Concrete block wall anchor question

[Mark Patoka]

I'm looking for opinion/advice on hanging cabinets on a concrete block wall. I'm making some wall cabinets for my wife's school that will primarily made from 3/4" maple/birch plywood. The will be very large: 40" wide x 24" deep x 36" tall. My concern is will I be able to safely hang them on a concrete block wall. One of them will be in a corner (drywall, metal studs) so I can also anchor into that. I'm afraid of it being very heavy and pulling out, particularly with the 24" depth.

I haven't checked my local big box yet but wanted to know if there is an anchor that will hold these or another method of attaching. There will be a base cabinet under these that I was thinking about putting some kind of post on to help support the upper cabinets or using one complete piece of plywood for the sides of the base and upper cabinet (there will be an 18" space between them).

Appreciate any comments or experiences anyone may have had with this.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Rather than a BIG BOX, I would suggest an Industrial Supply. They will have several types of anchors for block wall. There is one called a Caulk In Anchor that once mounted, you can use a bolt to mount your cabinet. I have seen sizes up to 1'2" bolts.

Hope this helps.

Bruce

[Donnie Raines]

There are anchors made specificly for this application. I had a application just like this not so long ago. I picked up the anchors at the local big box. Simply drill the hole, drive in the anchor and as you tighten the screw it will "push" out. I did install three anhors on the top and two at the bottom of the of each unit...overkill maybe...but they are cheap enough and easy to install. The package wil state the max weight that the anchor can hold.

[Wes Bischel]

Mark,

FWIW, I have cabinets in my basement on block. Some are installed with lead anchors (the old way) and a few are on Tapcon fasteners. I have hung a lot with the old lead anchors, but they are harder to find these days, and take more work than the newer Tapcons. If you are really worried, you could put up a french cleat and hang the cabinets on it - actually I find that easier since most of my installs are alone - or with my main helper, a "deadman".

Wes

[Howard Norman]

Use Tapcons. They are designed for the sort of thing that you are taking about. Home Depot has them around here. If the Tapcons HD has aren't large enough they carry another fastener called Red Hat I believe that I have used also.

Howard

[Tyler Howell]

Mark,

You may want to use French cleats to hang your cabinets after you find the right anchor. A combination of fastener and adhesive can secure the cleat to the wall and when she gets promoted to principle she can take your creation with.

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Tyler...stout french cleats that are anchored securely to the wall. With careful spacing you can even use two...either both behind the cabinet back or one there near the top and one at the rear bottom that also acts as a ledger board. What's nice about this sytem is that you don't have to deal with holding up a large, heavy cabinet while doing the installation...the cleats go up independently and then you just hang the cabinet once. (assuming you measured accurately!)

[Mark Stutz]

Another vote for the French cleat. All my shop cabinets are hung that way. It will be much easier to mount the cleat with as many fasteners as you need then VERY simply hang the cabinet.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Make that three for the French cleat. I don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place. I like to use them, too.

Bruce

[Steve Clardy]

I'd go with the french cleat also.

[Jason Roehl]

Ahem...shouldn't that be "Freedom cleat"? (Gets my vote, too--hang the cleats with Tapcons).

[Mark Patoka]

Thanks for the responses. I had also considered the french cleat for ease of installation but wasn't sure if it would hold any better. I think I'll look for the Tapcons and some adhesive.

[Bob Hovde]

Thanks for the responses. I had also considered the french cleat for ease of installation but wasn't sure if it would hold any better. I think I'll look for the Tapcons and some adhesive.

After the cabinets are on the cleats, you can add some small screws through the back inside to make sure nothing can move. 24 in. is a very deep top cabinet and you need to worry as much about the leverage as the straight down weight.

Bob