Mounting a cabinet on basement wall

[JHZR2]

Hi,

I have two old 1950s made in USA (Brooklyn NY) metal cabinets that I got from my parents. I'd like to mount them on my basement wall to store some stuff in.

The basement walls have brick on the exterior, but I believe are poured concrete the rest of the way. It looks like there was a skimcoat of concrete on the walls, then sometime after they applied an expanded metal mesh and a finish coat (parging?).

So what do I use? I dont think Ill put much weight in them, these are like metal kitchen cabinets. There are holes in them for 1/4 or so mounting screws.

Do I want to drill holes and put concrete anchors in there, then screw in the right screws? Is there a recommended length? I assume 1 inch in past all the parging, metal screen, etc.

Or alternately, should I bolt down wood strips via anchors or similar, and then screw the cabinets into the wood strips? I assume 1x3" would be ok if going this route?

If alternately I wanted to mount one of these cabinets into my garage which is concrete block (not cinderblock), where there is no metal mesh parging, would I do something different?

Thanks!

 

[duaneb9729]

personally I would just use tapcons, you can buy them at home depot

a kit comes with the right size drill bit, you will have to guess at what length will work best for you.

we use these in all type of walls and they work well for us.

 

[JHZR2]

Tapcons? Never heard of them but will have a look when in HD next. Thanks!

 

[Stu_Rock]

They are self-tapping screws that go directly into concrete.

I am wondering if the cabinets might rust if they're up against masonry. The furring strips might be a good idea.

 

[Al]

Tapcons. Get the right size masonry bit first and then drill in to see how long you will need the tapcons to be.

 

[Quattro Pete]

And a hammer drill will come in handy to drill in concrete. I mean, you could try a high voltage cordless drill instead, but it'll take you a really long time to get the job done.

 

[TooManyWheels]

I have used "powder actuated tools" for nailing into concrete, and they work well. If you were using furring strips you would probably want to find a way to position and nail everything (same nail through cabinet and strips) at once, as nailing just the stips might leave a protruding fastener that would interfere with the cabinet.

If you go this route be sure to use eye and ear protection, and possibly a glove to shock insulate your hand.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Stu_Rock
They are self-tapping screws that go directly into concrete.

I am wondering if the cabinets might rust if they're up against masonry. The furring strips might be a good idea.


Yeah that was my thought. I have old furring strips from a ceiling project that are probably 2 x 0.75, not sure if they can hold weight though. I wouldnt want to use a 2x4 as it would stick the cabinet too far out. Thoughts?

I'd do tapcons into the concrete and then big wood screws from there. I have a hammerdrill if need be.

 

[Stu_Rock]

I like TooManyWheels's idea, but with Tapcons.

You could use tape to position precut, predrilled furring strips on the cabinets (also predrilled if not already). Then (probably with a helper), hold the cabinets in position and mark the hole locations on the wall. Use the correct masonry bit to predrill. Then, finally, drive Tapcons through both the cabinet wall and the furring strips.

Since we don't know much about the masonry behind the surface, I'd go for Tapcons that have 1.75 inches of engagement (so, 2.5 inch screws, accounting for those 0.75 inch furring strips and thin sheet metal cabinet walls).

 

[Tempest]

As long as the furring strips are in good condition they will be more than strong enough to hold up cabinets as long as you aren't putting lead shot or something in them.

Just Tapcon the strips to the wall and then the cabinet to the furring strips. If you have the ability to accurately cut a miter on the length of the strip, you could make a French cleat which makes hanging the cabinets easy.

Don't forget to wax or otherwise waterproof the back of the metal cabinets before hanging.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Tempest

Don't forget to wax or otherwise waterproof the back of the metal cabinets before hanging.

Yea..good point.

 

[JHZR2]

What would be the best way to waterproof?

 

[Tempest]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
What would be the best way to waterproof?


I'd probably hit it with Amsoil HDMP if you have any. Otherwise, a couple coats of good car wax.