How Strong Is French Cleat?

A French cleat provides a deceptively simple but quite ingenious way to hang items on your walls. It is easy to build, but it also allows you to keep some objects off the floor, creating more room for you. But just how much weight can a French cleat hold?

A French cleat is strong enough to hold heavy items like artwork, cabinets, mirrors, and even tools securely on the wall, supporting over 75 lbs (34.02 kg). You can use this 30-45 degree molding as a pair or cleat that mounts to the wall alongside a matching edge cut into the item you are hanging.

If you wonder how a simple DIY hanging storage system can hold up that much weight, read on to find out. You will also learn how you can build a French cleat for use in your own home.

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How Does a French Cleat Work?

A French cleat is a pair of interlocking wooden or metallic wedges designed to hold objects securely on the wall. Each piece has one of its edges bevel-ripped to 30 to 45 degrees. One piece mounts to the wall — its beveled edge facing up — while the other piece attaches to the rear of whatever item you are hanging. Only that this time around, the beveled edge faces down.

The two matching interlocking cleats then connect with the cleat held in place by the object’s weight. Combining the two pieces offers an easy way to mount or dismount your item while the force of gravity pushes the cleat together firmly, guaranteeing that it doesn’t come loose.

What’s interesting about the French cleat is that the interlocking cleat tends to be quite strong. Furthermore, it allows you to hang more weight than otherwise, with no fear of it falling off. And the best part? The more weight you place on the French cleat, the stronger the grip tends to get, pulling the hung item towards the wall and making sure it stays in place.

To hang your item on the wall, you only need to slip it onto the mounted cleat — without needing to use glue or fasteners. You only need to hook the upper cleat on the lower one. Simple, right?

Watch the video below for a more detailed explanation:

How To Determine the Strength of Your French Cleat

You can use a French cleat to secure practically anything against the wall, from heavy mirrors and artworks to cabinets and tool shelves. Indeed, a French cleat is strong enough to support almost anything you throw at it. What’s more, it allows for easy item removal and side-to-side adjustments for ideal positioning.

That said, you need to consider the following factors to determine the strength of your cleat and the type of things you can safely hang on it:

The length of the cleat
The weight of the fasteners used

The type of wood the cleat is made from

Nevertheless, the cleat is not the issue when it comes to holding weight since they can typically handle a lot. Better yet, a French cleat can support more than 75 pounds (34.02 kg) of weight with ease, depending on the number of screws attaching the cleat to the wall and items that are hanging.

On the other hand, the fasteners hold the cleat to the wall, bearing all the stress. As a result, they need to be extremely strong and securely attached to the studs to have adequate holding power. So, be sure to use large fasteners too.

Avoid using drywall screws since they are unsuitable for fastening wood components. Besides, you will also need drywall anchors to anchor the cleats through the drywall and into the studs. Also, consider using thicker pieces of wood if you’re hanging something with a deep recess.

Finally, you might want to make your French cleat a bit shorter than the item you wish to hang so that it remains hidden. This also allows you to adjust the object’s position to give it more support.

Benefits of Using a French Cleat

These are the benefits of using a French cleat:

It provides a robust, simple, and affordable way to hang heavy items.
It enables you to spread the weight of bulky and heavy objects across multiple wall studs.
It helps you organize your space while keeping items such as tools within easy reach.

It boasts a simple design which makes it quick and easy to use while delivering superior strength.

How Do You Make a French Cleat?

While you can buy a metal French cleat at your local hardware or home improvement store, you can easily make one for yourself within no time. This will not only save you money, but you will find that you can even use readily available material such as wood scrap.

Making a French cleat is a simple DIY project that you can do in your workshop or home garage. While you can use any type of wood, plywood is the best option since it resists splitting, and its layers make it much stronger than regular wood. The heavier the object that needs hanging, the larger your french cleat needs to be to allow for multiple studs.

What You Need

To make the French cleat shelf, you need the following materials:

3/4 inch (1.91 cm) plywood
Wall studs

Table saw
Saw guide
Screws

Wood screws
Wood glue

Next, follow the below steps to make a simple tool-hanging shelf:

Take the ¾ inch (1.91 cm) plywood and cut it into a 5×30 inch (12.7×76.2 cm) strip. This piece will be your mounting cleat, i.e., the one that will hang on the wall. You are free to make the strip as long as you wish, so long as it’s lengthy enough to anchor onto two wall studs spaced 16 inches (40.64 cm) apart.
Make a 45-degree bevel-cut at the edge of the mounting cleat. Use a jigsaw, table, or circular saw to do this. Alternatively, you can use a straightedge guide (fence) to help you produce a straight cut alongside the entire length of the strip.
Now, cut out a much shorter strip of plywood for the cleat that attaches to the back of the tool shelf you wish to hang. Then, make a bevel cut similar to the one you made on the mounting cleat. Bevel-cut the cleat edge to 45 degrees, just as you did for the longer mounting cleat.

Screw together two short plywood pieces to create your tool shelf. Screw and quickly follow this step by gluing the smaller cleat to the rear part of the shelf, with the beveled edge facing downwards.
To secure the mounting cleat to the wall, screw it into the wall studs. But first, ensure the beveled edge faces up and that it’s perfectly level.
Next is to hang the tool shelf on the mounting cleat — right after picking your preferred position on any spot along the cleat’s length. Your French cleat is now ready to use. The pair of beveled plywood pieces should fit tightly together, and the tool shelf should lie flush against the mounting cleat.

If the need arises, you can reinforce the French cleat by incorporating side supports. The supports provide the extra strength needed to hold heavier items and prevent them from sliding off the shelf. You could also add dowels to your French cleat shelf for holding items like hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers.

Final Thoughts

A French cleat is a sturdy woodworking technique that’s excellent for hanging bulky items like decor, shelves, fixtures, mirrors, etc., upon a wall. It also provides a simple and beautiful way to hang your cabinet on the wall, plus the added advantage of shifting the cabinet from side to side if you wish. So, go ahead and make one for your home and let your decor stand out even more.

Sources

Wikipedia: French Kit