Installing IKEA Lillangen high cabinet (with feet)

Question

I need to install a Lillangen high cabinet that has feet on the floor but as it's tall it needs to be secured with four screws. There is a stud I can use but I am scared of not screwing right into the middle of the stud and hitting a wire although I can't find any wires with my voltage meter on that wall. Everything I read about drilling into walls and avoiding wiring seems fairly vague.

Can I attach it using one stud and drywall for the other side? And do I need to use a molly bolt? Or an anchor or other kind of attachment? Is 1 1/4" enough or too long for wires? I'm still not sure about wires in drywall if I drill well away from the stud.

Would this kind of cabinet be safe to attach to only drywall since it has feet? Thank you.

Edited to show metal brackets to connect to wall.

Aloysius Defenestrate · Answer

I'd never tell you to ignore Ikea's excellent instructions, but 4 screws through the middle of the cabinet back might not be as good as 2 good screws with L brackets on the very top of the cabinet. If the back of the cabinet is flimsy 1/4" stock, then the 4 screws are extra useless.

If you choose to use brackets on top because you just want to keep the cabinet from falling over (as opposed to completely holding it up), you have a high probability of having one stud to screw into. There is always the chance that you'll hit electrical wire, but it's not that common. (Be extra careful if there's an outlet behind the cabinet, as that increases the chance that there's wire running down the adjacent stud.) Try to figure out how thick your drywall is by looking at outlets on the same wall, and size your screw accordingly.

For the second non-stud bracket, a toggle bolt should be solid enough. It's very unlikely that you'd hit a wire in the space between studs.

If I was buying L brackets for just this job, I'd get ones in the 2-3" range, preferably with 2 holes for the cabinet top and 1 hole for the wall. Predrill for the short screws that go on the cabinet top.

Installing IKEA Lillangen high cabinet (with feet)

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