Suggestions for wall mounting NewAge cabinets in pole barn

[TheFixer]

Hi,

I've taken delivery of my NewAge Pro cabinets, and am trying to decide how to mount them to the wall of my polebarn.

They are going to fit in the 17' 1" gap between the two mezzanine posts shown below (together with photos of the wall under construction). Note that there are only two poles in that span, so I can't follow the normal process of attaching them to studs. The bottom 8' of the wall is sheathed in 3/4" ply.

I have one locker (that will go on the left), and a row of wall cabinets spanning from that to the right hand mezzanine post.

I also have 4 lower level cabinets, and two 84" workbenches(with a deliberate gap at the end for the electrical box that will be under the bench). I would really like to have them 'floating' (without legs), so that it's easier to clean underneath them.

I'm considering various options, and am interested in the thoughts of others. Here's the three I'm most seriously considering, but welcome others!

1. Just build a regular stud wall in front of the plywood, and fasten to those stud as if it were a regular wall (I would attach the studs to the plywood where it crosses the girts). I don't really like that idea because it means the cabinets will be two inches away from the plywood, which wastes space and perhaps creates a space for rodents etc to hang out behind them - but I'm pretty confident it would work. The studs would stand on the concrete floor at the bottom (with a very slight cutout for the trim at the bottom of the plywood, currently masked with blue tape).

2. Add horizontal ledger boards (probably 2"x6") that are screwed onto the plywood and into the to two structural poles (and are located at the correct height to hang the cabinets). Unfortunately the height of these boards doesn't seem to coincide with the girts, or I'd screw through the ledger, plywood and girt for the full length of each ledger board.
Each cabinet would have four lag screws (and the top hanger) fastening into the those ledgers. I think I like this the best but I'm concerned whether hanging all the cabinets on the ledger with just the two structural poles it is solidly connected to isn't enough (though I suspect that the plywood is adding a lot to the struture)

3. Add some kind of steel beam(s) between the two mezzanine posts, and work out a way to fasten/hang the cabinets on that. I can weld, and could drill tap into the posts to support brackets etc, but not sure it's the best solution.

Thanks in advance....

-Steve

 

[matthawk7]

Following for ideas...

 

[JohnX14]

What is the thickness of that plywood? If it's 3/4" and propertly fastened, you should be able to hang the cabinets off the plywood.

 

[TheFixer]

What is the thickness of that plywood? If it's 3/4" and propertly fastened, you should be able to hang the cabinets off the plywood.

It's 3/4", and it's fastened to the girts....

 

[66Caprice]

French cleat the 2x6 and hang them on it and put a fastener in the bottom of the cabinet to hold it in place.

 

[PoorUB]

Put a screw in each corner of the cabinet into the plywood, give it a slap and say, "That ain't going anywhere!"

I have cabinets in my garage with 200-300 pounds, and one probably has more weight in it, with four 2" sheet rock screws into the studs holding them up. It doesn't take much.

 

[TheFixer]

I think there's a big difference going into studs than there is into (just) 3/4" of ply....

That said...I'm thinking that attaching the wall cabinets to 2"x6" or 2"x8" ledgers which are themselves screwed into the two structural poles (and into the plywood) will probably be sufficient (that's my Option 2 above)

I've not yet decided whether to 'float' the lower cabinets (and the locker) though. Those will be a lot heavier...

Update: It appears a 3/4" plywood wall can support about 50-60lb per square foot, and more as point loads. Obviously depends on how well it is supported, but mine is all screwed to the girts, so feel pretty comfortable with that. (info from https://vinawoodltd.com/blogs/news/how-much-weight-can-plywood-hold )

That said, I would really like more than 3/4" thickness for the lags holding up the cabinets to grip into, so I think I'll still use ledgers.

 

[TheFixer]

Update for anyone following this thread:

I had a good friend visit who is a cabinet maker/carpenter by trade (he does everything from custom cabinetry to framing). He looked at it, and immediately made another suggestion, which I'm going to follow:

Add a second layer of 3/4" ply to the wall, screwed into the girts and the posts under any of the cabinets I'm hanging (so there's effectively 1.5" of ply). Ideally, use construction adhesive, as well as screws to fasten the additional ply to the existing ply. Do not have the joins in the two layers of plywood in the same places (either stagger it, or have it horizontal rather than vertical)

Effectively this is giving me both a ledger, and a double thickness plywood - and keeps the mounting area totally flat. I'm probably going to add the additional 4x8 plywood panels horizontal, with them starting at the top of the wall cabinets and ending just under the worktop.

Wish I'd thought of this: Means that the entire area is now as thick as studs would have been, and the entire wall is a lot more rigid and transfers the load to the posts and the floor) Also means that it's totally flat where the cabinets and the slat wall is (doesn't introduce any gaps or ledges where mice can hang out), and it's thinner than ledgers would have been.

I've also pretty much decided that all the lower cabinets (except for the locker) will be on casters so I can easily pull them out to clean under/behind them. This does mean adding two additional wall brackets for the worktops (as they can't rest on the lower cabinets) , but I've managed to find some that are both strong and thin (to fit between cabinets) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJQ9XLVX?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'll post photos as I go, and update the thread to let folks know how this works out (but it will be a week or two yet - currently working on the flooring for the mezzanine)

 

[TheFixer]

I had promised some photos....

Cabinets are all hung. As planned, I added a second layer of plywood, screwed and glued to the first (giving a total of 1.5" of plywood). I did also install the second layer horizontal, so it spanned the pole barn poles.

Very pleased with the results...especially having the lower cabinets on casters and still having a workbench above them. It's pretty robust. I sat on each of the brackets individually after I fitted them and it took my weight (around 175lb) with no issues.

I am going to biscuit join the two worktops together in the center.