Sorry if this is a dumb question, but apart from having to fit legs, is there any reason why tall kitchen wall units couldn't be used as base units? The depth of these would be ideal for what I want.
Thanks, Tony
Tony Hayes wrote on Thursday (22/01/2004) :
The design of the structure of wall units is slightly different, making them more suitable for wall mounting than floor mounting.
Really? My wall units are constructed in an almost identical way to my floor units (MFI, 2 years old). Same thickness board, same fixings. The only significant difference is the lack of top panels on the floor units.
I don't think there'd be any problem at all with using wall units on the floor.
I can't really see a problem.
Does Tony mean that if they're not 100% rigid, when you hang them on the wall by their top, the weight will keep them square. But if you stand them on the floor, they just might lozenge a bit?
I've done it before with no ill effects. As long as they are the same height as the floor cabinets which ISTR not all / many ranges were when I looked?
Another Tony
No reason at all why you can't. We've done just that and it gives us some valuable extra storage space without encroaching into the room too much. In fact we hadn't thought about it until we went into MFI and they had done just that in one of their displays. Use adjustable legs (we have some nice brushed steel ones that screw up and down) to get the top of the unit inline with the standard base units.
Phil
I was looking at B&Q ones the other day for somebody who was refurbishing a kitchen. Wall units have the thin rear panel quite close to the back - maybe 20mm in, whereas floor units have it a bit further forward - maybe 75mm and probably in order to take pipes as well as cables or even wastes.
There are small slots cut out of the rear panel to accommodate the hangers.
Apart from that, the only issue is the legs and you can buy those separately anyway. The unit heights on these carcases were 720mm for both types and they fit together in the same way.
.andy
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OK, lets look at the structure. You have a bottom shelf, to which you would be fixing the legs, which is lightly fixed to the sides and perhaps the back. This panel fits in between the sides, so any heavy load placed upon the unit, will rely entirely upon the very delicate fixings of this bottom panel to the rest of the unit. The solid back panel is where the load is intended to be carried.
Now were I thinking of using wall units supported by feet, I would be looking to spread the load by putting a batten or a sheet of MDF under the units to spread the load and put the weight onto the side panels.
Does that expalin my reasoning a little better ;-)
On another shift to this, does anyone know where I can find those metal brackets that fit the corners of a wall mounted cabinet, that joined the top/bottom to the sides and have another face at 90 degrees so they can be screwed to the wall?
Dave
B&Q have them.
They also have a type where you can fit a bracket to the wall and there is an adjustable fitting on the cabinet so that you can adjust cabinet location accurately.
.andy
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Fair comment, but couldn't he fasten the units to the wall at low level, thus transferring much of the load?
Or, more radically, dispense with legs altogether?
Your analysis of the structure is quite correct but you wouldn't seriously think of supporting the whole cabinet just on legs would you. If nothing else it would probably just topple over into the room.
The cabinet should be fixed to the wall in exactly the same way as if it were being fixed at normal height. The legs give a little extra support and stop the cabinet from looking like it's floating 8" above the ground - as much of a visual anchor as a structural one.
Phil
Harry,
Our kitchen base units are constructed in exactly the same way as the wall units, ie the sides 'overlap' the top and bottom. All the units are fixed together with the usual metal screws, wood dowelling and glue. They are as solid as the proverbial rock. Put them together myself incidentally. Bought from 'Hygena at Currys'. Very pleased with them.
The wall unit hangers are fixed to the sides of the cabinet, which means that the bottom shelf and its contents are supported by the fixings between that shelf and the side panel. In similar fashion, the bottom shelf of the base unit, to which the legs are fixed, supports the whole unit, even though the sides overlap. Isn't this normal?
Tony
Thanks for the comments - much appreciated. I can't see any problem after reading the advice. The units will be fixed to the wall to give extra rigidity, so all should be well.
Many thanks to all.
Tony
On 23/01/2004 Tony Hayes opined:-
Hi Tony,
My wall units are similar in that a corner bracket is fixed to both sides and solid back panel, but the base fits inside rather than over lapping the sides. The corner brackets are where the units are fixed to the wall.
Depending exactly what is required of them you could use the hangars, and not bother with legs.
I did this in the past for part of a kitchen with MFI units. Ideal for situation where the kitchen was narrow. I think that I made a simple plinth under the unit to match the others in the kitchen. Worked a treat. It was actually suggested by the salesman in MFI!
Colin
Wall units are basically the same construction as base units. They're probably even the same height (I know mine are - I rearranged the units I had, and ended up using some of the wall unit doors on base units). You can buy spare legs in B&Q, and then the plinth can just clip to them like normal. You'll have to cut down the worktop of course, but that's the only extra work involved.
Mal
I use those whenever I've got a choice. They allow the cabinet to be "hung" onto the small rail that is fixed to the wall, then a screw (vertical) pulls the cabinet up/down. Once the correct position has been established another screw (horizontal) pulls the cabinet to the wall.
Makes cabinet hanging relatively easy.
PoP
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Are these cheaper than floor mounted units?
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