Is it safe to put lots of weight on IKEA kitchen wall cupboards?

[google.10.robessee]

hi,

we're just installing a new IKEA kitchen. Previously we had a wine rack with 40 or 50 bottles of wine on top of a pair of wall cupboards. Each of these was held up by brackets in the inside corners which hung onto metal plates screwed onto the wall - thus a total of 8 number 12 screws took the weight, and the brackets were well placed to carry a load placed on top of the cupboards, as the top side rested directly on them.

We now have just one wider IKEA cupboard in that location, and the bracket system seems much less robust. Just 2 screws hold the cupboard up. I used M6 rawlbolts, which I think should be sufficient, but the brackets themselves are just fixed to the chipboard sides of the cupboard with 2 stubby 5mm screws.

So i'm nervous about putting much weight on top. Should I be?

I'm wondering about fixing a shelf directly on top of the cupboard to take the weight, but it would need brackets that hang from the wall above rather than supporting from below. Do these exist? Can't see any at Screwfix.

cheers,

rob.

[selfbuilder]

There is some positive stuff on IKEA kitchens and posters who might know about this in this group thread.

[kmillar]

I know the IKEA brackets. The two stub screws simply hold the friction plate to the chipboard. You then put on the adjuster plate (small 1-inch square thing with keyhole shaped hole) and pull the wall fixing tight. This pulls the entire back of the cupbaord against the wall.

All the force of the wall fixings is in the 1 inch sqaure at each top corner. If I were you I'd use larger plates so the force is distributed over a much larger area, then you should be ok.

What actually keeps the cupboard to the wall is the lateral foce (friction) between the back of the cupbaord and the wall.

[selfbuilder]

I posted just now but I don't think it worked, perhaps because of the url which I won't put in this time. Theres another discussion going on in uk diy entitled "Recomendation for kitchen" which might help, it certainly has posters that know about IKEA kitchens.

[kmillar]

There is something very weird going on with this news group! I'm using google-groups beta and today I'm getting some very confused postings!

And when reading topics I'm getting some very mixed up threads.

[google.10.robessee]

really? The back of the cupboard is just a thin sheet of hardboard tacked onto the sides with little pins, i wouldn't think that could take much weight, I thought the screws to the sides must take the force.

[selfbuilder]

Me too, I thought it was just me getting mixed up!

[brugnospamsia]

I wouldnt trust fixings like that to hold the cupboards up - let alone with my wine collection on top. I would at the very least screw a narrow strip of wood to the wall under the bottom edge to take the strain ... My kitchen wall cupboards sit on a frame hanging from noggins between the ceiling joists on threaded rod. (to be honest I haven't got around to actually screwing the cupboards to the frame :-)

I'd have thought any right angle bracket with decent reinforcement would work reasonably well under tension - though not as well as the right way up - so use more / bigger ones.

Jeremy

[google.10.robessee]

!!! sounds a bit heavy duty - i don't think that would be aesthetically acceptable!

i think i'll try upside down shelf brackets.

ta.

[Nicholas]

We keep filling our IKEA wall cupboards with stuff ...and no problem. I used standard 10s for screwing to the wall. Been paranoid ever since but so far so good.

Cheers

Nicholas

[The Natural Philosopher]

Is not safe to put ANTYHING on Ikea..

[Stuart Holmes]

As much as i dislike Ikea I have to say their kitchens are excellent quality and my cupboards (Ikea brackets with no. 10 screws) could carry an elephant.

[Mike]

Not quite true. It's perfectly OK to put John Prescott on top of an Ikea cupboard fixed high up on the outside of the building Ikea want to build near here.

[bigcat]

I cant imagine chipboard taking 50kg on 2 point fixings. The wood strip under the cupboard is a good way to reinforce them, so is a wood strip in side the cupboard across the top back.

Any L bracket will work upside down, but baer in mind all the weight on the shelf is then hanging on a few fixing screws to the bracket, rather than the wood sitting on the bracket. Think washers if youre putting weight on it.

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

But that is where you don't want it to be safe.

God I am bored with socialism Nu Laber style.

[Andrew Sinclair]

In message , Mike writes

OK, since someone mentioned John Prescot and it has been doing the rounds at work, go to Google, type in f****it and hit 'I'm feeling lucky'.

Priceless.