Kitchen cabinets - cleats or thick back

[Ed Peters]

On the uppers I cut a dado about 4" down from the top that is 1/2" deep and 2" wide. Before I hang the boxes, I install strips of 1/2" thick plywood which allows me to verify the stud locations and when they are up, they provide a system for hanging the cabinets at the correct height without a lot of effort.

Ed

[Nathan Callender]

Ed - interesting way to hang cabinets! That's pretty neat.

As for the thickness, I went with a 3/4" plywood back on my cabinets for the ability to put a screw anywhere when they are hung on the walls and also for simplicity. Adding a stringer isn't much more complicated but I chose simple for this round! 1/2 plywood would seem to work just as well.

BTW, the weight difference shouldn't be that crazy and since you're building out of ply, it's got to be lighter than the particle board/mdf things that people are hanging. The cabs I took down were this type and weighted a ridiculous amount!

[Michael Schwartz]

It probably adds a few pounds over a 1/2" back. My cabinets are a LOT heavier than the 1/2" particle board with 3/16" backs that Lowes sells. You only need to deal with the weight during construction and hanging.

I couldn't use french cleats because these go all the way to the ceiling. You need at least an inch or so clearance to use a french cleat.

Sorry, didn't quite read the dimensions this morning when suggesting the french cleat.

[Greg McCallister]

Thanks everyone for the replies - will go with 3/4.