Mounting a cabinet to the wall for easy removal

[presidentsdad]

Hey all,
Question for the brain trust here....I have a shoe rack / phone charging station I'm making for my laundry room.  The bottom will feature 3 moveable shelves and the top will be a 1" thick wooden platform with integrated power for charging cellphones/tablets, etc.  The overall size is approx. 48" L x 32" H x 13" D.  I would like to secure it to the wall, but still be able to quickly remove it from the wall in case the washer and dryer need to be removed.  There is a permanently mounted utility sink next to the washer/dryer and this cabinet will be across from that.  Allowing enough room to move into the room, but not enough to remove the washer/dryer if needed.  So...thoughts as to how I could easily mount to the wall and remove if necessary?  Would something like a mounting strip and a couple of knockdown connectors work?  French cleat?  Something else?  Your help is appreciated!

 

[Packard]

A French cleat should do the job.

Or, IKEA makes an engineered system you can investigate. I have not used it, but it has been reported as a good system.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I hung some IKEA cabinets in my shop on that rail. I laminated a workbench-ish worktop for it and it gets used hard. It's solid as a rock.

That said, I don't know how easy it would be to remove. Given the OP's situation, I would lean toward a simple French Cleat. I've mounted some very heavy cabinets on them and had no issue at all when it was time to move them out.

 

[presidentsdad]

I've used french cleats a number of times for items that hang on the wall.  Anyone have experience with allowing the item to sit on the floor and just have the french cleat stabilize it?  In other words, a base cabinet vs. a wall cabinet.

 

[jeffinsgf]

What the IKEA system uses is adjustable leveling feet. I put them on my shop cabinets, and then took them all off. The cleat was sufficient to hold the cabinets perfectly in place and it's a whole lot easier to sweep under without the feet down there.

 

[Packard]

I mounted some flower boxes to the front of my house with French cleats.  For some reason, they want to climb out of the cleats.  So I drilled two vertical holes and dropped a galvanized nail in each hole.  The nails go through both halves of the French cleat and effectively locks them together.  It requires a pair of pliers to yank the nails out.  So I think deck screws would have been better.  I could easily back them out and then lift the flower boxes off the cleats. 

I still don’t know why they decided to climb out of the cleats.  The first two years I just gave them a hard shove to nest them back in place.

That would not be an issue with an indoors install. 

I have also used French cleats to hang heavy mirrors on the wall.  The cabinet that houses my Festool saw is hung with a French cleat.

On the table saw, cutting French cleats is as easy as setting the angle on the blade and adjusting the fence.  I’m not sure how I would go about making one with the track saw.

I’m pretty sure I have some scrap that I turned into cleats in my wood bin.  If I have s 6” x 12” x 3/4” piece of stock, I am always tempted to convert it to a French cleat “just in case”.

 

[Packard]

I've used french cleats a number of times for items that hang on the wall.  Anyone have experience with allowing the item to sit on the floor and just have the french cleat stabilize it?  In other words, a base cabinet vs. a wall cabinet.

I used French cleats to hang a bathroom vanity as a floating cabinet.  But quite a bit of thought has to go into the process. 

First, the cabinet has to be sufficiently robust in construction to maintain its integrity without the assistance of the legs.  I can assure you that the in-stock cabinets at Lowes and Home Depot will not be strong enough for that. There is going to be substantial racking forces.

Also, the French cleat has to be robustly attached to the wall.  Wall anchors will not cut it.  I would use lag bolts with fender washers.  The bolt should be sufficiently long to penetrate the stud by 2” to 3”.

And finally, I would add a couple of screws through the cabinet to lock the top and bottom of the French cleat in place. 

Adding legs is cheaper and easier.  However cleaning under the vanity that is wall hung is easier and if there is any heat registers or baseboard heat it will not block the heat. 

Indeed, if you have a wall of floating cabinets that are a few inches above the baseboard heat, it will improve the heating efficiency of the room.  Instead of allowing the heat to rise to the ceiling, it will force the warmed air into the room first before allowing it to rise.  Thus throwing more heat into the room and less into the ceiling. 

 

[jeffinsgf]

Here's a pic of my IKEA cabinet set up. They're SEKTION cabinets mounted on the steel rail that Packard mentioned. I spaced them a little apart with a piece of sassafras between each and built a sassafras bench top for it. Didn't realize until I looked for the picture that it's been up and in use for 4 years.

 

[cpw]

I have a set of cabinets mounted with these Z-clips:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PV6KWE2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They only take up a 1/4" of space.  They are hidden behind the maple stretchers on top in the outer cabinets.

They sell short 2" versions or longer versions of it.  If you use the longer version, you can not worry about them lining up perfectly, and just make sure you hit the studs correctly.

 

[Lincoln]

Here's a pic of my IKEA cabinet set up. They're SEKTION cabinets mounted on the steel rail that Packard mentioned. I spaced them a little apart with a piece of sassafras between each and built a sassafras bench top for it. Didn't realize until I looked for the picture that it's been up and in use for 4 years.

Nice Walko4 bench there, do you get much use out of it? I love mine - bought it for site work, but use it just as much in the shop.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Good eye. That on a pair of horses is my full sheet work flow. I have both a Walko 4 and a 3.

 

[mcfal12]

I second, (third or fourth) French cleat as the best solution of you want to be able to quickly and easily remove the cabinet.

 

[Sparktrician]

Put me down for French cleats screwed directly to studs using GRK RSS screws.  [smile]

 

[Lincoln]

Good eye. That on a pair of horses is my full sheet work flow. I have both a Walko 4 and a 3.

Only thing I don't like is the height - 50mm higher than my MFT. Have considered cutting it down, but there are a few things to consider before breaking out the bandsaw.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

4th-5th whatever on the French cleats. As long as they are properly fastened to the studs, they can hold a surprising amount of weight, yet lift off easily.

[member=74278]Packard[/member] is your planter box that creeps connected by a full-length cleat? I find that they sit better with smaller brackets on the cabinet side of the connection. Full-length strips on the wall and short sections on the box/shelf are less constrained. If there is any bow/warp in either strip, the connection "floats"

 

[Packard]

4th-5th whatever on the French cleats. As long as they are properly fastened to the studs, they can hold a surprising amount of weight, yet lift off easily.

[member=74278]Packard[/member] is your planter box that creeps connected by a full-length cleat? I find that they sit better with smaller brackets on the cabinet side of the connection. Full-length strips on the wall and short sections on the box/shelf are less constrained. If there is any bow/warp in either strip, the connection "floats"

They are mounted with full length cleats.  And I understand how that could happen. 

I was thinking of adding a single screw vertically through the  top cleat and screwing into the bottom cleat.  Both are made from pressure treated lumber. It would remain almost entirely hidden.

It seems easier than removing the planting soil and screwing in horizontally. 

(My spell checker is not happy with my language.  It changed the correcting spelled “screwing” into “swerving”.  I’m making more corrections on errors that the spell checker is making than the spell checker is making on errors that I am making.  It sort of defeats the purpose. )

Sorry for the digression.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

(My spell checker is not happy with my language.  It changed the correcting spelled “screwing” into “swerving”.  I’m making more corrections on errors that the spell checker is making than the spell checker is making on errors that I am making.  It sort of defeats the purpose. )

Sorry for the digression.

Seems like it was assuming badly of you, and not expecting you to use it correctly.  [blink]

Yeah, it sounds counterintuitive, but full contact can cause trouble, it doesn't have to, but the slightest warp of either one can do it.

 

[kpeluso]

Your shoe rack/phone charging station project sounds interesting. To mount it securely and remove it quickly if needed, consider using a French cleat or a combination of mounting strips and knockdown connectors. These options provide stability while allowing for easy disassembly.

 

[jeh]

nth vote for French Cleats. If you do not want to rip your own metal ones are available and may sit flatter against the wall. Of course if you have not made the cabinet yet you could recess the cleat.

 

[philament]

For your setup, a French cleat is a solid option. It's sturdy, easy to install, and allows for quick removal. Just mount one half to the wall and the other to the back of your cabinet. You can simply lift the cabinet off the cleat when you need to move it. Another option is knockdown connectors, which provide a strong hold while easily detachable. This method requires more work to align everything, but it's effective.