I want to put the cabinets on a stud wall covered with drywall. What do i do with say a 15" wall cabinet,because the cabinet will only cover
1 stud. What do i do in that case ( don't i need to support a cabinet on more than 1 stud ?
Use more screws in the one stud you have available that will hold the load and then add a couple of mollies to the drywall that will keep the cabinet against the wall and not start it rocking on a high point and add some strength vertically as well. If it's only a 15 wide cabinet chances are it won't be loaded with China?
Rich
In addition to screwing them to the wall studs, cabinets are normally installed with 2-3 screws through the styles (the vertical hardwood piece on each side) so that they are connected to each other. Some 12" wide wall units never hit a single stud.
Ya beat me to it. That is the traditional and proper approach, if he has traditional 'real' cabinets, that at least have hardwood fronts. If he has the chipboard junk common today (some of which makes face frame from wrapped chipboard stock), or the 'euro-style' cabinets with no face frame, you have to stare at it all awhile and decide what looks solid enough to screw through. Sometimes big washers, and maybe even a block on the other side to screw into,are indicated, or the screw will pull right through or out. Last two apartments I had, there wasn't any real wood in the damn cabinets. The first place I had in this town, one of the cabinets fell apart when the chipboard decided that holding on to the staples was too much work.
(I sure am glad the previous owner of this place didn't 'upgrade' from the original 1960 hardwood cabinets, in spite of the botched DIY refinish he put on them. I can fix, one of these days, since he did not strip the old finish, first.)
aem sends...
Having done the drywall in MANY kitchens both new and reno over the last 20 years, what i've seen is soild blocking where the cabinets will attach or the entire wall is covered with half inch plywood or Advantec BEFORE drywall is installed...Depending on the quality and number of uppers with hood , microwave,ect you could be hanging several hundred pounds on the wall.....Some new kitchens are framed with 2X6s with solid blocking instead of 2X4s for that reason....Replacing drywall is easy on walls to be covered with cabinets if you want to remove drywall and add solid blocking everywhere it is needed. Just put a full sheet of drywall in the center and fill in the top and bottom. No seam to tape as the cabinets will cover them , just screws to mud between the base cabinets and uppers....Very little to paint as well...Good luck...
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The other posters have covered the high points. Google 'french cleat cabinet' to see another method - a hanging rail. That's the standard European method, and what IKEA cabinets use. It does become an issue if your cabinets weren't designed for a hanging rail - then the side of the end cabinet can be seen to stand off from the wall. That can be dealt with by using a filler strip, trim or a side panel.
R
They do it in Europe because the kitchen cabinets are considered furniture, not fixtures- people commonly take them when they move, along with any hanging light fixtures.
Cleats are fine, but if you have kids and/or earthquakes, I'd still run a screw in here and there, to tie it all to the wall. A good temblor, or a kid playing Superman standing on the counter, could lead to a tragedy. An upper cabinet full of canned goods ain't light.
aem sends...
Standard height cabinet? Can't imagine anything you can put into it that won't be held by two screws into the same stud. Are their cabinets on either side, both sides, none? A 15" wide isn't going to have a much heavier load on one side vs other, so don't really understand the concern.
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