Worry about kitchen cabinet weight

[Joe Shmoe]

Does anyone else worry that all that weight of kitchen wall cabinets are held up by these flimsy brackets?

Not so much the bracket, but the two little screws that hold it in place into the rubbish carcase which is only 15mm particle board.

Does anyone reinforce these somehow?

The backs are just 3mm hardboard so screwing through isn't an option.

Maybe I worry too much.

 

[Geoff_S]

Yes, I’ve worried and that’s why all my cupboards sit on horizontal timbers well screwed to the wall as well. The timbers have an “L” shape profile. Then I use the same on top. Also much easier to line up and fit when you’re on your own.

I’ve also fitted metal 90 degree brackets on top in other installs.

 

[Sachakins]

I think as DIY'ers we underestimate the ability of fixings.
You can always spot a DIY'er build by the over abundances of screws, nails, reinforcement strips, extra supports etc. (Guilty of it myself sometimes)
I have even seen extra reinforcement screws in door edges, but that actually weakens a door, when it's kicked in then door stile splits easier.

 

[toolsntat]

Does anyone else worry that all that weight of kitchen wall cabinets are held up by these flimsy brackets?

Not so much the bracket, but the two little screws that hold it in place into the rubbish carcase which is only 15mm particle board.

Does anyone reinforce these somehow?

The backs are just 3mm hardboard so screwing through isn't an option.

Maybe I worry too much.

If I remember rightly there is one each side inside the cupboard and all the weight is pulling down and away from the brackets you show.
So with this in mind the screws are only ever been drawn sideways and thus further embedding the thread into the chipboard.
To a certain extent it's similar in a downward fashion with the wall anchor but things like fully loaded spice racks on doors start to mess things up a bit.
Cheers, Andy

 

[Bingy man]

I’ve never had any major problems as long as at least 2 of screws into the wall are solid . The screws that secure the bracket to the cabinet are usually a coarse thread so as long as you don’t over tighten and strip them they too are fine . Problems arise when the wall is old and crumbling then it’s more of a problem but again this issue can be overcome with 18 mm plywood pads. Hollow plasterboard walls may have to be opened up and a 3x2 timber rail or similar secured to the upright timber studding. Like most jobs you jyst have to be aware of the existing wall type and the condition

 

[Spectric]

Does anyone else worry that all that weight of kitchen wall cabinets are held up by these flimsy brackets?

In some new properties I would be more concerned about the wall, the bracket can only be as good as the wall it is fixed to and some walls are just a joke with uprights spaced too far apart and very small dimensions, I have had walls where I could not get a 47mm backbox in.

 

[toolsntat]

I have had walls where I could not get a 47mm backbox in.

Just made me laugh remembering the time an apprentice sparky was using an SDS chisel to chop in a back box on a strammit wall...
Luckily he did manage it but shouldn't have used the 2 inch screws.....
Cheers, Andy

 

[Filament]

I feel your pain. My kitchen cupboards (here when we moved in) are put up with fixings that are smaller than ones I’ve used for a small mirror (I did then find my 4 year old swinging their whole weight on the frame of said mirror some time after, so felt smugly justified in my over-engineering) so every time I pile plates back in them I wince a little despite them having stood up to it for years (cue loud crash in the background)

 

[owen]

The brackets on the cupboards are fine, never had a problem with the them. Getting fixings in the right place for the small brackets in the wall can sometimes be a problem. You can use lengths of din rail screwed to the wall instead of the brackets so you can get more fixings along the length, if you do it in full lengths for a run of cabinets you do have to notch the backs of the cabinets to fit over it.

 

[Distinterior]

Does anyone else worry that all that weight of kitchen wall cabinets are held up by these flimsy brackets?

Not so much the bracket, but the two little screws that hold it in place into the rubbish carcase which is only 15mm particle board.

Does anyone reinforce these somehow?

The backs are just 3mm hardboard so screwing through isn't an option.

Maybe I worry too much.

The type of adjustable wall unit hangers you show, are designed & manufactured specifically for the purpose.
Having said that, the type in your picture are used far less nowadays as they are ugly.....The better type are hidden behind the back panel, are all metal and mounted in a different way by means of metal dowels recessed and screwed into the cabinet.

Unless you are filling your cabinets with an excessive amount of weight, you are worrying unnecessarily.....

 

[MF1000]

An old friend of mine was at one time the Head of R&D for Fibreglass. As they were developing the plasterboard/ bonded on fibreglass idea for retrofit house insulation (this was the 1980’s) they did an experiment using two std rawlpug plasterboard fitting (the plastic type that expanded behind the plasterboard) holding up a metal cabinet. At around 250Kg the plugs began to fail ! ….much more than a few tins of beans etc.

 

[Joe Shmoe]

It wasn't so much the fixing against the wall, as I have a steel rail and loads of stainless steel screwbolts, so I know thats good.

It was more the cheap Wickes budget range of cabinets, which are just 15mm partical board held together with a dowel and screw. I was more worried about the mounts pulling out of the crappy carcass etc.

 

[MikeJhn]

Modern house's have timber studding internal walls (and even external walls) brought about by the need for speed in construction and the advent of using plasterboard on the walls instead of its original use on the ceilings only, again for speed and lack of skill needed, very rare to see internal brick or block walls with three coat plaster until you get to the 1m price range and above.

 

[Distinterior]

It wasn't so much the fixing against the wall, as I have a steel rail and loads of stainless steel screwbolts, so I know thats good.

It was more the cheap Wickes budget range of cabinets, which are just 15mm partical board held together with a dowel and screw. I was more worried about the mounts pulling out of the crappy carcass etc.

Some of the original type, similar to the one in your picture, had 2 x 10mm plastic studs moulded into them as part of the adjustable hanger......The purpose of the 2 screws was to act as a screw would in a rawlplug and expand the moulded studs to give more grip......On the majority of the cheaper ones, they did away with the studs and just relied upon the 2 screws.

As I said earlier, unless you are storing excessive weight in the cabinets, it's more likely the bottom of the cabinet will fail long before the adjustable hangers tear out of the carcass......!

 

[mark w]

Short answer no. I`ve been fitting kitchens for nearly forty years and never once has one of those brackets failed, now I`ve tempted fate.

 

[cowtown_eric]

You can always spot a DIY'er build by the over abundances of screws,

All same as "you can always tell a "know-it-all" whom has never dealt with an "upper cabinet failure" of older cabinets.

I've seen three of em!

two of em were from "dryed out" particle boards no longr able to hold staples, the other one was attached to metal stud walls with typical hardware store toggle bolts in sufficient "capabilities" to withstand twice the estimated loads. ,but alas I didn't figure that an engineering tech would jump on top of them to open a transom window above.

Now I only use Hilti toggle bolts, and always add more screws than are "just sufficient"

Eric in the colonies

 

[Ozi]

In some new properties I would be more concerned about the wall, the bracket can only be as good as the wall it is fixed to and some walls are just a joke with uprights spaced too far apart and very small dimensions, I have had walls where I could not get a 47mm backbox in.

Not just new builds, a friend rented a house built in the 1940s where you could hear the neighbors switch on their lights as if in same room. I replaced a switch plate when it burned out and found the two back boxes butted together (the sort of Landlord who if you said maintenance had to sit down and count his money till he felt better). Have since wondered if the common earth connection could be an issue but the houses are still standing 39 years later.

 

[MikeJhn]

The thickness of a party wall is nothing to do with the Landlord.

House's built just after the Blitz in the UK where thrown up as quickly as possible to replace the House's destroyed to accomadate those that found themselves homeless, it was not until 1954 and the advent of the "Building Regulations" that party walls had to be a minimum of two bricks wide, normally with a fireplace on both sides to allow a combined chimney to prevent a spindly construction.