I had been stressing for a long time about installing cabinets in the laundry room. They are expensive and even more so with the modern style that I wanted. Every week I would do laundry and have to juggle the baskets, cleaning rags, detergent, and dryer sheets, all of which sat on top of the washer and dryer. I also folded clothes on top of the dryer, so even more juggling.
While watching an excellent video series called The Weekender, Monica, the host, suggested installing cube dividers on the wall in a laundry room. It was just what I needed.
While you can get cube dividers just about everywhere, I was sort of fixed on Ikea’s Kallax line, with their big thick frames. However, Ikea specifically says you cannot install a 2×4 Kallax on the wall. To read between the lines, they say you can’t mount it on the wall using the stock mounting hardware.
Monica from The Weekender wasn’t using a Kallax, but she did mount the storage unit to the wall with reinforced L brackets, which is what I did as well. About $30 for four heavy-duty brackets (500 lbs load each) and lag bolts, plus $65 for the Kallax and it was a go. I originally expected to spend about $500 on cabinets.
First, I used a stud finder and marked the edges of all the studs in the wall. I would need to screw into the studs with the weight I’m working with (2×4 Kallax is about 75 lbs). I measured where on the wall I wanted to mount the unit vertically, then marked a straight line for the brackets using a straight edge and level. Then I marked the screw holes while holding a bracket at the straight line and between the stud edges, also using a level to ensure it was completely vertical.
Lag bolts are thick, so pilot holes need to be drilled to prevent cracking. When I drilled the pilot holes, I was concerned that I wasn’t getting any wood chips back out. I test mounted a bracket with one screw and put some pressure on the bracket. It ripped right out of the wall. So I made the assumption my lag bolts were WAY too short. I purchased 1.5” and I probably should have purchased 2.5” or 3”.
After getting longer screws, I drove one in to see when I would hit the stud. It never happened. Huh? I grabbed the stud finder and ran it over the holes I had made. The stud was not there; it was about 2 inches to the right, which did not line up with the stud edges I marked about 6 inches above. What a bunch of shit.
So I drilled new holes where the stud really was and got wood in the drill bit. Then I patched up the old holes and left them to dry for the night.
The Kallax is just short of 58” wide, which means mounting four brackets on four studs gives 48” of brackets for support. The unit also has some standard mounting brackets for the top, which provide not much more than tip-prevention. Those will be well-suited for the top of the unit.
With some help from my neighbor, I got it hoisted up and mounted
Next will be baskets and doors.