I am building kitchen cabinets that will have Granite counter tops. Do the cabinets need to be beefed up to support the weight?. I was going to make the sides 3/4? plywood, the back 1/2" plywood. the tops/ nailer for the counter top to attach to would be a 4" wide 3/4"plywood front and back. will this be enough?
I built a set of cabinets for my home ("L" shaped) that was a 12' x 8' run. All from 3/4" ply and we installed 1 1/2" granite on top (2 years ago) and it is fine.
I worked for a kitchen cabinet shop for about 2 years and dont ever remember them building the base cabinets any different for laminate countertops or for granite or such. You figure that base cabinets usually arent much more than 36" wide and 22" deep or so. By nature they are pretty strong even with 1/2" plywood sides. Then you go attaching the base cabinet to the wall and also to other base cabinets you end up with a pretty solid structure. Just use common sense. If you somehow end with just an end panel next to a dishwasher or something like that which doesnt support, then you may have to do something.
Sounds like it should be fine. The place where you bought your counter tops can tell you the minimum requirements. I built my new kitchen with cabinets similar to what you're stating, for quartz tops and the installer told me that they would support granite it I wanted it.
I agree with the above…you should not have a problem with the weight using 3/4 ply…and as long as you use stable joinery and or pocket holes/screws for the frames I believe you can count on them stading up very well.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could
be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about shop safety, wood, carpentry, lumber, finishing, tools, machinery, woodworking related topics, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!