How to install kitchen cabinets?

[LuckyTaxi]

So I get a call from my tenant saying the kitchen cabinets fell and broke most of his dishes. This was a rehab house we finished up about a month ago. The wall in question is made out of plaster and we just slapped sheetrock over it since the wall was fvcked up anyways. Well, when trying to screw the cabinets into the wall, it wouldn't go in. So, we pre-drilled a hole and tried to put in a butterfly anchor, but I guess we weren't deep enough so the anchor didn't expand as it should. The next thign we tried was to put in a regular anchor and that held for a while, until he placed the dishes in there. Now, he didnt have plastic bowls in there, he had his good china in there.

The cabinets are cheap Home Depot cabinets, so now I gotta go buy new ones and install them again. This time, we gotta figure out a way to make sure it gets secured. Since we can't get into that plaster, we'll have to put up a stud, but we also have to make sure the stud is secure enough on the wall. Our first setup involved a stud, but that too came off the wall.

 

[amdskip]

Sounds like you need to tear the wall apart and install some horizontal nailers. Not a fun project!

 

[LuckyTaxi]

My cousin suggested masonry nails to nail the wood stud on the wall, and then secure the cabinet onto the studs. I might give that a try.

 

[richardycc]

if you dont know, leave it to the pro, kitchen cabinets are totally different than hanging up a picture. People DO put stuff in the cabinets, so you need to take the extra weight into consideration.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: richardycc
if you dont know, leave it to the pro, kitchen cabinets are totally different than hanging up a picture. People DO put stuff in the cabinets, so you need to take the extra weight into consideration.

Yea I totally forgot about the weight from the dishes. I hate having to pay someone that much money! LOL ... im cheap.

 

[flot]

Originally posted by: lilcam
Well, when trying to screw the cabinets into the wall, it wouldn't go in. So, we pre-drilled a hole and tried to put in a butterfly anchor, but I guess we weren't deep enough so the anchor didn't expand as it should. The next thign we tried was to put in a regular anchor and that held for a while, until he placed the dishes in there.

Wow, that is horribly inept. I hope you plan on paying for the tenant's dishes, as his loss is entirely because you have NO IDEA what you were doing.

Kitchen cabinets need to hold HUNDREDS of pounds all combined. Can you imagine a row of cabinets filled with, say, bottles of liquid? Cans of beans? Expensive dishes (obviously you can)??

You need to secure the cabinets directly to studs IN THE WALL. Anchors are not sufficient for that sort of job.

You're lucky the cabinets didn't land on THE TENANT. :| That would be a great lawsuit.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Wow, that is horribly inept. I hope you plan on paying for the tenant's dishes, as his loss is entirely because you have NO IDEA what you were doing.

Kitchen cabinets need to hold HUNDREDS of pounds all combined. Can you imagine a row of cabinets filled with, say, bottles of liquid? Cans of beans? Expensive dishes (obviously you can)??

You need to secure the cabinets directly to studs IN THE WALL. Anchors are not sufficient for that sort of job.

You're lucky the cabinets didn't land on THE TENANT. :| That would be a great lawsuit.

When we removed the old cabinets, I dont remember how they were mounted onto the wall. I gotta find a better way of doing this.

 

[mugs]

ouch

 

[MustISO]

It's not that difficult to install cabinets. I think there are a few sites that show you how. Home Depot would have books on it as well.

I installed additional cabinets along a wall in our kitchen and it came out great.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: MustISO
It's not that difficult to install cabinets. I think there are a few sites that show you how. Home Depot would have books on it as well.

I installed additional cabinets along a wall in our kitchen and it came out great.

It's not the hanging the cabinets that's hard it's the part where there are NO studs. The wall is made of plaster so I dont know how thick it is. There used to be cabinets there but we remove them since they were old.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: lilcam

Originally posted by: richardycc
if you dont know, leave it to the pro, kitchen cabinets are totally different than hanging up a picture. People DO put stuff in the cabinets, so you need to take the extra weight into consideration.

Yea I totally forgot about the weight from the dishes. I hate having to pay someone that much money! LOL ... im cheap.

Cheap? You could have been faced with a major lawsuit there buddy, and have lost easily. Even criminal charges if a child got hurt due to your negligence.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: lilcam

Originally posted by: MustISO
It's not that difficult to install cabinets. I think there are a few sites that show you how. Home Depot would have books on it as well.

I installed additional cabinets along a wall in our kitchen and it came out great.

It's not the hanging the cabinets that's hard it's the part where there are NO studs. The wall is made of plaster so I dont know how thick it is. There used to be cabinets there but we remove them since they were old.

How can there be no studs?
Nails or screws into the studs (they have to be there).
Where there is no stud but you want a fastener, use a toggle ot molly bolt. Be sure it is sized correctly.

 

[drnickriviera]

Here's what I did for an old house with plaster walls. I used concrete screws (aka tapcon) to screw a 1x4 on the wall. 1 at the bottom of the cabinets and one at the top. Then installed the cabinets to the 1x4's using regular wood screws. I then screwed the faces of the cabinets together.

This way you can put as many concrete screws in as needed. And all the cabinets are tied together by screwing the face together so that help distribute the load even more. Only problen is that it pushes the cabinets out 3/4"

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Here's what I did for an old house with plaster walls. I used concrete screws (aka tapcon) to screw a 1x4 on the wall. 1 at the bottom of the cabinets and one at the top. Then installed the cabinets to the 1x4's using regular wood screws. I then screwed the faces of the cabinets together.

This way you can put as many concrete screws in as needed. And all the cabinets are tied together by screwing the face together so that help distribute the load even more. Only problen is that it pushes the cabinets out 3/4"

Our problem started with us trying to predrill a hole to put in an anchor. Well, I guess the hole got too big and we screwed the studs into the wall. We strengthen it by putting some liquid nail onto the stud and then left it for a couple of days. We came back and screwed the cabinets into the stud. We should've used concrete screws!

 

[ManyBeers]

It's not the hanging the cabinets that's hard it's the part where there are NO studs. The wall is made of plaster so I dont know how thick it is. There used to be cabinets there but we remove them since they were old.[/quote]

Plaster walls have studs. And i wouldn't use toggle bolts to hold up kitchen cabinets... find the studs or find a pro.

 

[OffTopic1]

Most house studs are 18 inch or 16 center, however some older home may have strange stud placement like 20~24 inch.

Get a stud finder and locate the stud, or tap the wall and pound a long finishing nail into the wall to try to locate the stud but be careful of wirings.

Try mounting a backer board that attaches to studs if you can't find a stud in place of the cabinet, then mound the cabinet to the backer board.

Another method is to cut a section out of the wall behind the cabinet (make sure the cut out is about 2-4 inches smaller than the cabinet dimention/s, and be careful with the cut out because you will need it later) then insert 2 or 3 long wood boards into the wall (as long a lenght as you can fit it into the hole, get the cheap 1x4 or 1x3 because they are easier to insert than 2x4).
Attach the boards by screwing dry-wall screws through the drywal/plaster wall (get screws that are long enought to penertrate thought the wall and at least 1/2 inch though the wood), mark where your boards are and then mount the old cut out into the hole via screws/drywall/wood.
Then mount your cabinets on the wall, and screw where you have place the wood boards (make sure you screw is at least 1/2 into the wood behind the plaster board)

If all fail cut out that section of the wall and reframe it with studs and sheetrock (square off your studs/walls will make install cabinet much easier).

 

[Ornery]

There are "hang rails" at the top of the back of each cabinet. Drill 1/4" holes through them exactly where the studs are located. I use #12 philips head wood screws, 3" or 4" long, with finish washers. They MUST go into studs! The studs are 16" apart. Pre-drill for the screw. If you're installing a 12" cabinet, you should be able to hit one stud. If not, the cabinet can be secured to adjacent cabinets through the sides, and perhaps wall anchors in the drywall (or rock lath under the plaster).

 

[Squisher]

Every kitchen cabinet I've ever bought actually came with instructions.

 

[dartworth]

LOL...this thread is funny...

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: lilcam

Originally posted by: MustISO
It's not that difficult to install cabinets. I think there are a few sites that show you how. Home Depot would have books on it as well.

I installed additional cabinets along a wall in our kitchen and it came out great.

It's not the hanging the cabinets that's hard it's the part where there are NO studs. The wall is made of plaster so I dont know how thick it is. There used to be cabinets there but we remove them since they were old.

Even plaster walls have studs don't they?