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I went and watched this 1 min video clip about hanging cabinets:

http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_3d_index.asp?page_id=35750421

It seems to say to just screw my cabinets into the wall (where the studs are) through the back of the cabinet.

The cabinets I am going to buy from home depot don't really have a solid backing (not sure what it is, but it is some kind of thin composite material.) If I screw through that I am fairly sure that my cabinets will rip off the wall in fairly short order.

What is the procedure for getting those to stay on the wall? I would rather not put a second layer of wood inside my cabinet, but that is all I can think of now (or use a really really big washer :)

I would welcome any ideas.

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Are you sure there's not a thicker section of the back panel, about 4" tall, at the top of the cabinet? If this is a bona fide upper cabinet (vs. something you just want to use as an upper cabinet), it would be very odd for it not to have something in the back to give it a solid attachment to the wall. – Mike Powell Dec 6 '10 at 15:23
@Mike Powell - You are right. I was mistaken. There was sufficient strength in the backing to be attached to wall. (I saw some other that did not have that good of a backing, but they were not really hanging cabinets.) – Vaccano Dec 6 '10 at 21:21

2 Answers

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You need something like these Heavy Duty Cabinet Hangers:

components

The metal plates at the top screw to the wall, the hook like things in the middle screw to the inside of the cabinet and the plastic covers them up.

in place

You do need to cut a hole in the backing for the hook, but the plastic will hide these as well.

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Sorry, the small sheet metal screws into a very thin back panel won't work for crap once the cabinets have 50 pounds of dishes in them. They look way to flimsy for this application. Also the points of the sheet metal screws will protrude through the back and hang up on the drywall. Gadgets and gimmicks are no substitute for good carpentry practices. Trust me on this one, I do this every single day for a living. – shirlock homes Dec 5 '10 at 21:41
@shirlock - nothing screws into the back panel with these. They screw into the side of the cabinet. – ChrisF♦ Dec 5 '10 at 22:03
I will admit that the sides still might not be very strong, but that does depend on the carcass you've bought & what it's made out of. – ChrisF♦ Dec 5 '10 at 22:12
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I was just looking at the site you mentioned in your question. Definitely factful, but not the best DIY tutorial, and leaves out many alternative methods. I have always preferred to mount cabinets through the backer above the top panel of the cabinet so the mounting screws do not show inside the cabinet. Even cabinets with a thin flimsy back panel can be successfully hung to the studs if you interlock the jams with cabinet screws( clamp the cabinets together and install a 1 1/4 inch counter sunk cabinet screw through the jam to secure it to adjacent jam) and then use a screw that has a washer mounded right to it, Yes, a special cabinet mounting screw, to secure cabinet to the wall at each stud. There is usually about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of some sort of frame or panel extending above and below the box area of the cabinet. This area top and bottom is the best place to install the screws. Another method is to install a good looking ledger level under the cabinets for them to rest on, taking most of the load away from the screws holding the cabinets to the wall. There are some great how to videos on the "This Old House" web site, check them out.

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