My business partner and I have a woodshop and recently bid on some bathroom vanities that are “floating” above the floor about 12 inches. They are going to be about 18″ tall and 21″ deep, the longest run being 13 and 1/2 feet. This run has a wall on one end and a tub surround on the other . The plan at this point is to use 3/4 backs that are rabeted into a dado of the box sides, glued in well with 3/4 nailers glued behind that at top and bottom. We are also installing 2″x3″ angle iron let into the studs the entire run and on the end wall and tub surround at the 12 ” point before the sheetrock goes in. The angle will be lagged into each stud, the cabinets will be lagged at inside top to blocking in wall and at studs at install, and then screwed through angle to the bottoms of the boxes. The countertop is supposed to be 2mm stone, not quite sure of the type yet, but it will be natural stone. Is this going to be enough to hold all this together?
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Your on the right track. I lagged into the studs poplar 3/4' stock and applied a 2" x 2" perforated angle iron at top and bottom of each box. The boxes are 3/4' plywood all sides with a 1'2" back set into side dadoes. The boxes are pocket screwed together. I then sat the boxes on the up turned angle iron at the bottom and reversed the angle iron at the top, screwed everything solidly to the iron and wall.
I weigh about 300# and I sat on each box as well as the center with absolutely no flexing. I still worry about getting a call but I think there ok.
Hey - nice shirt!
Forrest
Oh - and pretty work, too.
why bother drywalling behind the cabs at all?
In my case the drywall was up before the client finalized her idea for cabinet height from floor. She's very tall and feared if she made it to her liking that it might reflect resale.
These boxes of mine have a 3/4" lid as well with the sink cut out. This cabinet sets about 37 1/2" from the floor to the top of the stone.
Layout for everything had to be very precise and was quite a stressing ordeal for me fearing her decision and how it might effect my best guess for plumbing locations.
Nice. IMHO, except for kids use, all vanities should be 3' minimum. Sure saves the back and makes for lots of good storage.
Thanks for your input and support. I didn't quite understand how you oriented the steel to the cabinets. I think you basically wrapped the top and bottom corners with it. Nice work too! You've been the most hepful so far, thanks again.
Your welcome. I actually mounted the steel to the wall first. One of the angles at the bottom to let the cabinet set on and one at the top in the opposite way. I sled the cabinets between then screwed the angles to the cabinet. I'll look later for a photo.
Nice work...particularly like the through-detail on the lowered top!
Thanks
I've hung 'suspended' cabinets. They were 30" high and 12" deep (upper cabs used as 'suspended' lower cabs. They were on two 90 degree walls with an upper corner cabinet in the corner for depth for a sink.
These cabs were installed with nothing more than cabinet screws through the back of the cabinet into blockers previously installed in the walls.
They held up a solid marble countertop and were plenty strong and secure
The 21" depth of your cabinets might command the extra reinforcement you are looking at.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
My first impression is that if you've got floating cabinets then you need a floor drain.
Consider some diagnonal bracing. You don't want the cabinets to rack, front edge sagging, from the weight of the counter (which, I hope, is 2cm), and you don't want it collapsing when someone leans on the counter edge. Does no good to have the back well-lagged to the wall if the front and back take leave of each other.
I have not made cabinets to hang the way you describe, but I like the idea. After thinking it over, a few unproven ideas come to mind.
Method #1 is a 'cantilever.' I think FH did an article on this, maybe in the mid-90's. The essence of a cantilever is a well supported beam projecting from the wall, that supports the cabinets. Since cabinets are designed to rest on the floor, I would have them rest on this beam instead .... rather than have the countertop rest on the beams, with the cabinets hanging from the top. Ordinary cabinets are not made to hang that way.
Method #2 is to look at the forces, and how they act upon the cabinets.
The first force to address is the weight of the cabinets. A simple ledge, or rail, on the wall will hold the weight of the cabinets. This ought to be your main support.
With just the back edge supported, the cabinets will want to tilt forward. This can be addressed by anchoring the top of the cabinets to the wall. If I could, I'd run lags into the wall studs, and use fender washers.
In most cases, I think this is all the support you need. Watch the doors and drawers for binding over time. If that happens, it is most likely because of 'racking' as the front face slips down. This can only be countered by 'making a triangle.' That is, running a cable from high up the back, to a support at the bottom front. Tightening the cable will lift the front, bringing everything back into line.
Markansas..
I'd use a French cleat instead of your technique, it's faster, easier, and less prone to errors..
Bingo.
Another way I've "floated" base cabinets is with a mirrored toekick. Which I generally prefer to wall-hung.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I like "floating" bathroom vanities in my bathrooms too. I also like covering all the walls with plywood before the sheetrock. That way I can hang anything at any time anywhere in the bathroom. Including the "floating" vanity. I just screw it into the wall. Not much different from hanging kitchen cabinets with 300 lbs of dishes and some kid climbing up to reach the cookie jar.
One of our first thoughts was all the 12 to 14" x 30 to 42" uppers we've built through the years that are loaded down like you say, and, knock on wood, haven't had any callbacks yetl.
Personally, I'd take a slightly different approach for long term durability. Inletting 2"x3" angle across the studs weakens them greatly, creating a hinge point in the wall that is much more likely to flex and crack the sheetrock on the other side. Much better to screw 3/4" ply to the wall behind the cabinets and forego sheetrock altogether if needed where not seen.
The cabinet will eventually sag unless the top of the cabinet sides are ancored well (the sides are the only parts providing the sheer for most of the forces). A slick and easy way to do this is to simply attach a ply sub top to the cabinets and attach the rear edge of the sub top as securely as possible. I'm not talkiing a dozen piffin screws, but some decent deck screws and lots of then and some PL. Nothing you can add to the cabinet back will be as secure in this application as a beefed up top. 1/4" timberloc or simplson structural screws installed in pocket screw fashion into studs will support 1000's of pounds of cabinets for as long as the building stands. Allow as much beef between the screw head and wall as possible, say 1".
The downward force of the loaded cabinets needs to be supported through the cabinet sides, which can be easily done with a thick back if it's attached well to the sides.
Basically, if you do boxes that are 3/4" all around and attach everything well you can't go wrong. I'll also go out on a limb and say that people grossly underestimate the sheer strength of a bunch of 1/4" staples.
Cheeers
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
In relation to your comment of compromising the stud, I didn't specify we are only letting the steel in 5/16ths to 3/8ths, basically a little over the thickness of the steel. The boxes, as you read, are built completely of 3/4 plywood, with the 3/4 backs rabeted into a 3/8s dado of the sides and bottom with plenty of glue and 3/4 ply top and bottom nailers glued in behind that .
we are only letting the steel in 5/16ths to 3/8ths, basically a little over the thickness of the steel.
Oh, gotcha! I was thinking you were kerfing the studs much deeper (flipping the angle into the stud). We had an engineer spec that on a past job and it did more harm than good.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.