Hang garage cabinets on drywall and cabinet depth

[Rick Pinzon]

Hi folks,

I will be building/ hanging upper plywood cabinets in my garage/shop. Standard depth seems to be 12in deep. Anyone having 14-16in deep cabinets? Just wondering if there is any downside that depth.

Also hanging it on drywall with metal studs. Any hanging ideas besides opening up the drywall and installing horizontal wood studs?

[Jim Becker]

While I do have some "12 inch" depth cabinets in my shop, they are re-purposed from our kitchen as I recently replaced the uppers there with 15" deep cabinets. I'd never personally choose to put in a 12 inch depth cabinet (which really means about 10" usable) ever again unless it was the only thing that would fit. :) Yes, your material usage will not be quite as good with the deeper units, but any scrap is very usable for future projects.

For hanging your cabinets, I highly recommend you either use a French Cleat method to distribute the weight evenly across the studs and use appropriate anchors in the metal studs to hold the cleats or do the cutout of the drywall and replacement with plywood. A cleat system does have the advantage of being flexible with arrangement and can be used for more than just the cabinets, too.

[Dick Mahany]

I recently did what you are thinking about and had the same questions. I wound up building three walls of upper cabinets with the 32mm cabinet system. I made them a full 15" deep on the inside and added a little more depth to handle a 1/4" back panel and a 3/4" french cleat, making them a full 16" deep. They are free hanging on a french cleat that runs the entire length of the wall and is secured on the sheet rock with no. 10 x 3" screws into the studs. The depth has been excellent for me as 12" would have limited the placement of tool cases, jigs, fixtures, moving boxes, and a lot of the stuff I store in them.

Some of the cabinets are screwed together to help in alignment, but otherwise simply hang on the wall. When filled they are VERY heavy and I haven't had any problems in 3 years with the french cleat system. I placed them high enough to be able to pull my pick up truck into the garage underneath some of them.

Since you have metal studs, as pointed out previously, make sure the correct fastener is used and anchor at many points.

394844

[Jamie Buxton]

Metal studs have a C-shaped cross section. If you run a screw into the edge of the stud and pull on it, the C opens up. The more load you put into the cabinet, the more the C opens. One result is that the cabinets look like they're pulling away from the wall. That's why careful builders put wood blocking inside the wall when they're going to hang cabinets on a metal-stud wall. If you don't want to retrofit that kind of blocking, an alternative is to remove sheetrock, so you can see exactly where the studs are. Screw horizontal wood along the wall -- plywood or 2x material. Here's the important part: put the screws into the studs right close the face which is metal, not the other "face" which is open. Use a bunch of screws; the sheet metal in the usual stud is barely thicker than a beer can, and it isn't difficult to pull a screw right through it.

[Rick Pinzon]

While I do have some "12 inch" depth cabinets in my shop, they are re-purposed from our kitchen as I recently replaced the uppers there with 15" deep cabinets. I'd never personally choose to put in a 12 inch depth cabinet (which really means about 10" usable) ever again unless it was the only thing that would fit. :) Yes, your material usage will not be quite as good with the deeper units, but any scrap is very usable for future projects.

For hanging your cabinets, I highly recommend you either use a French Cleat method to distribute the weight evenly across the studs and use appropriate anchors in the metal studs to hold the cleats or do the cutout of the drywall and replacement with plywood. A cleat system does have the advantage of being flexible with arrangement and can be used for more than just the cabinets, too

I agree although there will be more wasted wood but can be used other projects. Perhaps I can use some scraps for cubby/dividers or custom tool/drill holders.
how do you like the 15 in deep kitchen cabinets? That is a project I have in mind in the distant future.

[Rick Pinzon]

I recently did what you are thinking about and had the same questions. I wound up building three walls of upper cabinets with the 32mm cabinet system. I made them a full 15" deep on the inside and added a little more depth to handle a 1/4" back panel and a 3/4" french cleat, making them a full 16" deep. They are free hanging on a french cleat that runs the entire length of the wall and is secured on the sheet rock with no. 10 x 3" screws into the studs. The depth has been excellent for me as 12" would have limited the placement of tool cases, jigs, fixtures, moving boxes, and a lot of the stuff I store in them.

Some of the cabinets are screwed together to help in alignment, but otherwise simply hang on the wall. When filled they are VERY heavy and I haven't had any problems in 3 years with the french cleat system. I placed them high enough to be able to pull my pick up truck into the garage underneath some of them.

Since you have metal studs, as pointed out previously, make sure the correct fastener is used and anchor at many points.

394844

your cabinets look few great but what is 32mm? How tall are they and how high off the floor are the?

[Dick Mahany]

your cabinets look few great but what is 32mm? How tall are they and how high off the floor are the?

My cabinets are a little over 34" in height (864mm) and 56.5" above the floor. (The pic may look like they're short as the ceiling height is 10-1/2')

The 32mm system is a European method of which there are many variations, but they make the layout and installation of hardware such as shelf pins, and Euro style cup hinges quick and easy if one has tooling.

394861

[Rick Pinzon]

Metal studs have a C-shaped cross section. If you run a screw into the edge of the stud and pull on it, the C opens up. The more load you put into the cabinet, the more the C opens. One result is that the cabinets look like they're pulling away from the wall. That's why careful builders put wood blocking inside the wall when they're going to hang cabinets on a metal-stud wall. If you don't want to retrofit that kind of blocking, an alternative is to remove sheetrock, so you can see exactly where the studs are. Screw horizontal wood along the wall -- plywood or 2x material. Here's the important part: put the screws into the studs right close the face which is metal, not the other "face" which is open. Use a bunch of screws; the sheet metal in the usual stud is barely thicker than a beer can, and it isn't difficult to pull a screw right through it.

Can you clarify the 1st option? It sounds similar to the 2nd option.

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got shelves that are made from pine 1x12s, so about 11 1/4 deep. They are fine for hardware organizers, glue bottles, books, and regular storage, but I wouldn't want them to be my only cabinets. If you use 4x8 plywood, you can get sides 15" - 16" wide, which still efficiently uses your material, and isn't too bad to work under.

My main recommendation would be to use quality plywood with a stable core, not the cheap far eastern big box stuff with a core of Mystery Twist. If you are in the Midwest, Menard's usually carries decent USA made birch/maple/oak plywood with a fir or poplar core. Not sure what is available in the South or on the Coasts. You could use baltic birch, but it probably isn't worth the extra cost or weight for shop cabinets.

[Jim Dwight]

When we were cabinet shopping we looked at Ikea - more for ideas than because we wanted their cabinets. The uppers are 15 inches deep.

The reason cabinets stay up is friction with the wall. It isn't the shear strength of the screws, the screw's purpose is to pull the cabinet snug to the wall. I had a three foot wide upper filled with China stay put with one drywall screw holding it (or maybe it was two into one stud). The other screw went into the drain pipe and rusted off. I do not advise this, I just mention it to demonstrate the screw's strength is not really a factor. If the cabinet is snug to the wall, it will not fall.

French cleats work fine as long as you are sure the cabinet is down and seated on the cleat. I've mentioned before my son had a cabinet hung poorly with a french cleat fall off and damage a car. I just screw cabinets to the wall. I did a whole kitchen last year. I made my own jacks - the design with pipe clamp pieces - and did them by myself.

[Jamie Buxton]

Can you clarify the 1st option? It sounds similar to the 2nd option.
The inside-the-wall blocking I’ve seen is 2x6 running stud to stud, with the 6” dimension up-down. Screws go horizontally through the stud into the end of each block. They go straight in on one end, and are toenailed at the other.

[Larry Frank]

I hung my cabinets using a French cleat and ran a 12" wide piece of 3/4" plywood across the wall.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use French cleats, build my cabinets with a 3/4" inset on the backs. The sides and tops of the cabinets are flush with the walls. The cabinet part of the French cleat ends up being flush with the top and sides of the cabinet.

[Bill Carey]

I've used Danback before with success. Put a level line 1/2" below the top of the cabinets. Cut out the drywall behind the cabinets and install blocking (or Danback) then cover it with 1/2" plywood (assuming you have 1/2" drywall.) If you do the layout right, all of the cutting and plywood will be behind the cabinets and you won't see it. Of course, when you change the layout of your shop - and who doesn't? - you'll want to take the 1/2" ply down, put in drywall and tape it.

https://www.clarkdietrich.com/products/backing-systems/danback-flexible-wood-backing

[Rick Pinzon]

wow. that is pretty scary situation. When did you realize that?


When we were cabinet shopping we looked at Ikea - more for ideas than because we wanted their cabinets. The uppers are 15 inches deep.

The reason cabinets stay up is friction with the wall. It isn't the shear strength of the screws, the screw's purpose is to pull the cabinet snug to the wall. I had a three foot wide upper filled with China stay put with one drywall screw holding it (or maybe it was two into one stud). The other screw went into the drain pipe and rusted off. I do not advise this, I just mention it to demonstrate the screw's strength is not really a factor. If the cabinet is snug to the wall, it will not fall.

French cleats work fine as long as you are sure the cabinet is down and seated on the cleat. I've mentioned before my son had a cabinet hung poorly with a french cleat fall off and damage a car. I just screw cabinets to the wall. I did a whole kitchen last year. I made my own jacks - the design with pipe clamp pieces - and did them by myself.

[Rick Pinzon]

How wide are they?


My cabinets are a little over 34" in height (864mm) and 56.5" above the floor. (The pic may look like they're short as the ceiling height is 10-1/2')

The 32mm system is a European method of which there are many variations, but they make the layout and installation of hardware such as shelf pins, and Euro style cup hinges quick and easy if one has tooling.

394861

[Rick Pinzon]

thank you. Understood

The inside-the-wall blocking I’ve seen is 2x6 running stud to stud, with the 6” dimension up-down. Screws go horizontally through the stud into the end of each block. They go straight in on one end, and are toenailed at the other.

[Rick Pinzon]

metal or wood studs?

I hung my cabinets using a French cleat and ran a 12" wide piece of 3/4" plywood across the wall.

[Rick Pinzon]

That is a pretty cool idea

I've used Danback before with success. Put a level line 1/2" below the top of the cabinets. Cut out the drywall behind the cabinets and install blocking (or Danback) then cover it with 1/2" plywood (assuming you have 1/2" drywall.) If you do the layout right, all of the cutting and plywood will be behind the cabinets and you won't see it. Of course, when you change the layout of your shop - and who doesn't? - you'll want to take the 1/2" ply down, put in drywall and tape it.

https://www.clarkdietrich.com/products/backing-systems/danback-flexible-wood-backing

[Tom M King]

Nothing to do with the question, but it makes me remember a kitchen I rebuilt in an early 20th Century house. It had a new kitchen put in it in the early 1950's. There was an 8' long upper cabinet over a peninsula. with thin glass doors on both sides. It separated the kitchen from the breakfast table area. The family had all their fancy China in it that had been handed down for generations.

After taking everything out of it, we proceeded to drop it from the ceiling with a couple of wrecking bars. It came right down easily, and landed squarely on the peninsula below. There were two 10 penny nails holding the whole thing to the ceiling, nailed straight up into one second story floor joist. No other fasteners of any kind.

It was a good thing the house was framed with Pine lumber that was some good, back then.

[Roger Feeley]

I used to have closed cabinets in my old shop and I found that I tended to put things in there and forget them. Out of sight, out of mind. I had a similar but different problem with horizontal surfaces.

So in my new shop, I have no closed cabinets except for one that holds my screws, bolts, nails and such and another for the sockets and taps and dies. Everything else is on open shelves in bins and clearly labeled boxes. I can stand in the middle of the shop and see virtually everything. I'm not criticizing anyone other than me. for some reason, I just can't be trusted with closed cabinets.

I also tend to trash up horizontal surfaces. In my old shop, I had the aforementioned closed cabinets (old kitchen cabinets) with counter on top. I never used that thing as a work surface. I was just a big trashy shelf. Same story for a couple of tables I had. In the new shop, I have a workbench and that's it. I have the beds of various power tools like the table saw and router table that get kind of trashy but I have to clean them off to use them. Again, I'm just trying to deal with my own shortcomings.

In my shop, the concrete walls are framed with a false wall covered in OSB. Loads of shelves and if I want to hang something, I just drive a screw. It was well worth the time and effort. Attaching the shelves to the OSB instead of using floor standing makes it much easier to clean.

I have no wiring behind the OSB. I chose to run it all on the surface so I could see it and easily move it around.

[Rick Pinzon]

I understand your view and I sure many people have that out of sight out of mind problem. I will probably fall into that trap but for now I will build the carcasses and then worry about doors later so it will give me a chance to see everything.


I used to have closed cabinets in my old shop and I found that I tended to put things in there and forget them. Out of sight, out of mind. I had a similar but different problem with horizontal surfaces.

So in my new shop, I have no closed cabinets except for one that holds my screws, bolts, nails and such and another for the sockets and taps and dies. Everything else is on open shelves in bins and clearly labeled boxes. I can stand in the middle of the shop and see virtually everything. I'm not criticizing anyone other than me. for some reason, I just can't be trusted with closed cabinets.

I also tend to trash up horizontal surfaces. In my old shop, I had the aforementioned closed cabinets (old kitchen cabinets) with counter on top. I never used that thing as a work surface. I was just a big trashy shelf. Same story for a couple of tables I had. In the new shop, I have a workbench and that's it. I have the beds of various power tools like the table saw and router table that get kind of trashy but I have to clean them off to use them. Again, I'm just trying to deal with my own shortcomings.

In my shop, the concrete walls are framed with a false wall covered in OSB. Loads of shelves and if I want to hang something, I just drive a screw. It was well worth the time and effort. Attaching the shelves to the OSB instead of using floor standing makes it much easier to clean.

I have no wiring behind the OSB. I chose to run it all on the surface so I could see it and easily move it around.

[Tom Bender]

Hanging from your metal stud wall sounds questionable. A couple of stronger methods, you could use more than one.

1. Run a 2x4 horizontally just under the cabinets. Add a leg or two to the floor, also tight to the wall.

2. Run vertical studs against the wall at each end of the cabinets, floor to ceiling.

3. Add hangers from the ceiling at the front of the cabinets.