Help on how to mount old floating cabinet

Submitted by chocomu t3_124v0v7 in DIY

Hi there r/DIY! I thrifted a nice teak medicine cabinet and am hoping to mount it to my wall. As you can see in the pictures, there is a metal hook on each side of the back. Just curious if anyone knows what these would typically hook over/on to (they don’t have holes for screws) - a wooden ledge? It's also interesting to me that the sides don't extend all the way to the back (ie. they won't sit flush against the wall)

Any advice on how to get this baby up appreciated. Thanks!

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ifixallthings t1_je130t8 wrote

The metal hooks used to attach to a metal bracket that mounts to the wall first. Then it essentially hangs on that bracket. If this were mine, I would remove the back and metal hangers. Replace the back with plywood or similar to match the thickness of the top, then screw into studs through the plywood.

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chocomu OP t1_je5nc2k wrote

Interesting approach - would definitely be very secure but the back is visible through the inside of the cabinet (the back is a thin sheet of - I believe - MDF with a teak veneer on it), so my preference would be to retain it so I don’t have to stain anything or see the screws on the inside that go into the wall. That said, appreciate you sharing your thoughts and expertise!

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allangee t1_je1hmhw wrote

I'm guessing the original came with some kind of mounting clips that screwed to the wall first.

You could just use squares of plywood, built up to the same thickness of the inside of the clip, and then add a spacer the same thickness of the clip. fasten the plywood to the wall then hang the cabinet.

In the pictures, it also looks like there's a small notch for a similar clip -- there was probably some kind of modular system.

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chocomu OP t1_je1k334 wrote

That makes sense, I too wondered if it was originally built for a modular system given the era. Thanks so much!

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koolaidisthestuff t1_je4wlw9 wrote

Make some like 3” wide furring strips that run the length and mount them on the wall where you wanna hang it. Use the clips as hangers maybe.. looks 1/2”-3/4”

Some 3/4” CDX furring strips would probably do the job well. MDF would work too probably. I mean it’s a single cabinet you’re not gonna be loading it down heavy I’d think.

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Spinaccio t1_je23bp4 wrote

Know someone with a table saw? Look up “French cleats”. Really the simplest way to hang cabinets.

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