The kitchen is often the place where families gather to prepare and share meals, as well as make memories. It’s no surprise then those kitchens require more space than other rooms in the home. Whether you’re remodeling your existing kitchen or building a new one from scratch, you will have many design decisions to make. One of those decisions is what type of cabinets to put in your kitchen.
Hanging kitchen cabinets on plaster walls could be challenging, but it can be easily mastered. In order to learn how to hang kitchen cabinets on plaster walls, you need a step-by-step guide that takes you through the process. This will help you with your plans to place or change your cabinets in your kitchen so that you complete the mission with as little hassle and problem as possible.
Table of Contents
Scrub the area where you’re hanging the cabinets with an abrasive sponge or stainless-steel scrubbing pad
There are many ways to hang kitchen cabinets, with some being better than others. If you have plaster walls, the best way to hang kitchen cabinets is with a stud finder and a hammer drill. You’ll need to make sure the anchors can be removed after the cabinets are installed so measure carefully when placing the anchors in the wall.
Some people like to buy a laser level and use that to mark the wall’s surface where they want the cabinets hung. This makes it easier to line up all of your cabinets but it’s not necessary if you can hold a straight level on your own. I’m assuming that by “hanging” you mean screwing them into place. If you don’t have studs behind your plaster walls, you’ll also need anchors for hanging the cabinets on plaster walls.
You should be able to find plastic or metal anchors at any local home improvement center along with screws long enough for the job at hand. Just remember that the screws will need to penetrate both plaster and drywall, so measure twice and cut once when buying those screws!
Use a hammer and chisel to remove any old pieces of plaster that may not be firmly attached
- Use a hammer and chisel to remove any old pieces of plaster that may not be firmly attached.
- Use screws with a minimum length of 1.5 inches, like these Tapcon Screws, to ensure the screw is long enough to penetrate the plaster, lath, and into the joist or stud. The screw head should be flush with the face of the cabinet or bracket as well as countersunk below the surface.
- Use a small drill bit to drill pilot holes through the center of each of your marks on the cabinet or shelf bracket. A pilot hole will prevent cracking and splitting of the plaster when you drive in your screws.
- Drive-in your screws using a screwdriver bit or drill motor for ease of installation.
- When using brackets for shelves, we recommend using two screws per bracket at a minimum, even if only one screw is required per manufacturer instructions.
Hammer any bits of plaster that are sticking up or out back into place
Plaster is a building material that has been used for centuries to finish interior walls. Although plaster walls are durable, they can crack and become damaged over time, which may make it difficult for you to hang cabinets. If you have plaster walls in your kitchen, you can still successfully mount cabinets by following some simple steps.
Step 1
Hammer any bits of plaster that are sticking up or out back into place. Use the hammer gently so that you don’t crack the plaster further.
Step 2
Drill pilot holes through the cabinet with a drill/driver. You need to be able to see the wall through the pilot hole, so adjust the depth of the drill bit accordingly.
Step 3
Insert plastic wall plugs into each pilot hole and press them firmly against the wall. If there are any gaps between the plug and wall, fill them with silicone caulk. Allow it to dry completely before proceeding with the installation of the cabinets
Drill small pilot holes in the wall to make installing the screws easier
When installing kitchen cabinets, it’s important to get the upper wall cabinets secured properly. If you’re installing your cabinets on plaster walls, it may take a little more time and effort to ensure that the cabinets are secure.
Installing a cabinet on plaster can be easy if you follow these steps:
- Mark your studs with a stud finder and mark accordingly on the wall where you want to install each cabinet. You can also use a hammer and tap along the wall to hear for hollow areas where there is no stud.
- Using 1-inch drywall screws, drill small pilot holes in the wall where you want to install each cabinet. This makes installing the screws easier and will prevent cracking of the plaster when installing them.
- Once you have drilled all pilot holes in all marks, screw in your cabinet screws into each hole until they are snug against the wall. This will ensure that your cabinet is secure and won’t fall off in case you need to put something heavy into it.
Install your cabinets with new screws if your pilot holes are too large for your older screws
Plaster walls are thick and hard, which makes hanging kitchen cabinets a bit trickier than installing them on drywall.
Installing screws directly into plaster can cause the material to crack. Instead, you should drill pilot holes for the screws and fill the holes with plaster. Once the plaster dries, it will hold the screws in place for years to come.The process is a bit more time-consuming than installing cabinets on drywall, but it’s still an easy project that can be completed in a single afternoon.
A few minor preparations will help you hang your kitchen cabinets with ease
A few minor preparations will help you hang your kitchen cabinets with ease.
- If you are hanging the cabinets on plaster walls, be aware that these walls are much thicker than drywall. The cabinet mounting screws may not reach the studs behind the wall. You can use a special screw called a “toggle bolt” to go through the plaster and reach a stud.
- Toggle bolts look like regular screws, but they have a butterfly-shaped toggle that opens in the middle. When you insert them into the wall and begin tightening, the toggle will fold up against the shaft of the screw until it reaches the thickness of the wall. Then it will spring open, creating wide wings against the back of the wall for support.
- To install toggle bolts, drill pilot holes and insert the bolts, then use a screwdriver to tighten as usual.
- You can also use molly bolts for hanging cabinets on plaster walls. They are similar to toggle bolts in that they are also butterfly-shaped and expand inside the wall for support, but do not require drilling pilot holes. Simply tap them into place with a hammer, then use a screwdriver to tighten them as usual.