Hanging a kitchen wall cabinet when old screw holes are badly located

[Steve]

Hi. I want to hang a (B&Q) 1000mm wall cabinet. Unfortunately, there was once a cabinet in the same position. There are old large screw holes (plugs removed) where the old mounting plates used to be. I will not be able to drill holes in the correct positions for the new mounting plates because the new holes would be too close to the old ones.

(For information, the mounting plates screw onto the wall; two hangers sticking out of the back of the cabinet hook over the offset top edges of the plates.)

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Dave Liquorice]

There is normally quite a bit of vertical adjustment available in the cupboard hangers, particularly vertically. If the holes are that close it might be possible to reuse them or, if the hole pattern is different between new and old wall brackets, reuse the old ones.

Failing that I think this is a case of car body filler all the way down the holes and any loose/crumbly plaster removed and filled.

[Tim W]

Dave Liquorice wibbled on Friday 06 November 2009 22:56

If it were me, I'd extend that idea and drill out the old holes to 10mm, insert small tube and blow out *all* the dust and use some cheapy Screwfix or something injection resin. It's similar to car body filler (though possibly slightly harder) but the injector will allow you to fill the hole solidly from the bottom upwards ensuring no voids. There'll be no issues at all then drilling a new hole right next to the old.

I think the call is: how close are the new holes to the old. If they really are virtually touching, I'd do it my way. If it's more than perhaps 5mm away, car filler would do as long as it's packed fairly well down the hole. In the latter case, there is the option to angle the new holes slightly away from the old - the brackets won't mind.

[brass monkey]

These wall cabs really worry me. What I do is hang them on the wall in the correct position then fix a batten (4" melamine or whatever) underneath them fitted with loads of 13A sockets. I.e, the provided hangers hold the cab against the wall, the batten takes most of the weight.

[Stuart Noble]

And yet our circa 1980 MFI cabinets are happily hanging with just 2 screws through the hardboard backing. Packed *solid* with heavy stuff too. Go figure, as they say

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Steve" saying something like:

Piece of MDF or timber, ripped at 45deg lengthwise, use one half on the wall, fasten second half to back of cabinet, hook over.

[Stuart Noble]

Bloody hell. Body filler. 5 minute job

[The Medway Handyman]

Is that a French cleat?

[Bob Minchin]

Yes