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 with the arrangement of floor cabinets and cabinets usually there are no difficulties, then when it comes to the hinged elements of the headset, many “fall into a stupor”, because they don’t know where to start. Before we hang kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail, let’s analyze all the nuances of such fastening and errors that occur during operation.
What tools will be needed?
The first question that will need to be resolved before hanging kitchen cabinets on a mounting rail: are all the necessary tools and accessories available? So, for work you will need:
- Screwdrivers or screwdriver.
- Hammer drill.
- Hammer.
- Fasteners (screws, bolts, etc.).
- Roulette and ruler.
- Dowels.
- Awnings.
- Mounting rail.
Cabinet Mounting Tips
There are several rules for how to fix kitchen cabinets to the bar.
- The height of the wall cabinets should be such that adult family members can freely take the thing on the top shelf from the floor.
- Cabinets must not block ventilation outlets.
- The fasteners should be as strong as possible so that the cabinets can withstand quite a lot of weight - your own, food and kitchen utensils.
Ways of hanging cabinets
Among them:
- On hinges or other mounting hardware.
- On the mounting rail.
The first method is quite traditional, with the help of it our parents also hung hanging cabinets. But the fastening of kitchen cabinets to the bar was opened not so long ago. But before telling more about this method in more detail, let's decide what the initial method of fastening is bad for.
Cons of hinges
- In order to hang the cabinets perfectly evenly, you must carefully markup.
- This hardware is quite unreliable and can not always withstand heavy weight.
- Under the weight of even its own weight, cabinets with such a suspension method very often break out the place of fastening the hinge on the back wall.
- Hanging wall cabinets in this way alone is almost impossible.
But the plus for this mount, perhaps, is only one - low cost.
Mounting rail mounting
Before you hang the cabinets on the mounting rail, you need to properly install and secure it.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the height of the mount. The standard is considered the height of the kitchen cabinets on the bar within 50-60 cm from the countertop of the lower cabinet. Closer distance to the working 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 mistress there, so the height should first of all be convenient for her. In addition to the direct height of the shelves, take into account 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 mounting rail for the wall cabinets 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 number of cabinets, you do not need to cut the rail.
Holes for the mounting rail for kitchen cabinets start from the extreme. After that, having slightly fixed the rail, set the level on it and strictly make a hole on it from the other edge. Next, you need to drill to fix the hole in the middle, and after that already do all the rest. Then, plastic dowels must be inserted into these holes and the mounting rail for hinged kitchen cabinets should be fixed with screws or self-tapping screws. At the end of the work, check the rack mount again for level.
Mounting Kitchen Cabinets
The kitchen cabinets are mounted on a mounting rail using canopies. In order to install them, it is first necessary to dismantle the rear cabinet door and tightly attach awnings to the far upper corners of the cabinet. It is necessary to try on the canopy so that the hook that will cling to the mounting rails for the kitchen cabinets protrudes slightly (about four millimeters).
After making 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, the canopy can be fixed 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, having planted it not in the through hole, but on the other cabinets make screw fastening. Do not overtighten the screws so that the cabinet walls do not crack.
At installation pay attention that canopies are subdivided into "right" and "left".
After the canopies are fixed, it is necessary to nail the rear wall of the cabinets with thin nails, first cutting out the holes for the hooks with scissors for metal or a jigsaw. All in order to hang kitchen cabinets on the mounting plate, you just have to hook the canopy hooks for it.
It would seem that there are no special difficulties with hanging kitchen cabinets, but these works have their own nuances. Let us now consider them.
Wall preparation
Before you hang kitchen cabinets on the 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 bias and the cabinets “do not walk” in different directions. Also with uneven walls in the future there will be problems with tight closing of the cabinet doors.
- If the headset has corner cabinets, then the joints of the walls (corners) should be carefully measured at 90 degrees.
- Next, you need to finish all the electrical work related to the installation of sockets, lamps, switches, as well as the laying of internal wiring.
- Finish all cosmetic work on painting and wallpapering the walls on which the wall cabinets will be installed.
- Lay out an “apron”, if it is provided in the kitchen, before hanging the kitchen cabinets on the bar, so that after all work is completed, the top row of tiles goes under the cabinets.
How to apply markings on the walls?
90% of successful work on hanging cabinets depends on the correct marking. So, how to hang the kitchen cabinet on the rail perfectly evenly? It is only necessary to sequentially and correctly perform the markup.
- Install the base cabinet and measure the distance from the wall cabinet from it. According to GOST, it should not be less than 45 cm, in practice - 50-60 centimeters.
- At these marks, draw a line or stretch the thread, without fail, measuring everything according to the level.
- Already from this line, measure the height of your cabinets and also draw it or mark it with a thread.
- Step back from the top edge to the required distance at which you have fixed canopies or other accessories for hanging cabinets, and approximately mark the holes.
- Measure the width of the mounting plate and make sure that it does not protrude above the top of the cabinets.
- Attach the bar on the top line or slightly lower (depending on your measurements) and mark the locations of the holes, as shown above.
Features of mounting cabinets on plasterboard walls
Unfortunately, trying to reduce the cost of the construction process, drywall is often used for interior partitions. You should talk separately about how to hang kitchen cabinets on a mounting plate fixed to a plasterboard wall, since it has its own nuances.
In order for the material to withstand a sufficiently large weight of hanging cabinets, the first thing to do is to choose the right hardware. The gypsum plasterboard is filled with gypsum aggregate, which is very soft and crumbles easily. Self-tapping screws in such a wall simply will not be held, as experts say, they will quickly “crumble” out of there.
Fasteners used when working with plasterboard walls are phosphated screws 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 when you install plasterboard partitions yourself, you can pre-mark your future kitchen and lay a wooden beam in the place where the mounting rail passes before finishing 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 so that its length is sufficient for through sewing of drywall sheet and fixing in a wooden block. This method is usually chosen in cases where the main walls are aligned with sheets of drywall.
Method number 2: on drywall
If it is not possible to lay the beam in advance, then the fastening of 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 bar in a checkerboard pattern at least every five to eight centimeters. At the same time, it is advisable to screw the most extreme screws not into the material itself, but into the joints of the 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 maximum number of screws can hold the rail.
Method number 3: spot mount
The third method is better for fixing single cabinets. In these cases, it is better not to use the rail, but to fix the cabinets in the old "old-fashioned" way - with the help of a point mount. In this option, it is necessary to use plastic or metal (with corrosion protection) dowels.
Method number 4: anchor
Another way to hang the cabinet on a mounting rail if you have a drywall 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 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 the commercially available plastic is still not so reliable and can withstand less weight.
Unconventional method of mounting on drywall
It should be clarified right away that although such methods are quite rare, they also take place, since, unfortunately, there is no way to fix the cabinets in the traditional way.
- Pre-ordered floor chrome frame, which subsequently attached cabinets. It can be quite interesting to beat in the kitchen, it does 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 to the ceiling. The methods can be different - both with the help of movable cables or chains, and on chrome tubes with a rigid mount. A fairly modern and progressive way of installing a kitchen set, especially in different planes.
Conclusion
Like any other job, fixing hanging cabinets does not require haste and negligence. Do not be lazy to carefully measure and mark everything. Before filling shelves with kitchen utensils, make sure they are securely fastened and support the planned weight. Never do this job “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, since now you know all the subtleties of this difficult task, which means that you will do everything correctly and easily cope with the task.