.

Here it with the glass removed.

I had to fabricate a door using a 1x8 walnut board trimmed to 5 1/2 inches. All the walnut was stained with Tung oil (6 coats) and sanded with 400 grit sand paper between each coat. A wood polishing compound was then applied to give it a finished look and feel. Hinges are counter sunk on each side and the left edge of the door is beveled to allow for a snug fit. Alignment was critical so decided it was easier assemble the door and outer edge and install them as a unit …thus the nails partailly hammered in place in the picture below.

Door & handle installed.

Final pic. Nail holes still need to be filled in (pending a related project). Steps not shown: final caulking and painting around outer perimeter.