Help: Where to add legs to kitchen cabinet credenza?

Hey there! I’m Rivkie.

I have ambitious (well, ambitious for me :)) plans to turn a few 24″ depth IKEA SEKTION cabinet bases into a “fauxdenza” (a la Chris Loves Julia) for extra storage space in our living room. Since we’re working with bases, not with uppers, because of the desire for spacious cabinets, I understand we won’t be able to mount these to the wall – rather they’ll need to be on legs.

I like the leg idea (looking at cool options at prettypegs.com or norseinteriors.com) but if I put a few cabinets side by side, they’ll need, like, 12 legs. Not exactly the sleek-looking piece of furniture I want.

The question: Can I connect a few bases together and rely on only end support legs and middle support legs? Or do the cabinets need loads more support than that!

where to add leg to kitchen cabinet credenza

~ Rivkie

***

Hi Rivkie

I love that fauxdenza from CLJ too.

At first, I too thought the base cabinets cannot be wall mounted. But I took a second look at the SEKTION assembly manual and yes you can! Shown right there on page 16 of the manual, it is wall-mounted using the SEKTION suspension rail.

But … there is a vital component.

sektion kitchen cabinet wall mounted with suspension rail

Due to the depth of the base cabinet, you’ll need to support the front with legs. But that’s good news, as we can get rid of the back legs.

Now, my other issue with your proposed design.

Considering the length of the credenza, my concern would be the leg placed in the middle of the SEKTION kitchen cabinet frame. The horizontal shelf of the frame may not be able to bear much weight, especially if you choose to use a wider base cabinet. It may warp.

If it’s storage for light items, the shelf may hold up. However, if you intend to store heavier items, I would make some adjustments.

Reposition the legs.

Not as sleek as you envisioned but you will end up with only 4 legs (minus the back legs if you wall-mount the cabinet as above). It will be sturdier. Set a pair of legs where the two cabinets meet. Like how Megan did. The vertical planes of the frame will hold the weight much better.

Photo: Megan Bell Made

Norse Interiors also shares a tutorial on how to combine multiple cabinets together to form a long credenza, using this same principle.

Not wall-mounted. Add wood supports.

If for any reason, you can’t attach the cabinets to the wall, you can add a wood support under the frames. Cut a piece of wood to join and hold the three cabinets together. Weight will be more evenly distributed along the wood support and reduce the stress on single points.

The MCM style credenza pictured above used 3 IKEA FAKTUM kitchen cabinets (pre-SEKTION) with a plywood wrap. They covered all 4 sides of the cabinets. But you don’t need to. Just add it to the bottom if it’s just for support. Then attach the legs to the plywood.

Here’s another way to do this.

Photo: Hearts and Sharts

Hope it helps. Do share your SEKTION kitchen cabinet credenza with us when it’s done.

Happy hacking,

Jules

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