screws and a steel frame home

[D]

Any recommendations on the type of screws I should use to mount a utility cabinet to steel studs? I'm looking at purchasing a cabinet with dimensions 54"Wx24"Hx12"D for this project. I plan on mounting the cabinet over my washer and dryer approximately 5' above the garage floor. It will be storage for my laundry detergents, cleaners, garden variety pesticides...etc. The screws will definitely have to be durable enough to support the weight of the cabinet and said contents.

If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them...

Thanks in advance!

[Tom J]

I would use course thread self tapping screws 3/4 inches longer than what it takes to reach through the cabinet backs or hanging rail, whichever mounting system you are using. The reason for not using longer screws is you want to screw through the surface of the metal stud, not the electrical, phone, intercom wiring or anything else that may be inside the cavity of the wall. Put a screw near the top and another near the bottom into each stud and just tighten until snug. You don't want to strip out the wall of the stud

If the studs are exposed where you will mount the cabinets, just use 1/4 inch stove bolts and nuts.

Tom J

[ameijers]

Most steel studs I've seen are pretty flexible to rotational forces. (ie, twisting center relative to top and bottom.) If the garage wall is bare studs, and probably even if it is drywalled, I'd add blocking and/or a sheet of plywood behind the cabinet, well bolted/screwed to the studs, and screw the cabinet to that. Idea being to create box sections that don't twist when you (or next owner) hang from cabinet door, or put something very heavy in the cabinet.

I'm sure the stud makers have a web site somewhere for appropriate attachment methods.

aem sends....

[donald girod]

In my opinion, you will have no trouble hanging the cabinet to the studs, assuming the cabinet has a back and is therefore stiff and able to spread the load across the whole area. But you need more screws than you would need if you had wood studs. In particular, I would put three screws per stud (say, top, middle and bottom). If the cabinet does not have much in the way of screw support built in (there should be a strip across the inside top back, but maybe that is all), in addition put a ledger under the cabinet, wide enough to take two screws per stud. And DON'T use coarse thread drywall screws, use fine thread, intended for steel studs. The coarse ones are for wood. And don't penetrate the stud more than the 3/4" recommended by the other poster.

[Charlie Spitzer]

you might think of a french cleat along with the screws. they make it really easy to hang cabinets.

regards, charlie cave creek, az

[mark Ranesley]

my parisian wife has a french cleat. she's a morfidite.

snark