How would you secure this to wall

[Craig D Peltier]

Walnut floating Buffett.JPG See picture.
Its 113 long by 18 deep by 26 tall walnut plywood unit with center hardwood wine rack built with slats. One shelve behind each door, divider between each door. As of now the top will be 1.25 thick walnut or but im doubting travertine.
I havent figured out plywood yet so im not sure of wieght , Id guess 350lbs plus weight of china and goods inside.

Its going to float on wall 8" off of floor.
The back may have to be scribed to wall so there mayb be a 3/4 wide hollow behind unit. Of course I can block it off where attachemnts need to be made. As well as sides may need to be scribed thus again creating the dead space behind back.

Should I use a 3/4 back and lag bolt into studs? Should I use 1/2 back with nailer strip top and bottom? or 1/4 back?

Should I use nailer strip on top hardwood ( it will be butt jointed into sides but notched out at dividers) and false bottom that allows me to have some steel brackets made to hold it underneath (shaped like a flat L ).

Will any of these work? I suppose if uppers can be help up with nailer strip and screws, lag bolts or heavy duty long panheads screws will work well in this application?
Im aware the unti could be stronger than the wall itself, I hope this sint pushing the limits.It is quite long so I will get quite a few fastneres into wall. Hopefully almost every 16 inches.

I think walnut hardwood weighs about 3.25 lbs per bd ft. Top maybe only 62lbs. I think wine rack will weigh about the same. Theres no face frame.

Thanks

[Matthew Voss]

Craig-

What about french cleats and these:

http://www.grkfasteners.com/en/CAB_1_information.htm

[Lee Schierer]

Have you considered a French cleat to attach it. The 3/4" space behind would be ideal for this type of hanger. Or run Timberlok screws through the back in to the studs.

[glenn bradley]

Another vote for cleats.

[Jamie Buxton]

I've had unhappy experience with french cleats and long cabinets. If the wall is not straight (and many aren't), the wall-mounted cleat curves like the wall. The cabinet-mounted cleat is straight, because a cabinetmaker built it. The straight cleat fails to mate properly with the curved one. You can fuss around with shimming the wall-mounted cleat so that it is straight, but in this case, I'd just lag-bolt a ledger board -- a 2x4 or the like -- to the wall below the cabinet. The rear bottom edge of the cabinet sits on that 2x4. If the wall is a little wavey, there's no problem. Then inside the cabinet I'd run screws through the back panels and/or nailers into every stud I could find. The primary weight of the cabinet is supported by the lagbolts. The screws above mostly stop the cabinet from falling forward. If you don't like using lagbolts in shear like that, make the 2x4 a 2x8, and have the lower edge stand on the floor. It is tucked at the back of the cabinet, and nobody will ever see it.

[John Keeton]

Jamie is right on the probability of the wall being straight, however, I still like a french cleat. I would check the wall area for flatness before I eliminated that idea. You may be lucky and have a good opportunity for the cleat.

[Eric DeSilva]

"350lbs plus weight of china and goods inside"--you can put an awful lot of weight in what looks to be like 30 ft^3... (1.5 x 2 x 9.5 cubic feet--2' assuming 34" top means 26" cabinet based on it being 8" off the ground), plus figure its a height where someone could lean on the outside edge of the top...

I might be inclined to worry a little bit about whether the wall is up for it.

If it were me, I might get some angle iron welded together in a "C" shape, bolt it to the floor joists below the floor, the wall, and have the top of the "C" protruding out to hang the cabinet on... Then again, I've been accused of overengineering things...

[Peter Quinn]

I'd go french cleat, if the wall is flat as Jamie noted, or source a steel version of a french cleat, possibly angle brackets hung securely to the wall with dados in the case to slide them into, a set top and bottom, or Fasten Master deck ledger bolts which are thinner diameter than a standard lag, go in easier, and are much stronger.

[Peter Quinn]

PS...you can shim the cleat if the wall is particularly bowed to keep it straight, the steel cleats should stay flat regardless of substrate.

[Ed Peters]

on all my wall hung cabinets. I then cut a dado 1/2" deep by about 2" wide about 3 or 4" down from the top of the cabinet. For units with exposed ends, the dado is held short a couple of inches from the end. To hang the cabinet, attach a strip of good quality 1/2" plywood to the wall at the appropriate height. Send a 3" cabinet hanging screw through into each stud. Then you can transfer the stud locations to the cabinet and predrill above the dado and at the bottom for additional fasteners. Just hang the cabinet on the rail and secure through the predrilled holes.

Ed

[Craig D Peltier]

Jamie is right on the probability of the wall being straight, however, I still like a french cleat. I would check the wall area for flatness before I eliminated that idea. You may be lucky and have a good opportunity for the cleat.

Its not straight, it never is. I checked.

[Craig D Peltier]

on all my wall hung cabinets. I then cut a dado 1/2" deep by about 2" wide about 3 or 4" down from the top of the cabinet. For units with exposed ends, the dado is held short a couple of inches from the end. To hang the cabinet, attach a strip of good quality 1/2" plywood to the wall at the appropriate height. Send a 3" cabinet hanging screw through into each stud. Then you can transfer the stud locations to the cabinet and predrill above the dado and at the bottom for additional fasteners. Just hang the cabinet on the rail and secure through the predrilled holes.

Ed

This would work well but its the same concept as the french cleat and I think the wall would need to be straight.

I've had unhappy experience with french cleats and long cabinets. If the wall is not straight (and many aren't), the wall-mounted cleat curves like the wall. The cabinet-mounted cleat is straight, because a cabinetmaker built it. The straight cleat fails to mate properly with the curved one. You can fuss around with shimming the wall-mounted cleat so that it is straight, but in this case, I'd just lag-bolt a ledger board -- a 2x4 or the like -- to the wall below the cabinet. The rear bottom edge of the cabinet sits on that 2x4. If the wall is a little wavey, there's no problem. Then inside the cabinet I'd run screws through the back panels and/or nailers into every stud I could find. The primary weight of the cabinet is supported by the lagbolts. The screws above mostly stop the cabinet from falling forward. If you don't like using lagbolts in shear like that, make the 2x4 a 2x8, and have the lower edge stand on the floor. It is tucked at the back of the cabinet, and nobody will ever see it.

Jamie the ledger idea is good because the bowed wall wont be affected enough where it couldnt sit on it. Still worried the unit is front heavy.Not ripping out of wall but ripping back off of cabinet.

Please keep suggestions coming. Maybe I can talk her into two feet in the front one on each end 2x2 square, that should hold it.

[Steve Clardy]

Worried about ripping the back off.

Screw the cabinet back on.

Use a 1/2 or 3/4 back and just lag it to the studs.

[Craig D Peltier]

Worried about ripping the back off.

Screw the cabinet back on.

Use a 1/2 or 3/4 back and just lag it to the studs.

Im getting the feeling here that lags arent as good as some of the fancy deck and grex screws out there.

[Joe Jensen]

Im getting the feeling here that lags arent as good as some of the fancy deck and grex screws out there.

I really doubt that a 1/4" lag is weaker than a 1/8" cabinet screw.

On the curved wall, will you scribe the top to the wall for a perfect match along the back? Or is the cabinet a piece of furniture that will move when the owners sell the house?