I am building a vanity 60″ wide about 25″ high–
this will be hanging and have already installed a 3/4″ french cleat across the top back top of the frame. I am getting concerned about the weight of this–Should I use a metal cleat?? Put 2 cleats? I saw on one of Anissa Kapsales slide shows about putting a brace under the cleat–I understand that the cleat should hold a lot of weight, but is it enough..Signed Worried–
Replies
Hi,
You have two things to consider here. How big is your cleat and how is it attached?
You say it's 3/4". Does that mean thickness or height? For every doubling of its height, you quadruple its strength. So if you take a 1x2 and make it a 2x2 it's twice as strong. Make it a 1x4 and it's 4 times stronger. Make sure your cleat is wide then.
Make sure it's securely fastened to your cabinet. Glue and screws should work fine, but I always tuck mine up under the bottom of the top as well.
The cleat on the wall needs to be very securely fastened. Mark out the stud positions on the wall and make sure you hit those with good long screws. If you're going to put hundreds of pounds on the wall, then lag screw the cleat in. This should hold the cabinet just fine.
But I also put some screws in down low through the cabinet back and into the wall to prevent any accidental lifting of the case off the cleat. Good luck. Quit worrying. It'll be fine.
Gary Rogowski
http://www.northwestwoodworking.com
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