IMPORTANT: THIS STEP CANNOT BE MISSED BECAUSE IT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE OR INJURY
Whenever you’re installing cabinets, it is vitally important that you secure them to the studs behind the wall. We recommend using 3/4” x 3/4″ L-brackets (you can use larger L-brackets if you feel it necessary) and installing them on the upper side of the top fixed shelf. One L-bracket should be placed where there is a stud behind the wall using a 1-1/2” screw into the wall and a 3/4″ pan-head screw into the shelf. Installing these L-brackets will keep the cabinet tight to the wall and prevent any leverage action of the cabinet to pull away from the wall.
Tip: When initially installing the steel rail, once you’ve determined where the studs are you can place a small “x” on the wall, in the center of each stud, approximately 4-1/2” above the rail. In this way you are not trying to locate each stud once again when you are installing the L-brackets.
With the Rail and Cap system, the steel rail has the capacity to hold the cabinet and clothing against the shear force. However, the cabinet can leverage out from the wall bending the steel rail. This is why it is so important to install L-bracket as they hold the cabinet tight to the wall preventing the leverage force. Of course, there is a limit to the weight any cabinet can hold and when in doubt a structural engineer should be consulted.
