How much weight can I hang on a wall?

[Brian Tymchak]

Morning all!

I'm just about finished with rewiring and drywall repair/paint in my garage makeover and need to starting thinking about some cabinets for some sorely needed storage. I have ~27' of wall (10' tall, 2x4 construction) to hang cabinets on. There is an intersecting wall on the backside at about the 7' mark on the run. My current thoughts are to install 6 cabinets (48" w x 40" h x 20" d) hanging on a french cleat (or 2). Cabinets are likely going to be built using 3/4" plywood. I figure that each cabinet might contain maybe 250 lbs of stuff when fully loaded. I haven't figured out the weight of the cabinet itself, but for now I'll just swag that as 100 lbs. Being 48" wide, each cabinet would minimally span 3 studs in the wall.

Here's my question: Can anyone point me to resources that would help me figure out how much weight I can hang on that wall?

My uneducated line of reasoning is that I would be adding ~115 lbs hanging weight per stud, which I think is really nothing in the grand scheme of things. But I'd like to make sure I'm not missing something important and back up my hunch with some basic back-of-the-envelop engineering.

Thanks for your help!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Not scientific, but if it were a problem to add 115 pounds per stud, the building would fall down when the wind blew, or you walked on the roof, etc. The plate to rafter connections on some structures is a little weak, i wonder if enough hung cabinet weight levering the wall inward may cause problems, but I've never seen it. Our kitchen cabinets likely hold a lot more weight than that too.

So, I guess unscientifically, I'd say go for it!

[Doug Richardson]

I'd say go for it too. Your other option would be to hire a structural engineer to come measure, do a few calculations, and send you a whopping bill.....

[Dan Hintz]

If it really worries you, double up the studs... or replace them with 4x4s.

One way to look at it, though... grab the top of a 2x4 and pull yourself off of the ground. See if it flexes. I think you'll find the answer is 'no'. 115 pounds per stud is pretty minimal, just make sure your cleat is strong enough to handle all of that weight. Make sure you use good screws.

[Michael W. Clark]

I don't think the stud/framing is the weak link. Most of the force is downward trying to compress the stud. There is a small component pulling outward due to the moment, but much less in maginitude compared to the vertical component.

I put up cleats in my garage with 2-1/2" or 3" (can't remember which) deck screws, two per stud. I weigh about 200 lbs and can put all my weight on one stud with no issues.

I think the potential weak link is the cleat connection to the cabinet. I would put screws into the cleat from the top and sides if possible. Not sure I would rely on face screwing it into the back of the sides only, but maybe its OK?

Mike

[Brian Tymchak]

Thanks all. I should have been more clear in my first post. The wall is already drywalled/painted and I don't want to put anymore work into it to rebuild/reinforce. I'll adjust my expectations for storage based on what the wall can handle. Being "thrifty" on this one. I'm hoping that maybe there's some website or other resource somewhere that offers guidelines, calculations, etc that I can do myself, just to get more comfortable that I'm thinking about this correctly and that I'm not missing some important aspect of the construction.

Steve, I agree. I doubt this is a big deal. But I've screwed up enough things in the past to know that if I can invest an hour to confirm assumptions, that's an hour well spent. I want to make sure that my logic about it truly being 115 lbs per stud in the wall is the correct way to look at it. Other thoughts - does the length of the wall have an impact on what it can support? Does that much weight hanging on one side of the wall make a difference over time? Again, I doubt it. Just looking for some confirmation that my assumptions are correct.

Dan: good screws => good point. I have been known to use whatever's handy.. Thanks!

[Dan Hintz]

Some more "make you feel good" stuff...

Assuming the weight of the cabinet and contents averages 1' away from the wall and 6' above the ground, that puts around 15% of the weight pulling "outwards" on the stud. At 150 pounds per stud, that's around 22 pounds at the stud/cap plate interface. I think the nails holding the studs in place to the cap can handle that

[Sam Murdoch]

Just for an example here is a link to a page of drywall anchors - http://www.strongtie.com/products/an...cal/sure-wall/

IN THE DRYWALL - no studs - these things at a single point in 1/2 drywall are rated at a shear force of 30lbs to 80lbs with a safety factor of 4.0 depending on the size screw used. I think your studs can bear 150lbs each easily.

[ray hampton]

each stud are fasten at the top and bottom so some of the load will be bear by the other studs

[Brian Tymchak]

Just for an example here is a link to a page of drywall anchors - http://www.strongtie.com/products/an...cal/sure-wall/

IN THE DRYWALL - no studs - these things at a single point in 1/2 drywall are rated at a shear force of 30lbs to 80lbs with a safety factor of 4.0 depending on the size screw used. I think your studs can bear 150lbs each easily.

Thanks Sam. I think you and the others are right. I'm not going to get anywhere near having a problem with the load on the wall. (And I learned something new this morning - safety factors. thanks for that link! ) As others have pointed out, my biggest concern will be to use good quality screws to anchor the mounting cleats to the studs and to the cabinet backs.

[Jason Roehl]

Just for an example here is a link to a page of drywall anchors - http://www.strongtie.com/products/an...cal/sure-wall/

IN THE DRYWALL - no studs - these things at a single point in 1/2 drywall are rated at a shear force of 30lbs to 80lbs with a safety factor of 4.0 depending on the size screw used. I think your studs can bear 150lbs each easily.

I've used similar anchors with great results (though I've never used the toggle on that page--that looks pretty neat). However, one has to remember that those ratings are for fully intact drywall--years of patches or cracks or even poor installation of the drywall (back paper ripped or a fractured gypsum core) would make those anchors virtually useless. Whatever heavy item is being mounted to the wall, I'd do all I could to at least hit some studs, then these anchors could be used at ends that fall between studs, but I'd try to avoid hanging a heavy item solely to the drywall. Towel bars are a classic example. I'm in a lot of houses and rental units as a painter, and towel bars are almost always loose because at least one end is almost always anchored in drywall. Some builders actually install blocking in bathrooms at an appropriate height before drywall, but those are rare.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Brian, as your cabinets aren't made yet, could you design them so that they reach to the ceiling ? You could then attach to the ceiling joists, as well, to allay your concerns. The outward stress would then be cancelled and the joists would help bear the vertical weight as well.

[Brian Tymchak]

Brian, as your cabinets aren't made yet, could you design them so that they reach to the ceiling ? You could then attach to the ceiling joists, as well, to allay your concerns. The outward stress would then be cancelled and the joists would help bear the vertical weight as well.

Hi Yonak,

Very interesting idea. Thanks for the input! I will give that some serious thought. I was thinking of leaving an open area above the cabinets, probably because I just couldn't wrap my mind around building 6' tall cabinets. But maybe that's a good way to go after all. And that would definitely resolve any concerns I might have.

Thanks, Brian

[Brett Bobo]

Hi Brian,
The simple answer is it's no problem. There are multiple factors involved but as a quick and dirty ballpark number, the axial capacity is likely ~2,500 lbs based on the info you provided. So, adding another ~100 lbs./stud is a drop in the bucket.

[Brett Bobo]

You could then attach to the ceiling joists, as well, to allay your concerns. The outward stress would then be cancelled and the joists would help bear the vertical weight as well.

Hi Yonak,
I assume by outward stress you're referring to the bending moment induced on the stud by the projection of the cabinet from the wall. While the bending moment would be eliminated if the cabinets are attached to the ceiling, unfortunately the net result of the load on the stud will be approximately the same (without going into much detail, there is a small reduction) as if the cabinets are cantilevered from the wall. Remember, as a system the studs carry the ceiling joists.