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Suspended cabinets

| Posted in General Discussion on July 11, 2001 12:27pm

*
We are having two kitchen cabinets 12″ deep x 24″ wide x 30″ tall suspended from the ceiling over a peninsula. As our house is small, we do not want a soffit above them. We will be having glass doors on both sides of the cabinets. Our architect had envisioned steel rods coming from the ceiling connected to the cabinets. Our builder has been thinking about how to do this for several weeks. Can anyone point us to some literature or give us some tips to give to our builder on how to do this??

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  1. Greg_Brown | Jul 10, 2001 07:52am | #1

    *
    Chuck-
    this is how I do what you describe-(see attached)

    1. Chuck_Shih | Jul 10, 2001 07:56am | #2

      *Greg,We do not want the top of the cabinet touching the ceiling. There is about 16 inches from the ceiling to the top of the cabinets. We wanted the cabinets suspended on rods so that there is more light flowing into the adjacent living/dining room. Also, the ceiling has a 1-12 pitch. Thanks.

      1. Greg_Brown | Jul 10, 2001 07:59am | #3

        *then my way won't work!

        1. Ralph_Wicklund | Jul 10, 2001 08:12am | #4

          *I think there may be something in the archives about this.I think the easiest way to do what you want is to use all thread, anchored above the ceiling plane into whatever blocking you devise and then the appropriate lengths inserted through drilled holes in the corners of the cabinets all the way through to the bottom, with washers and nuts or a plate on the bottom of the cabinets and on the top to capture the cabinet. Don't just suspend from the top of the carcass. Encase the exposed all thread above the cabinets in the material of your choice (copper, stainless, painted pipe, etc., round or square). You could also use stainless cable or chain but then your cabinets could swing about if not also anchored to a side wall.

          1. Mike_Mahan | Jul 10, 2001 08:21am | #5

            *You can attach the all thread to the ceiling framing/blocking with hanger bolts -- a lag thread on one end and a machine thread on the other. Then use a rod connector to attach the all thread.

          2. Nick_Pitz | Jul 10, 2001 01:12pm | #6

            *Chuck - Rather than comb through the archives to find the original picture I posted, here is another. One end of the cabinets is attached to the granite wall and the other end is suspended just like Ralph and Mike describe.We took hanger bolts and lagged them into the floor joist above, and then used all thread down into the cabinets with a nut and washer. The all thread is covered with pieces of chrome shower rod. The cabinet was built with this in mind, so the carcase is especially strong to support the weight, and prevent racking. Two years now and no problems. Make sure the floor joists are up to the task. A point load of several hundred pounds in the middle of the span may call for doubling that joist.This picture was not taken specifically to show this cabinet. If you would like a better picture I can take one.

          3. bobl_ | Jul 10, 2001 02:25pm | #7

            *similar thread bobl "Hanging cabinets from the ceiling." 2/23/01 2:47pm

          4. Bill_Hartmann | Jul 10, 2001 03:32pm | #8

            *"Cabinets and Built-ins" by Paul Levine shows suspended cabinets.He has a frame welded up. It consists of 1 1/2" angle iron in a rectange to which the top of the cabinet attaches. That way the force is distriubted over the whole top. Then 4 1x2 sq tube legs where welded on and the top of the legs had flanges for bolting to the joist.

          5. Adrian_Wilson | Jul 11, 2001 12:26am | #9

            *Hafele, the hardware company, has kits for precisely, exactly this application (I mention this because every time it comes up, people are putting all kinds of homemade contraptions together, when all you have to do is go to the book....which I'm away from right now, or I'd give you the call number). Hafele.com for a distributor.

          6. JohnD_ | Jul 11, 2001 12:27am | #10

            *No matter what you use to hold the cabinets, they will probably sway if the supports are thin. You have a couple of choices:Use the all-thread mentioned above, and run it through a large-diameter pipe and pull the units tight against the pipe. How large? I can't say--you will have to try.Another way to cut out the sway is to use side bracing. The main columns need to be solid tube, so it cannot bend. For this purpose, 1/2 inch tubing is probably fine; just be sure it is tight against the ceiling and cabinet. Then, run diagonal braces. They can be solid material, or even wire as long as it is pulled tight.

  2. Chuck_Shih | Jul 11, 2001 12:27am | #11

    *
    We are having two kitchen cabinets 12" deep x 24" wide x 30" tall suspended from the ceiling over a peninsula. As our house is small, we do not want a soffit above them. We will be having glass doors on both sides of the cabinets. Our architect had envisioned steel rods coming from the ceiling connected to the cabinets. Our builder has been thinking about how to do this for several weeks. Can anyone point us to some literature or give us some tips to give to our builder on how to do this??

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