Q. I noticed only three of the six screws that hold my kitchen cabinets on the wall are anchored in a stud. The other three were so loose that they pulled out of the wall with my fingers. How do I fix this?
A. The installers must have missed the studs when fastening the cabinet. The screws that pulled away were likely only fastened to drywall or plaster and they stripped out from the weaker material. The easiest way to locate the studs is to use a stud finder above or below the cabinet case. Once you know the wall stud location, you can measure inside the cabinet to locate where you’ll drive a screw through the back of the case and into the stud. The stud is probably just to the left or right of the existing screw hole. Use screws that are a minimum of 2-1/2 inches, and choose fasteners with large heads or washers to make sure the cabinets cinch up to the wall.
