Kitchen Cabinets, No Studs

[Michael Dobony]

I am trying to hang some kitchen cabinets, but it seems the studs to not go floor to ceiling. At the top of the cabinets the studs disappear! I have over 30" where there are absolutely no studs to screw into. I found the studs for the bottom of the wall cabinets, so the problem is at the top and I have no ledge at the top of the wall to screw into either. I have a 24" corner cabinet that I can't put any screws into studs. I have the cabinet on the right with 2 screws into studs at the top and screwed into the corner cabinet. To the left is the problem. An 24" cabinet is going in there and there is no stud to screw into until a few inches from the left hand side of that cabinet. There are no studs from the left end of the cabinet all the way across to the inside of the corner cabinet. What would be the best way to attach this securely short of building a stub wall above the cabinets?

Mike D.

[ransley]

Did you open the wall and look, lath or drywall is somehow attached or it would be loose and crack.

[Colbyt]

You can use 1/8" x 3" toggles if you have to do so. Each toggle when used with securely attached drywall will hold about 50 pounds.

But what is holding up the drywall?

Also be sure to secure all the wall cabinets to each other by drilling sideways through the styles at least 2 screws for each 30" high cabinet

Colbyt

[aemeijers]

If I had a wall framed that flakey, and the kitchen was gutted anyway, I'd probably go ahead and open the wall up and find out what the hell was going on.( No way would I trust toggles through rock to hold a kitchen upper- a full load of canned goods and a climbing kid grabbing a door to hang on, and that sucker is coming down.) And while it was open, I'd add rows of blocking between the existing or newly added studs before I re-rocked. I HATE playing hide'n'seek with studs while I am balancing an upper cabinet with the other hand, trying to keep it from falling off the temporary cleat defining the straight bottom line.

-- aem sends....

[HeyBub]

Securing the bottom of the cabinet to the existing studs and wall anchors at the top to prevent tipping would work. The cabinet load will be handled entirely by the bottom anchors.

This scheme will NOT work if somebody puts excessive downward force on the doors.

[John Grabowski]

It sounds as though you have an old house that has been through some changes. I'm thinking that the European method might be best in this situation. Rip a piece of 3/4" x 12" plywood down the middle at a 45 degree angle. Attach one strip to your wall and cut the other strip into smaller pieces to mount on each cabinet. Then you just hang each cabinet and screw where you can. Keep in mind that this method will push the cabinets out away from the wall a little if you have an end exposed.

[John Grabowski]

It's called the French Cleat method.

[Bob (but not THAT Bob)]

If it was my kitchen, I'd want to know what's in that wall. It would be no big deal to slap in a coupla cripple studs and replace a section of drywall that was covered by cabinets - I'd think it less trouble than a workaround.

'Course if you want a quick and dirty fix, there's always that jumbo-size of Liquid Nails.

[JIMMIE]

I agrre it pretty easy to pull out the existing drywall and see whats going on especially when its all going to be hidden by the cabinets anyway.

Jimmie