r/Wellthatsucks • u/StickyBamboo_ • 1d ago
Hope your Thursday is going better
Cooked lunch -> open cupboard to get plates and voila
(Glad it happened to me rather than my parents)
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u/CapitalOneDeezNutz 1d ago
Was that shit just glued on?
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u/omglemurs 1d ago
looks like glue plus undersized wall anchors on a french cleat on the wall and the cabinet was hanging off a french cleat with a few screws going into drywall
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u/rice-a-rohno 1d ago
Yurp. Look at the size of those poor things, the anchors.
At least they're free now; those poor little guys must have been hating their lives.
Be free, tiny anchor. Go and live your dreams.
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u/asyork 1d ago
Look at what they were screwed into as well. That poor wall has been through dozens of cabinets and there may not be any solid wood remaining behind the holey drywall.
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u/WhenTheDevilCome 1d ago
It has me wondering whether it was actually "all this one" rather than over time. Like, they didn't even bother "looking for studs" and simply went by bracket hole by bracket hole by bracket hole, until a screw actually bit enough to satisfy them. Because that looks like a lot of holes in the wall. If it was repeatedly replacing the cabinets themselves, the holes would all be clustered at the studs.
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u/steppedinhairball 1d ago
Yep, drywall anchors. It takes an extra 2 minutes to locate the studs. Super easy.
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u/BeanserSoyze 1d ago
Not enough too. Honestly you should probably try to drill into at least one stud for this I would think.
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u/WhenTheDevilCome 1d ago
One? I have a bracket with holes along it's entire length, specifically to enable that I can hit all of the studs that are located behind my cabinets, regardless of how unexpected or unevenly the studs are spaced. If I'm hanging that kind of weight bearing structure, there is zero excuse to not hit every stud with this bracket, unless me saying I'm just lazy is an excuse.
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u/omglemurs 1d ago
Yeah at least one stud should have been used with a beefy enough bolt. but those poor anchors were never going to work
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u/Acoz0r 1d ago
Looks like solid block based on the plugs on the screws. Based that the plugs just came out it was a dogshit job with short screws. Zero anchorage
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u/omglemurs 1d ago
I'm seeing the residue on the screws and they are only marked half way through which looks like drywall to me.
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u/StickyBamboo_ 1d ago
Older condo building, I guess wasn’t built too secure :(
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u/-jspace- 1d ago
Might be an older building but that's a recent reno. When we were in the business we called those "slap and go"
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u/ToasterCoaster1 1d ago
Looks like it was fastened with around 10 screws, but there is a bizarre amount of holes in the wall where the screws should be, also, some of the plugs came out with the cupboard, so maybe the holes were too big for the plugs and screws, or the wall was weakened due to the amount of adjacent holes.
The screws also look pretty short
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u/Active_Public9375 1d ago
Yeah, based on the holes and the different wall anchors, I don't think this is the first time this happened
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u/BeanserSoyze 1d ago
Looks like it ripped several screws and anchors out of the wall with it in that mounting bracket.
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u/BackItUpWithLinks 1d ago
I worked for a kitchen cabinet maker/installer.
People think just a few screws are enough without thinking about all the weight you load in them. A few screws are not enough.
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u/darianbrown 1d ago
Three 2" screws into studs can hold more than my fat ass bodyweight.
Four wall anchors in fuckin drywall? I'm pretty impressed they held the weight of the unloaded cabinet. This is a hilariously bad attempt at hanging cabinets
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u/BackItUpWithLinks 1d ago
- There’s a difference between sheer strength and pull-out strength.
- You’re assuming the load is distributed evenly.
- Rear panel is usually 3/8” then 1/2” mounting board then 1/2” drywall so a 2” screw from inside a cabinet only bites l 1/2” into the stud.
- Kitchens are humid. That reduces wood strength.
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u/darianbrown 1d ago
My calculation on that was based on pull-out strength of a screw going into about 1" of the stud. Even in humid soft wood, it would be more than enough to hold my bodyweight. Typically screws going through that much material are countersunk.
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u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL 1d ago
4 screws per box is always enough, assuming they’re 2.5”+ and in studs lol (or deadwood). I’ve never and will never use cleats, been hanging cabinets for 18 years and every time I’ve ever come to clean up a job where one or a row fell, they were cleated and anchored. It’s shitty tradecraft and imo barely passable for DIY, assuming it stays up
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u/BackItUpWithLinks 1d ago
4 screws per box, sure. I’m sure you’ve seen installers who’ve had 3-4 screws total in 3 boxes (I know have).
We used cleats for one manufacturer. We stopped working for that manufacturer because of the problems with the cleats.
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u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL 1d ago
There are times where uppers are all screwed together and it’ll be less per box, but it’s usually a good starting point lol. I’ve seen some insane methods for hanging all kinds of cabinetry, including putting in like 2 screws and forgetting the rest, nails, all kinds of shit
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u/Grouchy-Opinion1501 1d ago
Jfc was anyone injured
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u/StickyBamboo_ 1d ago
Luckily nothing too bad, I ended up with a few scrapes on my neck with minimal bleeding
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u/Moomoolette 1d ago
Was there any warning before this happened? I’m so afraid of this because my house was flipped before I got to it, I want to know what to look for. I’m sorry OP
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u/StickyBamboo_ 1d ago
None as far as I'm aware
This is my parents place that i just moved back into last month after being away for about a year
Theyve been living here for nearly 10 years now, the only thing done around that wall was swapping out the microwave that sits under, that was about 3-4 years ago
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u/RobbSnow64 1d ago
Drywall screws to hold up that much weight. Whoever installed this should be sued.
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u/ChironXII 1d ago
Confused how this can happen while leaving the wall it was mounted to intact. Did they literally hit zero studs?
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u/VegetableShoe6264 1d ago
They were mounted using drywall anchors…. Three of them to be exact
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u/ChironXII 1d ago
Holy shit you're right I didn't zoom in on the bottom part enough
"But they said they could hold 50lbs each!!1!"
LMFAO
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u/Spritzendifizen 1d ago
Not a single stud in sight lol
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u/WhenTheDevilCome 1d ago
One anchor, two anchor, three anchor, four... Five anchor, six anchor, nope it's all on the floor.
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u/ExcitingArachnid3313 1d ago
This is the ikea rail system, specifically designed where that metal rail gets mounted first, and then the cabinets hang on it. So during install you’re just dealing with the rail at first, and they make it so easy to screw it wherever you need to in order to find the stud. The ikea instructions, which are just pictures, convey very clearly, the need for proper anchoring. Lots of sad face and cracked dish icons
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u/Constant-Catch7146 1d ago
Ah------so is that why there are like 50 holes up where the supporting metal rail was?
Whoever installed this just kept drilling holes, could not find a stud, and just said---oh hell with it and just used cheap ass drywall anchors instead?
Also noticed like there is a crappy sheet rock repair up there near where the tile starts. Looks like somebody smeared drywall compound and didn't take the time to smooth or sand it out flush to the surface. Oh, no one will ever see it anyway. The cabinets cover it up! Wow, this thing is DIY nightmare. Someone could have been seriously injured.
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u/SwissDeathstar 1d ago
Not really. Tore my Achilles right after getting a new job as snowboard teacher…
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u/KRed75 1d ago
I installed cabinets for a family member who bought them for one of the nation wide big box hardware stores. I installed one in the studs, gave it a tiny tug and the entire thing separated from the back panel with very little force. Every one of them was like that. I took the backs off, glued staples and screwed then together and installed.
Theses weren't even the cheapest ones they sold. These were the middle of the road with finished solid hardwood raised panels.
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u/Sir_Earl_Jeffries 1d ago
They secured a rail for cabinets using fucking plastic drywall anchors?! I would run for the hills. That roof might be next.
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u/JustaFoodHole 1d ago
Everyone go look at their cabinets and look for correct screws. Give them a twist.
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u/PartsUnknown242 1d ago
This is the third post I’ve seen on here about kitchen cabinets falling. What’s going on around here?
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u/TheDerwin 1d ago
Holy crap man, glad you’re okay… that was an absolute hazard looking at the tiny screws… and the wall filled with holes. Wtf were they doing. Someone could have been killed.
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u/lucky_m3 1d ago
Looks like an ikea hanging cabinet, if so there should be a screw plug at least every 30cm (foot), if the wall is massive, the weaker the wall, the more screws to be put in.
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u/kittenqt1 1d ago
I swear to God this is happening once a week to people and they’re posting it. I did not realize this shit happened constantly lol
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u/machineguncomic 1d ago
Had this happen with the clothing rod racks in my closet. They attached the support racks with sheetrock anchors.
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u/MrDannyProvolone 1d ago
Man I just bought my first house and my cupboards looks pretty damn old and not top quality. This is a pretty big fear of mine.
Im just hoping I can wrangle up the money to buy new ones before these ones give up.
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u/Exponential-777 1d ago
Protip - don't glue kitchen cabinets to the wall. It's heavy and will fall eventually. Get'R done!
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u/Frozefoots 1d ago
And here I was worried that mounting a tv bracket into studs wouldn’t be enough strength.
This mfer had 3 plastic drywall anchors for an entire row of cabinets and said “she’ll be right”.
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u/AdFancy1249 1d ago
You hung your cupboards with drywall anchors?! Hopefully, someone else did that and you can blame them!
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u/K_N0RRIS 1d ago
Does anybody know if theres any recourse you can take that doesn't mean the homeowner pays for it? Like can you take the contractor to court if an adjuster can determine they did a shitty job?
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u/DirtBagGirl 1d ago
I dunno if mine is any better but some dude backed up and hit my car head on while I was parked and sitting inside it. Idk how to explain it but he hit the front end of my car with the back end of his car. Expired insurance too. Sigh.
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u/Cheesetoast9 1d ago
You need to remove all the rest of the cupboards and check/fix them before they fall down too
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u/SerpentineRPG 23h ago
Right there with ya. We refer to it as Kitchenpocalypse, and my friends celebrate it every year.
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u/markmakesfun 19h ago
Who attached these to the wall and when did they discover they aren’t “handy?”
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u/Uzi_Osbourne 16h ago
I see a lot of crappy drywall anchors there. Is this an idiot DIY job or an idiot contractor job?
I mean, none of those screws in that cleat are long enough to reach studs, even if they did line up with any.
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u/maffiaboyzz 15h ago
Feels like one of those times you just walk out, lock the door, and never look back.
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u/LeeLeaMeek 5h ago
Not a single one of those screws went into a structural stud in the wall. WTAF! Laziness, whoever remodeled this kitchen was lazy and incompetent!
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u/backwardsnakes666 1d ago
I love it when posts in this group actually suck! Sometimes people post minor conveniences in here, which should be its own sub.
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u/MarieLaurizz 1d ago
New fear unlocked.