A kitchen set, as a rule, includes all kinds of cabinets (including wall cabinets), various cabinets, a sink and other functional panels and pencil cases. And if there are usually no difficulties with the arrangement of floor cabinets and pedestals, then when it comes to the hanging elements of the headset, many “fall into a stupor” because they don’t know where to start. Before hanging kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail, let's analyze all the nuances of such fastening and the errors that arise in the process.
What tools do you need?
The first question to be answered before hanging kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail: Are all the necessary tools and fixtures available? So for workwill need:
- Screwdrivers or screwdriver.
- Punch.
- Hammer.
- Fasteners (screws, bolts, etc.).
- Roulette and ruler.
- Dowels.
- Canopies.
- Mounting rail.
Hanging Cabinet Tips
There are a few rules for how kitchen cabinets are attached to planks.
- The height of wall cabinets should be such that adult family members can freely take a thing from the floor on the top shelf.
- Cabinets should not block ventilation outlets.
- Mounts should be as strong as possible so that the cabinets can withstand quite a lot of weight - your own, food and kitchen utensils.
Ways to hang cabinets
Among them:
- On hinges or other mounting hardware.
- On mounting rail.
The first method is quite traditional, it was used by our parents to hang hanging cabinets. But fastening kitchen cabinets to the bar was opened not so long ago. But before we talk more about this method, let's decide what is wrong with the original method of fastening.
Disadvantages of mounting on hinges
- In order to hang cabinets perfectly even, you need to carefully mark up.
- This fitting is rather unreliable and cannot always withstand a lot of weight.
- Under the weight of even its own weight, cabinets with this method of suspension very often break out the hinge attachment point on the back wall.
- Hanging wall cabinets in this way alone is almost impossible.
But there is perhaps only one advantage of such a mount - low cost.
Mounting rail fastening
Before you can hang cabinets on a mounting rail, you need to correctly install and fix it.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the height of the mount. The standard height is considered to be the mounting height of kitchen cabinets on a plank within 50-60 cm from the top of the lower cabinet. A closer distance to the work surface of the countertop will make it difficult to work on it. Usually a woman spends more time in the kitchen and it is she who is the hostess there, so the height should first of all be convenient for her. In addition to the direct height of the shelves, consider their depth, since in deep cabinets the height of the canopy will be slightly lower than in standard ones in depth. When all these values are taken into account, you can proceed directly to the installation of the rail.
On the wall with a pencil or marker, mark the resulting mounting height. At this height, attach the wall cabinet mounting rail to the wall and mark all the holes that will need to be drilled.
It should be said that the standard length of the mounting rail is two meters. If you will hang cabinets at a distance from each other, then the rail must be cut into pieces the length of these cabinets. To hang a row of cabinets, the rail does not need to be cut.
Mount rail holes for kitchen cabinets startdo from the extreme. After that, having slightly fixed the rail, set a level on it and make a hole strictly along it from the other edge. Next, you need to drill a hole in the middle to fix it, and after that, do all the rest. Then it is necessary to insert plastic dowels into these holes and fix the mounting rail for hanging kitchen cabinets with screws or self-tapping screws. At the end of the work, check again the fastening of the rail by level.
Fixing kitchen cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are mounted on a mounting rail using canopies. In order to install them, you must first dismantle the rear door of the cabinet and firmly attach the canopies to the far upper corners of the cabinet. Try on the canopy in such a way that the hook that will cling to the mounting rails for kitchen cabinets protrudes slightly (about four millimeters).
After you make sure that everything is done correctly, use a thin drill to make a hole in the side wall of the cabinet for attaching the canopy. For reinforcement, you can fix the canopy not with self-tapping screws, but with a through screw and nut. The disadvantage of this method is that the screw heads will be visible on the side walls. It is possible to fix the canopy on the end cabinets with a screw, putting it not in a through hole, but on the rest of the cabinets make a screw fastening. Be careful not to overtighten the screws to avoid cracking the cabinet walls.
During installation, please note that the canopies are divided into "right" and "left".
After shedsfixed, it is necessary to nail the back wall of the cabinets with thin nails, having previously cut holes for the hooks with metal scissors or a jigsaw. All you have to do to hang the kitchen cabinets on the mounting bar is to hook the hanging hooks on it.
It would seem that there are no particular difficulties with hanging kitchen cabinets, but these works have their own nuances. Let's look at them now.
Wall preparation
Before hanging kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail, you need to prepare the walls on which they will hang. What is meant by preparation?
- First of all, it is necessary to align the walls so that subsequently there is no skew and the cabinets “do not walk” in different directions. Also, with uneven walls in the future, there will be problems with tight closing of cabinet doors.
- If the headset has corner cabinets, then the wall joints (corners) must be carefully measured at 90 degrees.
- Next, you need to complete all electrical work related to the installation of sockets, lamps, switches, as well as laying internal wiring.
- Finish all cosmetic painting and wallpapering of the walls where the wall cabinets will be installed.
- Lay out the "apron", if provided in the kitchen, before hanging the kitchen cabinets on the plank, so that after all the work is completed, the top row of tiles goes under the cabinets.
How to applywall markings?
90% of successful work on hanging cabinets depends on the correct marking. So, how to hang a kitchen cabinet on a rail perfectly straight? You just need to consistently and correctly markup.
- Install the bottom cabinet and measure the distance from it to the wall cabinet. According to GOST, it should not be less than 45 cm, in practice - 50-60 centimeters.
- On these marks, draw a line or stretch a thread, without fail measuring everything by level.
- Measure the height of your cabinets from this line and also draw it or mark it with a thread.
- Step back from the top edge to the required distance where you have awnings or other fittings for hanging cabinets, and roughly mark the holes.
- Measure the width of the mounting plate and make sure it will not protrude from the top of the cabinets.
- Apply the bar along the top line or slightly below (depending on your measurements) and mark the holes as shown above.
Features of attaching cabinets to plasterboard walls
Unfortunately, trying to reduce the cost of the construction process, drywall is often used for interior partitions. How to hang kitchen cabinets on a mounting plate fixed to a plasterboard wall should be discussed separately, as there are some nuances.
In order for the material to withstand a sufficiently large weight of hanging cabinets, the first step is to choose the right fasteners. Gypsum board is filled with gypsum aggregate, which is very soft and crumbles easily. Self-tapping screws in such a wall simply will not hold, as experts say, they will “crumble” from there pretty quickly.
The fastener used when working with plasterboard walls is a phosphated self-tapping screw with a large thread pitch. It should be phosphated due to the fact that the filler inside the drywall sheets is a powerful oxidizing agent, and such a coating will protect the self-tapping screw from corrosion.
So, how to hang kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail when working with drywall?
Method number 1: on a wooden beam
In cases where you install drywall partitions yourself, you can mark out your future kitchen in advance and lay a wooden beam at the place where the mounting rail passes before fine finishing work. Choose a beam of medium width, about 8-10 centimeters, so that later you can slightly adjust the height of the cabinets. The beam is laid in the gaps between the vertical guide profile to a width equal to the width of the kitchen set, and is attached to the main wall of the room. Subsequently, choose the fasteners of your cabinet in such a way that its length is enough for the through stitching of the drywall sheet and fixing it in a wooden bar. This method is usually chosen in cases where the main walls are leveled with drywall sheets.
Method number 2: on drywall
If it is not possible to lay a beam in advance, thenfastening kitchen cabinets to the bar can be done directly on drywall. In this case, be sure to use special screws and screw them into the plank in a checkerboard pattern at least every five to eight centimeters. At the same time, it is advisable to screw the outermost self-tapping screws not into the material itself, but into the joints of drywall sheets, trying to get into the metal vertical guide. In this way, it is better to hang not single cabinets, but a series of cabinets so that the rail is held by as many self-tapping screws as possible.
Method number 3: point mounting
The third method is best suited for attaching single cabinets. In these cases, it is better not to use a rail, but to fix the cabinets in the old "old-fashioned" way - using point fastening. In this option, it is imperative to use plastic or metal (with corrosion protection) dowels.
Method number 4: anchors
Another way to hang a cabinet on a mounting rail, if you have a plasterboard wall, is to use expandable anchor fasteners. This installation method is ideal for kitchen cabinets, as it can withstand quite a lot of weight (about 35 kilograms). Anchor fasteners are suitable for both canopy with mounting rail and without it. Pulling it out is quite difficult, only if with a large piece of drywall. It should be said that it is better to use metal fasteners for the kitchen, since commercially available plastic ones are still not so reliable and can withstand less weight.
Unconventional drywall fixing method
It should immediately be clarified that although such methods are quite rare, they also take place, since, unfortunately, there is no way to fix cabinets in the traditional way.
- Pre-order a chrome-plated floor frame, to which cabinets are subsequently attached. It can be quite interesting to beat it in a kitchen, it will not take up much space and will look beautiful and modern. The main condition is that it must be quite heavy to support the weight of the cabinets.
- Hanging cabinets from the ceiling. The methods can be different - both with the help of movable cables or chains, and on chrome-plated tubes with a rigid mount. Quite a modern and progressive way to mount a kitchen set, especially in different planes.
Conclusion
Like any other job, fixing hanging cabinets does not require haste or carelessness. Do not be lazy to carefully measure and mark everything. Before filling the shelves with kitchen utensils, make sure they are securely fastened and will support the intended weight. Never do such work "by eye", be sure to use a level. Try not to save on materials, choose only high-quality fasteners. And most importantly: do not be afraid to do this work yourself, because now you know all the subtleties of this difficult task, which means that you will do everything right and easily cope with the task.
