[cork2win]

I'm still in planning phases of my kitchen but seem to be missing something. I know IKEA Wall Cabs are attached to the wall by the hanging rail system. I have an area in my kitchen plan that is basically a peninsula, and I'd like some cabinets to be hung over this peninsula. Is there a way to mount IKEA cabinets to the ceiling (or soffit)? Or can they only be mounted to walls using the mounting rails?

If I can't use IKEA wal cabs for this purpose, does anyone know of any IKEA cabinets or something that *could* be mounted to the ceiling that maybe aren't specifically meant for that purpose?

I searched for an answer but didn't find anything. Sorry if this has been asked a million times before.

[DesignDiva]

No, the cabinets are not engineered to be top mounted. They must hang from the rail so the bracket can transfer the load to the sides.

I'd suggest you consider leaving out cabinets above the peninsula. The new trend is to keep that space open rather than have the overhanging cabinets.

[cork2win]

Thank you Eva. I'm not much for trends and I really prefer the slightly closed off look the overhead cabinets lend to the kitchen area, so I'll have to look elsewhere for ceiling mounted cabs.

[Chuck]

I don't mean to disagree with the Diva (is that even allowed?), but you can hang cabinets from the ceiling or soffit, IF you can clear several "preliminary" hurdles - structural, design and labor. I've done it twice, and can tell you it's no picnic.

The process involves alteration of the cabinets and non-standard assembly and installation techniques, which would void any warranty that applies to your cabinets and fixings. It is also physically demanding, and requires at least two people.

If you're serious about this, PM me and I'll be happy to discuss it with you "in the back".

[DesignDiva]

No Chuck it is NOT allowed!

I'm sure you could figure out a way to hang anything from anywhere. What I said was that the cabinets are not engineered to hang from the top, and that is absolutely true. Your system involves bypassing the engineering and altering the cabinets, and, as you noted, voiding the warranty.

[C.B]

Regarding hanging cabinets, I bet a contractor or architect could come up with a solution. I can imagine that you'd need steel "L" shaped material coming off the ceiling and all sorts of metal strapping to create a "wall" to hange the rail upon.

It's been a while since I took Statics & Dynamics, but upper cabinets have a tremendous amount of stress on them and it would take some engineering to do this in a safe way.