Loose cabinet

[Chris]

Hello,

When I close the drawer on my cabinet, the whole thing shakes. It also seems that the cabinet is leaning forward as it's no longer flush with the wall.

The cabinet sits between the stove and the fridge. It's just wide enough for a coffee maker and toaster.

I emptied the cabinet and I can see two screws (Robinston). I pushed the cabinet so it was flush with the wall and tried to tighten the screws. The screws wouldn't tighten?!?

Is there some trick at tightening the cabinet? I tried to google for it but I just seem to find articles about loose cabinet hinges - none talk about loose cabinets.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[jart ames]

call kitchen tune-up

[Joseph Meehan]

What exactly do you mean "The screws wouldn't tighten"? Do you mean they turn but don't secure the cabinet any better, they don't turn at all, the turn and the screws tighten buy it did not help?

I would guess you could run a new screw or two into a stud back there.

However I would wonder about the bottom. The cabinet should have been shimmed so it does not rock even if the floor is not level. It should not need screws in the back it should be resting solid on the floor. You may want to consider the bottom of it. You may need to remove and reset it.

[Chris]

I mean the screws wouldn't turn as if they were already as tight as they were going to get.

I thought of this, but how can I be sure they the original screws are in a stud? If they were in a stud, how could the cabinet have moved?

Ah, I see. The kitchen floor is laminate (wood pattern). Around the bottom of the cabinet is this while trim-like wood. I'll remove that and see if I can reseat the cabinet.

Thanks for the tips,

[Chris]

I live in Canada, but thanks. I'll check my yellow pages to see if there is a company that provides similar services. However, I want to determine first if this is something I can do myself....I kind of like fixing things :)

[trader4]

wouldn't turn as if they were already as tight as they

thought of this, but how can I be sure they the original screws are in a

I see. The kitchen floor is laminate (wood pattern). Around the bottom

You can try to figure out where the studs are that are behind the cabinet. Here in the US, studs are generally 16" on center. Lot of times in a kitchen, you can find a reference one by taking the cover plate off a nearby outlet. The box should be nailed to one side of a stud.

Once you think you know where the stud should be, you can drill a pilot hole through just the cabinet for a wood screw. I'd go about an inch deep. If the drill doesn't hit air, you should be on a stud and can then put in a wood screw, about 2 1/2 long should do. Also, as suggested, make sure it's properly shimmed.

[# Fred #]

I had this happen to one of my rentals where the whole 10' upper cabinet section came off the wall and just about to crash down onto the floor. It was attached with nails - two per cabinet at the top nailing strip. I jack it up the 10' section with couple of hydraulic jacks and screw it back with

4" long lag bolts to all the studs - overkill but cheap insurance. The lag bolts were driven with a 1/2" socket wrench so you could apply a lot of torque so be careful not to over torque.

Sure you want to use the same screws that already failed once? I would replace it with longer ones.

[Chris]

Good point. I'll make sure I replace the screws.

[Chris]

Thanks for the tip on finding the studs.

If I understand correctly, the cabinet should be flush against the wall without using the screws. Once it is flush, I can then use the screws to anchor it to the wall?

Thanks.

[Norminn]

My guess is that the screws went into the wallboard, not into studs. Try to locate the studs and put the screw through the cabinet frame into the studs. One would probably be sufficient.

[Norminn]

This is a bit confusing. When you push the cabinet back against the wall, does the head of the screw protrude from the cabinet back? If so, it might be in the stud but too long to hold the cabinet frame.

Does the cabinet merely move back and forth or does it rock? If it rocks, then you need either to shim the front base or just take it out and level the bottom (unless the flooring goes only part way under the cabinet, in which case the flooring needs to be levelled)

[Norminn]

clipped

Walls can be quite uneven and not be noticed until something staight and true is placed against them. If the base of the wall is a little further out than the upper wall, then pushing the cabinet top might make the cabinet tilt back a bit. A baseboard, if there is one behind the cab., would also cause this. Don't have an electrical cord running behind the cabinet, I hope? What kind of counter-top/backsplash is there?

Whether floor, wall, cabinet, or all three are lopsided, something needs to be brought into alignment. A narrow base cabinet doesn't need much to hold it in place.

[Chris]

Turns out there is a small dip int the wall near the upper right hand corner of the cabinet. So, the wall isn't even. It's an exterior wall.

There is a cut out whole where the cabinet sits. The cabinet sits a little below the laminate flooring. The baseboard has been cut at the cabinet so the cabinet resets "flush" with the wall.

Turned out that in order to secure the cabinet to the wall, the top would need to be pushed back causing it to be a little uneven. According to my level, just slightly uneven as only the tip of the bubble was crossing the line. I used some old laminate that I found under the cabinet to help secure the base.

I used a few more screws; spread out over the stud. The cabinet seems more stable and secure now.

Thanks for the advice everyone