Installing wall-hung bathroom vanity?

[blt]

Hi - just bought a new bathroom vanity, which is designed to be wall-hung. It's 1200mm wide, 600mm deep and 800mm high - and very very heavy! :eek:

Much to my dismay it didn't come with any instructions for installation. The back of the cabinet is flat - there are no fittings or screw holes. It did not come with brackets or fittings other than the sink drain.

So, how are these heavy vanities usually mounted on the wall? I thought that perhaps you would simply use some large screws straight through the back of the cabinet into wall studs, but then I was worried if that would be strong enough. Perhaps some kind soul would offer a solution/advice? :o

Also, how high off the floor are wall-hung vanities usually attached?

Thanks a lot for any help! :D

[seriph1]

any chance of a pic of the room and the vanity unit? including the back ..... reason I ask is fixing will likely be determnined by the construction of the cabinet.....Also, is the wall you wish to fix it to made of plaster and studs, or masonary?

I believe 900mm would be standard height, but may be wrong

[journeyman Mick]

blt,
if it's designed to be wall hung then it should have a solid back-at least 16mm board. If you have a masonry wall use at least 6 dynabolts 10mm dia. If it's a timber stud wall then you'll need to mark out where it will sit on the wall and look for the studs by either using an electronic stud finder or by rapping on the wall and then driving a nail in. Try to fix into at least 3 studs using 8mm coach screws. Check with the supplier, you should have at least gotten some specs on the required type and number of fastenings.

Mick

[blt]

Wow - thanks for the fast replies!

I am attaching it to a plaster wall... I must admit I haven't checked how many studs are in that section of wall yet, but will obviously do that before attempting anything. This is the actual cabinet: http://www.blueaustralia.com.au/double.html

It does have a solid 16mm back. I think the 8mm coach screws are a good idea - do you need to put anything between the screw and the cabinet back (ie. washer, strip of timber) to protect the cabinet? I've seen that done in kitchen cabinets often.

I will probably contact the manufacturer to get more details regarding the recommended number of fixing points etc.
Thanks for the tips!

[Theva]

BLT,

We have one of these ( englefield tesero 1200 wallmounted) in our new bathroom.

http://www.englefield.com/mirrorsite/technical/

It has two hanging brackets but not strong enough to hold the weight according to local HN staff. Their advice was to support the bottom end with an Al angle screwed to studs then hold the vanity to the wall with additonal screws to studs (closer to top end).

Regards,

Theva

[blt]

Hi Theva,
That Englefield vanity was the one we were going to buy originally :) I kind of expected ours to come with a bracket? When we picked it up (from tradelink) the guys commented "this is the heaviest damn vanity we've ever seen". I haven't had any luck chasing up fixing info from the manufacturer, so I think I'll pop into the Tradelink and get someone there to clarify for me (I've put that off because the staff at my local tradelink aren't very knowledgable...).

btw Theva, you didn't also buy an Englefield shower cabinet, did you? We've been looking at getting one of those but I wasn't sure if they were worth the money or not.

[Jacksin]

It looks awful heavy. I favour a support bracket underneath out of sight, along with Mick's coach bolts. I hope the back is sufficiently jointed into the rest of the cabinet to take all this weight. I think its typical of designers of this type of gear not to bother how it is to be fixed or supported.

One wonders what would happen if you sat your missus on top of it to errrrr dry her toes
Jack ;)

[maglite]

Hi BLT,
Having not gone down the path yet....i am approaching with serious trepidation.
The bathroom is gonna be fun.....i cant wait:eek:

Seriously tho, what looks like a pretty heavy duty vanity, perhaps it would be easier to attach a length of angle iron to the wall.
In turn the vanity can rest on this and also be attached via screws or teks.
The top can be simply fixed to the studs as all the weight is supported via the bottom.
Just thought that i will add my 10 cents worth.

[Theva]

BLT,

No, their shower cabinet looked a bit cramped. We went for a larger shower area (1400 x 900).

Fixing vanity:

As per previous posts, we fixed it in 20 x 30 Al angle. Angle is glued & screwed to the wall studs (280mm off floor), vanity sits on top of it. Mounting brackets (adjustable hooks really) just hold the vanity to the wall.

The vanity is about 70kg; I did the final test by standing on top of it, no movement - solid as a rock.

Regards,

Theva

[Trav]

I don't know what it is called, but shouldn't it be hung with a baord screwed directly to the wall, and a matching baord on the back of the vanity. These boards have a bevel cut on the top (for the wall board) and bottom (for the vanity board). This will allow you to screw into the strongest part of the vanity, rather than relying on the backing board to be strong enough.

Either way, I reckon that tradelink or the manufacturer should give you some kind of indication on how to install it.

Trav

[journeyman Mick]

I don't know what it is called, but shouldn't it be hung with a baord screwed directly to the wall, and a matching baord on the back of the vanity. These boards have a bevel cut on the top (for the wall board) and bottom (for the vanity board)........

It's called a French cleat. Hmm, maybe I should've waited for Crabtree/Driver to point this out. :)

Mick

[TassieKiwi]

I've made a couple of these and installed them. If you have at least two studs to screw in to there is really no problem. use at least 4 screws as close to the top of the cabinet as is practicable. They'll handle the shear load. If you want to sit on it, or perform extra-curricular activities - well maybe you'll have to look at 12mm coach screws.http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif
Den

[MarkV]

French cleats while strong will still require you to attach it to the vanity ( some problem as attaching it directly to the wall I would think) and will give you a gap behind the unit equivalent to the thickness of the cleat. Contact the manufacturer for recomendations mailto:[email protected]%20 ([email protected]%20) and failing that have a look at your kitcken cupboards and see how they are mounted. In my houses they have just been screwed to the wall direct and seem to handle the heavy loads imposed by plates cups etc. if you don't believe me unload a cupboard and try to lift all the gear that normally lives inside you will get a shock at just how much they carry in terms of sheer weight

[Theva]

BLT,

I found the installation instructions for our vanity (not your model). It got some cutouts near the french cleats to keep backside of vanity flush with wall tiles.

If your manufacturer is not helpful or you need these instructions for reference then send me a PM so I can fax / email them to you.

Regards,

Theva

[Driver]

It's called a French cleat. Hmm, maybe I should've waited for Crabtree/Driver to point this out. :)

Mick


Good moaning!

The Frinch cloot is a vary usefall device! Just be ceerfull when cotting the boovel to get it at precosely 45 degroos!

Captoon Crabtroo.

[blt]

Lots of good ideas - french cleats are a nice, simple way to hang heavy stuff on the wall.

After a LOT of mucking around, I just couldn't get in touch with the manufacturer (they don't answer their phones, emails or faxes) and my local tradelink didn't have an answer. I asked the tradelink to get the info for me.... (they couldn't get in touch with the manufacturer either!). SO, tradelink got one of their preferred plumbing contractors to help us out.

He said that he installs these cabinets a lot, and he uses 7.5mm roofing screws (odd, but he said they're easy to drill thru the back of the cabinet & have a large head to prevent damage). He said he just uses 4 along the very top edge of the cabinet, and 2 in the bottom. Then he puts the sink top on with silicon. If he's installing one by himself, he screws a timber support on the wall under the cabinet to hold it in place.

Sounds reasonable, and fairly similiar to some of your suggestions. Now I just have to get around to demolishing our existing cabinet and hauling the new one in :)