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Best Screws For Installing Cabinets

April 21st, 2011 Leave a comment Go to comments

What screws are going to work best for installing kitchen cabinets? To answer this question, we will explore the best fasteners to use in different forms of construction materials that the cupboards are being adhered to.

A different screw will be needed for securing cabinets to concrete walls than if they are going to hang from wood studs. If you are anchoring an island base cabinet to the floor, you will need an entirely different fastener than when you are hanging a cupboard from steel studs.

What type screw is best for fastening cabinets to wood studs?

I’d like to say that just about any wood screw will work, but there are is one that you must be careful to avoid. That screw is the really thin drywall screw. These are not recommend for fastening cabinets to wood studs. The heads break off to easily. I would recommend using the thicker drywall screw though.






Important:
Washer head screws  are the preferred screws for cabinet installation.

Another good screw for installing cabinets, where there are wood studs, is the zinc coated washer head number eight (#8) screw with a square driver socket. These are by far every cabinet makers first choice when it comes to installing upper cabinets or bases.

What type of screw is best for securing cabinets to steel studs?

You can use the same screws for installing cabinets to steel studs as we mentioned for anchoring cupboards to wood. The best fastener is the toggle blot when securing cabinets to metal. The toggles for steel studs take a little longer to install, but they will far-out hold any other type of wall anchor you use. If you are installing cabinets where there are steel studs, you must use plenty of screws for each cabinet.

What fastener is best when there is no stud to attach a cabinet to?

There is not a fastener that can be considered the best for fastening kitchen cupboards to walls where there are no studs. This is going against the rules. You should never install cabinets to drywall only…NEVER! To avoid this, you may have to cut a hole in the wall and install a crossbeam or something solid for the screw to fasten to.

Now, if you can secure a cabinet on one side where there’s a stud, you can use EZ Anchors to secure the other end of the box to just the drywall. If you can attach the box to two cabinets that are anchored to the studs that’s OK as well.

Another situation that will work is that if you can sink a few screws into the studs in a soffit and then use drywall anchors for the back wall where there are no studs.

What is the best screw for installing cabinets to concrete walls?

Tapcons by far are the choice of most kitchen installers. In many instances, where the walls are concrete, you will discover there are wood furring strips to screw into.

If you are anchoring an island base cabinet to the floor, you can use either Tapcons or a Redhead anchor.

Here’s the most important thing I can share with you on this subject, NEVER leave a cabinet installed when you know that you did not secure it properly. DO NOT take a chance with this sort of situation. Common sense my friend tells us that drywall alone will not hold a cabinet in place. The other things is that when a screw strips out it has no holding power either.

If you encounter one of these situations where you are getting frustrated with trying to install a fastener and things are not working, take a break and come back with a renewed attitude. You must do your best to secure the cabinets correctly. After all, what good would it be to have the best screws for installing cabinets and then not install them properly?

Categories: Installation Tips
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