[phunam04]

I'm hanging 9" kitchen cabinet (wall) and hit air duct, no stud. I kept getting these odd readings on my stud finder, so I decided to drill a test hole and hit a air duct. After further inspection it seems that a stud is not in line with my 9 inch cabinet.

The air duct is about 12" wide and the 9" cabinet kind of falls a little off center to the ductwork, I do have a cabinet to it's left to attach it to but not sure if anchoring it only on the left will support weight after filling the cabinet.

Is this a problem, me hitting the air duct, I plan to patch the hole and any ideas on hanging the wall cabinet.

Can I use a sheetrock anchor and go into the duct???

 

[cabinetman]

You don't want to perforate the duct. You could use toggle bolts. Try to keep the bolt as short as possible. If the duct is that close, you may have to use hollow wall anchors, and you should use more than one. Anchoring to the existing cabinet, and to the wall, should provide enough support.

 

[phunam04]

So do you think if I use the existing hole in the sheetrock, (that penetrated the duct) will cause a problem? I do plan to use toggle bolts or hollow wall anchors.

thanks

 

[cabinetman]

The air duct is about 12" wide and the 9" cabinet kind of falls a little off center to the ductwork, I do have a cabinet to it's left...

If the duct is off center to the cabinet, use that space to install the fastener. I would prefer a toggle to the hollow wall fastener. If the duct is just a foil wrapped fiberglass duct, try to patch the hole with aluminized duct tape (foil type). If it's a shielded type of duct, like in sheet metal, it should not be used for holding screws or for anything structural.

Just a thought. Some construction installs what are called grounds, which are wood bracing between studs to screw cabinets to. Sometimes they may not show up with a stud finder, or maybe you haven't found them or a stud. Try locating a ground near the top where the cabinet gets screwed to the wall. Don't use a stud finder, instead, use an 8d or a 10d finish nail and see if you hit something solid. Make sure you put a small mark on the wall where the cabinet ends so you don't make holes in the wall past the cabinet.

 

[phunam04]

Thanks for your help