Kitchen unit fell of wall

NoobCannon

NoobCannon

NoobCannon

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13 Jun 2011
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Hi all,

looking for some advice here to save my self some money getting a builder in.

one my my kitchen units came away from the wall today, ive taken it down and the fixings behind are destroyed, looks like Moat or who ever they used to install the kitchen had fun and games putting it up originally. from looking thru the holes its plaster board into breeze blocks [internal wall in block of flats]

the fixings on the back of the unit dont look like they can be re positioned so am unsure what to do here and looking for some advice.

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so what can i do or should i just bite the bullett and try and find a builder to come and have a look at this nightmare
 
That wall looks battered I'd be tempted to Batten across the back of wall Instead of those brackets.

Is it a unit on its own or does it sit next to any other units.
Another option would be cut out the plasterboard and fix a batten to the blockwork behind. But that depends on if its actual breeze block or cement block.
 
This happened to me as I was filling it up, it was a right old game trying to prop it up on my own while holding it up to avoid all the plates etc falling out!

As the cupboard was still pretty sturdy, it was the wall that gave up and I knew I was replacing the whole kitchen at some point, I just put some additional wood batons across the back of the cupboard and used those to attach it to the wall. It works but it's not the prettiest solution in the world.
 
Its looks like the cabinets are hooked over brackets that are wall mounted?

Thats a pretty meaty screw there on that pic of the bracket on the wall
I wonder if this is a repeat issue by that number of holes
If your set to keep the cabinet then either do as above and break out the old plaster and build up with timber directly mounted to the blocks
Or use some very long heavy duty plugs and screws designed for heavy loads. Your talking like 150mm or something
 
mattyg said:
That wall looks battered I'd be tempted to Batten across the back of wall Instead of those brackets.

Is it a unit on its own or does it sit next to any other units.
Another option would be cut out the plasterboard and fix a batten to the blockwork behind. But that depends on if its actual breeze block or cement block.
Click to expand...

It sits next to another unit

How would i tell what blocks are behind without cutting the plaster first
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Its looks like the cabinets are hooked over brackets that are wall mounted?

Thats a pretty meaty screw there on that pic of the bracket on the wall
I wonder if this is a repeat issue by that number of holes
If your set to keep the cabinet then either do as above and break out the old plaster and build up with timber directly mounted to the blocks
Or use some very long heavy duty plugs and screws designed for heavy loads. Your talking like 150mm or something
Click to expand...

Its not a repeat issue to me. Its a new build and we were first owners. Been here 5 years now tho. And yes it just hooks over those brackets
 
If you can drill into it like hot butter its a breeze block..If it resists it'll be cement. Breeze blocks are a pain to fix to.

best option is probably cut some plasterboard out and batten and square up by fixing to the next unit along.

The frame fixing above will have some give.(Due to Length) And if you tighten them too much you drag the bracket through the plasterboard. If your careful they should work though


I would still cut out the plasterboard and fix a batten to the blockwork.

Or get some 2 pack resin and fill those holes so you can fix in the same place


Belt and braces, I would also fix a batten to the bottom of the unit in the void so you cant see it underneath. And fix to the wall through the unit back.
 
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If it's breezeblock / thermalite block I'd use some rigifix to fix the brackets to the wall.

Rigifix will span the plasterboard and will give a very strong fixing into the blockwork wall. It'll also eliminate the issue you are getting of the plasterboard starting to give way.
 
When I fitted my kitchen 15 years ago, I ran wooden battens underneath to take the weight then anchored the units to the plasterboard. Worked a treat, they've been rock solid.
 
I bought some screws specifically for fixing to dot n dab (pretty much all new builds use this method by the way) and they failed on my coat hook at the bottom of the stairs.
I used the frame fixings that Keyboard Warrior has suggested and it won'tr budge now.
For my TV wall bracket i used rigifix and I honest think I could hang off those.
My house is a new build and is breezeblock throughout on the internal wall

No need to change the brackets, I think they are standard kitchen wall cabinet brackets.
Also as suggested a batten along the bottom of the cupboard will offer additional support, we have done this and just painted it to match the colour of the kitchen cupboard, I did it because cabinets were sagging though.


godinman said:
Careful you don't drill straight through the wall! If it was me I'd be tempted to screw straight through the back of the unit.
Click to expand...
you do realise that a house wall is probably 300mm+ thick including the cavity ?
You need a very long drill bit to go through a wall, and if you are trying to do internal fixings using a drill bit that length you need to have a word with yourself tbh :D
 
I've fit an ikea kitchen and the wall units are held on with a rail, I used numerous gripit fixings for this and they're worked a charm, plenty of great reviews about them too.
 
Traditional rawlplug and screw fixings are a nightmare in modern walls.
I have just used those Rigifix fixings for fitting a TV to the a dot-n-dab wall, and was impressed with them. Use a power driver with them.

The kitchen fitter we had recently, recommended toggle screws with those plates.
That screw you have up there looks like a wood screw. If its not going into a wooden battern or rawlplug in a brick, I'm surprised it stayed up as long as it did.
 
Thinking im gonna get some of the rigifix fittings and some longer bolts and just drill thru the back of the unit.

Thing that worries me the most is behind that wall is the meter room for the whole flats and all the meters and the incomming power etc are on that wall
 
That's a standard cabinet bracket, though it looks like many attempts have been made to secure it.
You can also buy the same thing but as a long rail which you cut to size. This will allow a longer piece and more fixing points.
Judging by the size of screws & the small holes, plugs may not have been used at all.
Fixing to dot and dab can be tricky, but not impossible.
Plan where your holes are going to be, drill through the plasterboard only, and squeeze gripfill/gapfill/sticks-like etc. into the hole. Level off and go and do something else.
Once dry, drill with a slightly undersize drill and plug as normal with frame fixings or similar long plugs.
Filling the holes first stops the plasterboard being pulled towards the hollow wall and cracking, and also stops any lateral straining on the plug and screw.
 
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I had to fix a gun cabinet to a dot and dab wall at house we rented - I marked cabinet on wall - drilled a few 2" holes from top to bottom - Mixed up a runny dab mix and used a morter gun to squeeze the mixture into gap - did that all up behind where cabinet would go - waited few days for it to dry and then used rawl bolts that were long enough to go into block work - reason for filling is when you tighten up bolts or screws the plasterboard doesn't squeeze in which will eventually make cabinets feel lose on wall.

Another option is long screws but use a spacer the depth of space at back of plasterboard + thickness of plasterboard - When working I found plaster and dab and plasterboard walls a PITA as I used to fix cash boxes to walls.
 
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