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I need to install floor cabinets to concrete floor. I see that there is a suitable board on the top of the back of a cabinet to secure the top but was wondering about the base. Should I attach a pressure treated 2x4 to the cocnrete floor 3/4" (thickness of the cabinet) and inside the cabinet so that I can screw the cabinet base to it on the other side?

I can see no other way to affix the bottom. Unless the bottom, for some reason (the weight of the counter top) does not need to be secured.

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Base wall cabinets are rarely attached to the floor even with wood framing. It's just not necessary, as the weight of the cabinets, the continuous counter top, and the support they lend each other when connected prevent unwanted movement. This assumes proper attachment to the wall.

Island or longer peninsula cabinets are a different situation, where bar-top overhangs and narrow widths can leave them unstable. Code may even require anchoring. In those cases, attaching an inner frame of lumber to the concrete as you describe, over which you set the cabinet, makes for a great anchoring base. You can then screw down through the base shelf or through hidden portions of the side walls into the lumber.

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Use an L bracket. A concrete screw goes in one leg, and a wood screw goes into the other leg.

L Angle Bracket

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I don't prescribe in not attaching the cabinets' fronts to an anchor. I was part of a few remodels where we chose to do this a long while back and honestly I was embarrassed. The cabinets had too much play. Luckily back then it was laminate countertops so it kind of went with the half-assed cabinet install.

To do this right you simply do the same thing you do for islands (or any concrete floor).

  • Use 2x4 blocking and shoot nail anchors into the concrete. Do this for each cabinet. So you have a 30" wide cabinet you set down a 2x4 maybe 28" in parallel with the front about 1/4" behind it (do this so you have wiggle room to match fronts).
  • After you have all of the blocking down, shim cabinets if needed
  • screw cabinets together (this is the key - with the front blocking this isn't as needed and can be 2 thin cabinet screws)
  • then screw the front base to the blocking. If your blocking isn't firmly against base make sure the screws are not pulling in the base to the blocking - back them out a couple of turns.
  • and finally trim over the screws on the front base.
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  • Maybe it depends on the cabinet construction/design. I've built dozens of high-end homes, but we almost always used a custom cabinet maker who built very robust boxes. They did their own installs and never mounted to the floor. There was no detectable movement.
    – isherwood
    Jun 13, 2019 at 19:16
  • @isherwood - i have seen cabinet makers use blocking or not. The ones that did not use blocking usually were relying on at least 2 of 4 things - additional subfloor not under cabinets, lot more screwing in the wall, a heftier cabinet material, or more screws used tying the cabinets together. If you have blocking you can put two screws in wall and two in blocking and lightly tie to adjacent and it is a rock.
    – DMoore
    Jun 13, 2019 at 20:35
  • The other point is this is on concrete. Depending on how flat the concrete and walls are the movement might be quite noticeable sound wise. If this were a wood subfloor I would tend to not really care if there were blocking - given the additional support measures are taken. My experience with slabs is that the wood to concrete meshing is noticeable. We have a lot of slabs in my area and I may be agnostic to blocking on normal plywood subfloor but would spend 20 mins to do this on concrete. Can't do it after.
    – DMoore
    Jun 13, 2019 at 20:44

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