"Arman" wrote in message
We are already way over budget with the granite and would like to
reinforce the cabinets and build the support wall ourselves. I had
taken a carpentry class with the carpenters union in Pittsburgh, so I
am fairly confident I can do this.
Strictly some thoughts in the FWIW category:
You have limited choices without going to more expense. Seems like the guys
installing the granite could give you some input, but then again, my recent
experience is that many of these 'installers' just want the money and could
care less.
Are the kick plates built in, the boxes themselves mounted on a kick plate
base, or do they use leveling legs? The anwer to those questions will be of
paramount importance, with leveling legs being the most problematic in my
experience.
A 1 1/4" slab of granite is going to weigh roughly +/- 24 lbs /sf. That is
thick granite, most of what I've seen is 3/4" slab which weighs in at around
15 - 20 lbs/sf ... with bullnose trim, it looks 1/14" thick.
Can you get by with thinner granite at a reduced weight/sf?
Although it is impossible to tell without seeing the cabinets themselves in
person, if the base cabinets are sturdy and will not rack when force is
applied front to back or side to side, if they are screwed to the wall
through solid tack plates on the back, AND to each other; AND if you have a
solid plywood substrate for the top that further ties the cabinets together,
then most of the weight should be distributed straight down and you will
most likely be OK, even with "builder's specials" ... again it is difficult
to make that call without being there.
If they were mine I would do the following as a minimum if budget was a
consideration: Satisfy yourself about the sturdiness of the kick plate
method and/or legs; Make sure the base cabinets are adequately fastened to
studs in the wall, and to each other; Brace (with glue and screws) the tops
with 3/4" X 4" plywood triangles at the top four corners of each box; Add a
3/4" plywood substrate across all the cabinets and make sure that it is
screwed into each corner brace at the top of each box.
You should be able to get a gut feeling of the effectiveness of these types
of measures on your cabinets ... go with the feeling.
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Last update: 2/13/04