french cleat vs other mounting methods

[Jacob Snow]

Ok so i got some cabinets that came out of friends workshop/brewery. They are very heavy. I put them in our mud/dog room so we could have more storage. They are about 39" tall, 13" deep and 108" long. I have hung them right now with an eight foot cleat made from 1x6 pine. I spacers at the bottom that are the same width as the cleat. I attached the cleat to the top of the cabinet using 1.25" screws (about 8 of them). I mounted the other cleat to the wall using 2.5" screws and did 2 on each stud (about 10-12 total screws, 5 or 6 sets i can't remember). We will most likely be putting canned goods and other surplus kitchen stuff in these cabinets.

Do i need to add additional attachment or should it be strong enough? What is the benefit from screwing the back of the cabinets to the wall as well?

[Hank Knight]

Jacob,

My shop cabinets are mounted with French cleats, and they hold a lot of weight. I was concerned about having ALL of the weight on the cleat, so I screwed the backs to the bottom spacers. That distributes the weight a little between the cleat and the bottom spacer. They've been up for 10 years with no problem. If I need to move them, all I have to do is remove the bottom screws and lift them off the cleat. When I get them moved, I run new screws into the bottom spacer.

My $.02.

Hank

[Josiah Bartlett]

I like to secure the cleat to the studs with lag bolts. Never rely on drywall screws to hold any shear weight, since they are very brittle. Always find the center of the studs and pre-drill, or you can split the stud.

If you don't want to use a french cleat, then a cabinet with a thick back can be secured to the studs with good quality wood screws and be just as strong. I find cleats to be more convenient when hanging big cabinets.

I have a combination of both methods in my garage, and one of them contains a spare 4 speed Saginaw transmission, among other things. I expect the bottom to fall out before it comes off the wall.

[Jim Becker]

I'm a believer in French cleats for hanging cabinets. Very strong and spreads out the weight nicely. Further, it's a lot easier to hit the studs when putting up the cleat than it is when you're trying to drill screws through the cabinet!

I do generally put a couple screws near the bottom of the cabinet into the wall, but that's just to insure that the cabinets hung are not lifted up during normal use...an safety accommodation, rather than for any kind of strength.

[David Giles]

As you are unlikely to move a 108" long cabinet very often, why not put a couple of 3" screws into a stud? Not that I think you need it.

[Will Blick]

> Further, it's a lot easier to hit the studs when putting up the cleat than it is when you're trying to drill screws through the cabinet!


Jim, I'll drink to that! What a mess you can make out of the cabinet interiors :-)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I use a variation of this idea:
http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/17577/
instead of the traditional "french cleat".
Instead of using 1/4" though, I use 1/2" plywood.
My plan - once the weather breaks and I can get back into the shop/garage, is to put the cleats on the entire length of one wall 2 feet apart.

[Kyle Kraft]

Rich,
Thanks for the link. That's an interesting variation of the french cleat. You could probably cover the wall in the same fashion using a standard french cleat made from 1X lumber and achieve the same effect.

[Jim Becker]

My only beef with that variant is that it's more complicated to make and with more steps in the process. Bevel ripping a single piece of 3/4" stock (or 1/2" stock) is fast, easy and cheap!

BTW, a few years ago, WOOD Magazine featured Idea Shop #5 which was based on a whole French cleat system to provide for flexibility. Three cleats at useful heights covered both bench level and cabinet level storage and organizational needs. If I actually had open walls in my shop, you can bet I'd be using that system!

[Kyle Kraft]

Hi Jim
Would you happen to know what issue of WOOD the idea shop was in?

[Jim Becker]

Hi Jim
Would you happen to know what issue of WOOD the idea shop was in?

It was spread over several issues. Here's a link to the online information:

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/wood/story/data/463.xml

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Jim,

Bevel ripping a single piece of 3/4" stock (or 1/2" stock) is fast, easy and cheap!
True and true - the French cleat is also easier to hide by recessing the back of the cabinet.

OTOH- I like the other style - the laminate, for it's verstility.
I premade 4' sections and keep some onhand.

[Hank Knight]

A few years ago, WOOD Magazine featured Idea Shop #5 which was based on a whole French cleat system to provide for flexibility. Three cleats at useful heights covered both bench level and cabinet level storage and organizational needs. If I actually had open walls in my shop, you can bet I'd be using that system!


WOOD Magazine featured a similar system in an earlier issue that I use in my shop. With this system, the French cleat is the top stringer for peg-board wall covering. The cabinets are built without backs. When they are hung on the French, the peg board which becomes, in effect, the back of the cabinet. It works great and gives you the option of hanging stuff on the pegboard inside the cabinets. Here is a poor quality photo, but it'll give you the idea.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f343/hankknight/DSC_0003Small.jpg

[Prashun Patel]

If yr gonna use screws, use 3" cabinet or wood screws. Lag bolts are better, I agree.
I use a couple screws in the bottom back just to hold it to the wall.
In my laundry room, I hung a ledger (inverted piece of baseboard) under the cabinet. This made it a snap to hang, distributes the load, and looks really nice.

[Greg Hines, MD]

To answer your original question, I can see no reason why your cleat needs any help holding up your cabinets. It should be plenty strong with screws into the studs.

The other advantage that I have found with French cleats is related to leveling the cabinets. It is dramatically easier to level the cleat than to have to hold the cabinet to a line.

Doc

[Josiah Bartlett]

WOOD Magazine featured a similar system in an earlier issue that I use in my shop. With this system, the French cleat is the top stringer for peg-board wall covering. The cabinets are built without backs. When they are hung on the French, the peg board which becomes, in effect, the back of the cabinet. It works great and gives you the option of hanging stuff on the pegboard inside the cabinets. Here is a poor quality photo, but it'll give you the idea.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f343/hankknight/DSC_0003Small.jpg
Very nice, I'm going to borrow that idea for my next empty wall filling up project.

[Kyle Kraft]

Thanks Jim!!