41
votes
Accepted
What is the technical term for the rings that protect holes for electrical through woodwork like cabinets?
Grommets
Yeah, one-word answers are not ideal. But a quick search confirms that this is a standard industry term for these objects.
36
votes
Can I hang this heavy and deep cabinet on this wall safely?
It looks like the cabinet is intended to sit on top of a base cabinet. You are right to be concerned about the structure of the cabinet. You can add a discrete support below it. In addition to the ...
- 4,293
35
votes
Screw hole too big now in stud for hanging cabinets up. What can I do?
I would be considering two options:
using larger screws into the stud.
gluing a dowel into the hole in the stud, even drilling out the hole to 6mm or 8mm and then, once the glue is dried drilling a ...
- 28.7k
30
votes
Why are kitchen base cabinets usually screwed to the wall?
Nearly all the reasons you proposed for leaving them free are rare occurrences. (I'm not sure what "doing the stove" means. Cleaning?) On those occurrences it's fairly easy to pull a few 3" screws and ...
- 149k
21
votes
Accepted
Where does the strength of a French cleat lie?
If you consider the physics of this, the B wedge is going to apply more outward force on the cleat attached to the wall then the A wedge for a given amount of weight supported. So you might cause the ...
- 23.5k
19
votes
What is the purpose of the hole in this drawer?
My hunch is that it was a custom-made cabinet for audio equipment. The drawer might be for a record player or other equipment only needed some of the time - pull it out, load a record, play it, and ...
18
votes
Installing a 48" vanity between two walls that are 51" apart. How can I cover the 1.5" gaps on the cabinet marble top and the cabinet sides?
This is a free standing vanity. It is not made to finish against a wall. The cabinet part does not lend itself to adding what we call "fillers" as a standard vanity cabinet would. The open ...
- 4,863
15
votes
Accepted
Can I hang this heavy and deep cabinet on this wall safely?
@Ralpharama- Use concrete screws (Tap-Cons) specifically the larger diameter screws that use a 3/16th inch concrete bit. You won't have to use as many screws so less drilling.
Also use the the Tap-...
- 11.1k
15
votes
Can I hang this heavy and deep cabinet on this wall safely?
@ojait's answer has good info about getting things attached into the wall (I'd rent a rotary hammer for this.)
In order to make things a lot easier and get a good sturdy support I would suggest ...
- 2,239
15
votes
Circles on kitchen cabinets
This pattern looks like bubble wrap.
As such, it has probably been present since the cabinets were installed and the spot you're seeing may have been a pressure point where the wrap was strapped or ...
- 4,868
14
votes
Accepted
Preparing an old metal cabinet for painting
OK, so this is a classic prep-paint situation, on a metal thing which has alkyd (that's what its mom calls oil paint when it's in trouble) or possibly LPU paint. Definitely not latex, so we dodged ...
14
votes
What is the technical term for the rings that protect holes for electrical through woodwork like cabinets?
The two types of grommets I use (note: none of these names are official, the official name is just "grommet" which is why there are pictures of each):
Black plastic electrical grommet I'll ...
- 4,868
14
votes
Securing Cabinet to wall: better to use two anchors to drywall or one screw into stud?
I would not rely on either drywall anchors or the Amazon thingies. I would attempt to find the wall studs behind the units, then drive decent wood screws through the unit into the studs.
If the back ...
- 12.2k
13
votes
Screw hole too big now in stud for hanging cabinets up. What can I do?
Continuing from Solar Mike's excellent answer:
Use a longer screw. However, one must be sure that there is no electrical or plumbing behind that point that could be penetrated by the longer screw.
...
- 48k
12
votes
Why are kitchen base cabinets usually screwed to the wall?
How about not screwing up your countertop seams, by moving? How about not collapsing sideways due to weight of porcelain + iron sink and granite counter? (I live in earthquake country...) How about ...
- 311
12
votes
Best option to install dishwasher in corner and support countertop
I looked at the Bosch installation manual, the 24" width would fit their dishwasher. The clearance from the wall ensures that nothing interferes with opening the door. Walls are not always square,...
- 6,509
11
votes
Preparing an old metal cabinet for painting
You don't need to go to bare metal on paint that is well adhered.
Hammerite has a particular "look" (a deliberately uneven, uniformly) surface which can help to hide surface defects under it - if ...
- 226k
11
votes
How would you fix this cabinet not opening all the way?
You can change it so it opens the opposite direction.
I.E. Flip the door over and attach the hinges to the left side of the cabinet.
You can remove door by removing the screw on each hinge that holds ...
- 13.7k
11
votes
Screw hole too big now in stud for hanging cabinets up. What can I do?
There's a further option not mentioned above, and one that may suit someone less handy:
Use a solid wall anchor or threaded insert. Using an anchor or insert would allow you to continue to use the ...
- 263
11
votes
Can you tell how these cupboards are attached?
I'm not a professional cabinet installer, but all the ones I've seen are screwed through the back and into the wall, just like yours. Some might be hung with a French cleat, but might still be screwed ...
- 48k
11
votes
Do top cabinets have to remain as a whole unit or can select cabinets be removed without sacrificing strength?
The cabinets you have Xed, are no doubt hung as a single unit. Look inside near the top back of the cabinets you want to remain. There should be screws holding that set of cabinets to the wall. if ...
- 42.9k
10
votes
My dishwasher is too short for the counter
Looks like you got about 3.5" to make up. I'd put a couple of 2x4s front to back stacked flat and screwed down where the DW feet go. My wife and I are both tall and when we built our house we ...
- 23.3k
10
votes
Can I hang this heavy and deep cabinet on this wall safely?
I'm a 62 year old (2nd gen.) custom cabinet shop owner and have a ton of experience in cabinets. I strongly suggest you really look at the back of that piece before you do anything. All the fasteners ...
- 123
9
votes
How do I remove this cabinet drawer?
Push up on the pointy thing and pull on the drawer. see details here
- 4,142
9
votes
How can I open a kitchen cabinet door where the child lock is keeping it closed?
Just found out that a magnet will unlock them! Used a fridge magnet and that did the trick.
The locks were something like
these.
- 149
9
votes
Is there a type of cabinet hinge that allows opening over baseboards?
Remembering my job in a custom cabinet shop for 20 years, I do not remember a Euro hinge type that would throw the door further into the opening to clear something like a baseboard or wall panel. They ...
- 12.2k
9
votes
Is it okay to have kitchen base cabinet be less than 3.5" off the floor?
The only "rules" are regarding countertop height for accessibility, and even that (except in a commercial kitchen) is subjective. The advantage of a consistent height is a consistent look - ...
8
votes
Why are kitchen base cabinets usually screwed to the wall?
In the UK at least your cabinets will all be screwed into the underside of your kitchen worktop (except stone worktops which will be glued down with silicone), and also all screwed to each other, so ...
- 201
8
votes
Can I run power from inside cabinets to an externally mounted fixture?
Yes, when doing in-bench or in-cabinet work like that, I am very comfortable with EMT, provided it is anchored properly and not used as a hanger for other things.
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible