Metal Cabinets on Concrete Wall

[kbuhagiar]

Hello Folks,

I am in the process of installing my NewAge cabinet system in my basement garage. The wall cabinets will be mounted to a poured and painted concrete foundation wall, which is surprisingly smooth and plumb, and there are no known issues with moisture.

NewAge recommends using TapCons for installation, got my hammer drill ready and everything seems good to go.

However, somewhere in the back of my mind I remember many moons ago speaking with an old-time carpenter who mentioned that you should never mount metal cabinets directly to a brick/concrete surface.

So, before I proceed, is there any credence to that long-ago memory?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mackey]

I'm sure that in this day and age there are fasteners designed that might help set a sufficient air gap, but if I were investing in some nice metal cabinets (or even some used ones from the Restore), I'd probably look at backing them up with some plywood against the concrete. To me its no different than a breaker box. Will eventually start to contact moisture, or build condensation as temperatures are communicated through the cool concrete against warmer air in the basement.

I'm no expert though- your conditions in your space could vary greatly from my experiences.

Sent from my LGUS992 using Tapatalk

 

[Mackey]

Just remember that its not just the moisture that comes through the concrete that you need to contend with. Its also the moisture that's inherent to your air, and your cabinet materials temperature relative to the dewpoint. Just like window condensation. That moisture didn't come through the window glass- it just collected there due to a micro climate that was created.

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[matt_i]

I think I would use something that doesn't corrode as a spacer. Could be as cheap as multi-layer washers made of LDPE milk jugs, Delrin/acetal (machineable plastic) or even aluminum flat bar. Something like 1/4" plywood might also be good but I'd put it lower on the tree due to the fact it can hold moisture.

As others have suggested a dehumidifier for "maintenance" is a good thing in a basement, if you ask me.

 

[driftpin]

Oh-oh, my Gladiator cabinets are all mounted to the cbs wall directly. I used 1/4" hex-head tapcons & flat washers and also an oak ledger, I ripped a clear 1 x 2 and used that leveled to greatly-ease the effort of mounting the cabinets. Mine are in my garage, not a damp basement. If you have a damp basement, I can see the advantage of using stand-off pieces to mount the cabinets, and a dehumidifier, as mentioned. When I've needed something of the sort of plastic mentioned, I head to the house siding area, there are all-sorts of dimensional plastic material that can be used, shaped, and otherwise implemented in your projects. I just used some of that plastic siding to rip thin, narrow stand-off 'feet' for my 3/4" cabinets I just assembled for the laundry/pantry. I used paint on the bottom of the cabinets, and then contact cement and brads to fasten them to the bottoms of the cabinet sidewall 'feet.' Now in the event of a minor spill or leakage, the cabinets won't be sitting in water, unless it floods much-higher.

 

[rustyjames]

I would think that some tar paper between the cabinet and the concrete would be sufficient to keep them from rusting.

 

[exmaxima1]

When I repurposed my parents' 1950's metal kitchen cabinets as shop storage, I installed a couple of boards across the basement walls (lead anchors) and hung the cabinets on the boards. No issues with rust.

 

[73RR]

...concrete holds moisture.....
The 'old-guy' was right, use a plastic spacer of some sort at each fastener. I often slice thin 'washers' from PVC pipe for similar stand-offs.

 

[Duker]

What about using a "French Cleat" type mounting system? It keeps the cabinet from the wall, is easy to make and can provide some felixibility in moving cabinets around.

 

[Ray-CA]

What about using a "French Cleat" type mounting system? It keeps the cabinet from the wall, is easy to make and can provide some felixibility in moving cabinets around.

THIS!!!!!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g2340/how-to-build-a-french-cleat-shelf/

Ray

 

[dittle fart around]

We used Bitchmatic on any metal to cement connections. It's a tar like product applied with a putty knife. That was the worst job at the substation. I worked for a regional power marketing agency, as the newbee that's the job I got. We used diesel fuel to clean up. Throw away the gloves and the coveralls and make sure not to wear your boots home. That **** got everywhere.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Thanks for all the replies.

After more research and reviewing the comments I have decided not to mount the cabinets directly to the concrete wall.

My revised plan is to mount 2" x 4" furring strips along the length of the concrete wall (212" total) at three different heights (34", 63" & 81") to correspond with the pre-drilled mounting holes on the cabinets, and then attach the cabinets to the 2x4s.

My original plan was to use 3/16" x 2 3/4" flat-head Tapcons to attach the 2x4s to the wall. But now I am also considering renting a powder-actuated tool (like a Hilti gun) to drive the fasteners into the wall, if this would make for a better/stronger/faster installation.

Any recommendations? And in either scenario how far apart should I space the fasteners?

Thanks again for the input.

 

[rayra]

seconding furring strips or the cleat setup.
Antoehr method is applying a strip of butyl rubber window flashing to the back of the metal cabinets along top and bottom edges or wherever your fasteners will be penetrating.

 

[rustyjames]

If you never used a powder actuated tool in the past, I don't recommend that. Stick with the Tapcons.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Use a 1/2"pvc trimboard ripped in half and only a couple of tapcons to hold it in place. Attach cabinet tapcons through pvc into concrete. There is no reverse on a hilti gun.

 

[R4151NC41N]

Helped my FIL put some New Age Pro Series (same as Link but in blue)

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/per-2...24711&wl13=&wl15=45256337404&wl17=1o4&veh=sem

And we decided on slicing a mud flap from a tractor trailer to keep it off the wall. 1 strip that we set the tap con through and one on the bottom for equalization. Worked perfectly and that was 2.5 years ago.

 

[jimgood]

How about just painting behind the cabinets with one of the moisture blocking paints like UGL Drylock or KILZ Basement and Masonry Waterproofer?

 

[ford33]

Use the tapcons they are easy to install using the correct size drill bit. When installed correctly they will hold tight. It takes some practice not to enlarge the drilled holes and to place the holes in the CMU block.

A 2x4 seems like overkill for a furring strip. I like the idea of a pvc board cut to fit. No painting needed and it looks nice.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Use a 1/2"pvc trimboard ripped in half and only a couple of tapcons to hold it in place. Attach cabinet tapcons through pvc into concrete. There is no reverse on a hilti gun.

Use the tapcons they are easy to install using the correct size drill bit. When installed correctly they will hold tight. It takes some practice not to enlarge the drilled holes and to place the holes in the CMU block.
A 2x4 seems like overkill for a furring strip. I like the idea of a pvc board cut to fit. No painting needed and it looks nice.

I never thought about using the PVC trim board; I agree, that sounds like a better solution than the 2x4s.