mounting kitchen cabinet on stone wall

[Jack]

I have a new KraftMaid cabinet (to be used as a bookcase) that I want to mount on a stone wall (actually the chimney in an old New England center chimney home). The surface is very irregular, and I am assuming the stone is granite. It's been painted so many times, it's not easy to tell which is stone and which is mortar.

My intent is to mount a board to the wall with masonry anchors, and then mount the cabinet to that. First problem is that most local hardware stores (including the HD) only have light duty anchors, and where I found mid or heavy duty, I couldn't find anyone who could explain the different types or make a useful recommendation.

In addition, the first hole I drilled hit a void in the mortar, and so seems useless for any anchor. The next hole I tried didn't go anywhere, although I was using a very old masonry bit.

Will a new masonry bit make a dent in the stone, or do I absolutely need to find the mortar or rent or borrow a hammer drill?

[James]

I don't have quite enough experience to answer your questions, but I think you will also find good help if you post your questions in

alt.building.construction

There are people there that could steer you right.

--James--

[Robert Allison]

OK, let me see,... where do I start?

First, let me start with the intricate nature of drilling into masonry. You would probably need a hammer drill with a percussion bit (not a masonry bit). Masonry bits are destroyed when used in a hammer drill. If you are drilling into mortar, you will probably get by with a masonry bit and a standard drill. If you are drilling into stone, then you will need a percussion bit on a hammer drill, preferably a rotary hammer such as a Hilti TE-55 or so.

Keep in mind that you are drilling (pounding actually) into a wall which may cause cracks if you get too close to an edge or corner.

Next we have fasteners to choose from. In this situation, I would probably opt for the more expensive epoxy fastening system due to its strength, but also because using any type of expansion anchor may cause the rock or mortar to crack, thereby rendering it useless. If you do not want to go that route, then I would use a sleeve anchor, as they are strong and do not put as much pressure on the sides of the hole as other anchors do.

HTH