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The kitchen cabinets in our apartment were hung with drywall screws which has been flagged to us as a safety concern because they might not bear the load when the cabinets are fully loaded with dishes:
My understanding is these screws can be removed and replaced one at a time with hardware to better support the load. Is that right?
If so, what hardware would you recommend I use for this? Some sort of anchor I'm guessing?
Removing the screws is a lot of extra work, for no real benefit. In fact, you might even find that some of the old drywall screws snap when you try to unscrew them, and then you have no practical choice but to add other screws anyway, leaving the partial screws in the studs.
Just add proper cabinet screws. Depending on the layout, you should be able to move a little up or down or left or right from each existing screw and put in a cabinet screw.
Predrilling holes slightly smaller than the new screws is highly recommended. That will make it easier to drive the screws, minimize the risk of any cracking, and also let you easily tell if you are hitting a stud (which you want here).
Thinking about this a little more, this is definitely a case where having two charged up drill/drivers would make the job much easier - one with a drill bit, the other with a screwdriver bit. If you've only got one, I'd pre-drill a bunch of holes then come back around with the screws.
There are screws designed for hanging cabinets, they are called cabinet screws. Some have more attractive heads, if that is important to you.
You need to hit the studs. Hopefully, the existing screws hit the studs.
Assuming that you have wood studs, if you have metal studs, you will need advice from someone else.
An impact driver is very useful when driving long screws.
Yes, you can replace them one at a time, if the cabinets are empty.
Any generic gold construction screw will do in wood framing. #9 x 3" are a common size for that purpose. If you have metal studs you'll need a fine-toothed screw. Torx-head screws are the easiest to drive, but Phillips are fine if you use a fresh driver bit and good technique.
While I don't recommend black oxide screws for load bearing applications, millions of homes in the US have cabinets installed with them. I've never once heard of them falling due to broken screws. I've even done a lot of demolition and haven't found them particularly lacking.
The problem comes when they get bent. The don't tolerate bending much at all, so if a sloppy carpenter kinks one during install it'll be very weak and possibly snap upon tightening. My objection to using them mostly comes from frustration around that issue.
I agree with isherwood. I've worked on a lot of houses (as an electrician). All I've ever seen used for hanging cabinets is what most people would call a drywall screw. They are actually quite a bit longer than the typical drywall screws, with some of them having a very small head. These screws are made of hardened steel, which makes them very strong; they will also break if you overtighten or bend them. I've never seen them fail. I used them to install my own cabinets over 20 years ago and they are still on the wall. Anectodally, I'd say there is nothing wrong with these screws, installed properly, except they don't match the color of the cabinet, and they can rust if exposed to weather. I'd leave them alone, or if you are concerned, add more as recommended above by "manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact."
