Wall Cabinet Question

[Peter Stahl]

I want to build some cabinets for my utility room. Is there a reason why 15/16 inch deep wall cabinets would be a bad idea? Was going to use 3/4" birch plywood and popular face frames as they will be painted white. Will also make them 42" high as we have 9 foot ceilings. Will have 1/4" ply on the back with 3 large cleats and a staionary shelf in the middle for support. I'll also make each cabinet wide enough so the hange on 2 studs. Also any tips for construction will be much appreciated.

thanks, Pete

[Mike Linne]

Built utility cabinet w/o face frame - dimensions 16"deep x 42" high x 40" wide. Used 3/4" russian birch for casing, 1/4" russian birch for back, 3/4" cabinet ply birch for doors. Euro design (no faceframe) with 4 adjustable shelves. One cleat at top, one cleat exterior at bottom - all screwed into 3 studs (used # 12 screws, not drywall screws). Loaded the cabinet fully - no problems. I can't imagine you could have heavier stuff, so you should be fine.

[Dan Gill]

There's no reason you can't make wall cabinets 16 inches deep. Just make sure you have sufficient height above the base cabinet or whatever is under the wall cabinet to reach the back. In other words, you have 4 inches more cabinet sticking out from the wall than with a more standard 12-inch wall cabinet. That moves the corner out more into your lower workspace.

[John R Lucas]

Consider how you hang them. You either have to add a cross member at top and bottom or use 3/4" ply for the back and make the back piece structural...i.e. set into a rabbet of something. I personally use white melamine for the shop cabinets. Cheap, clean and structural. Put pretty wood doors on and it is a keeper.

[Ellen Benkin]

You might try hanging them on French cleats -- two boards cut at 45 degrees so they hook into each other. One goes on the wall and the other on the cabinet. You have to make sure they are level, but that's easier than leveling a huge, heavy, cabinet. They will hold a lot of weight -- they're used to hand kitchen cabinets.

[Peter Stahl]

Thanks everyone for your replys. Looks like I'll be doing 16" deep cabinets. Just as to when I start is another question.

Pete Stahl