How do I Hang Dressing Tables?
- 1). Choose the location for the dressing table and use a stud locator to find and mark the studs in the wall. Stud finders vary from brand to brand, in general, depress the buttons on either side, place the base of the locator on the wall and move across the surface. When the locator beeps, lights up, or both, mark that spot as the edge of a stud. They should be either 16 inches apart in modern construction, or 24 inches apart in older buildings. Mark every stud in the area and align the ends of the dressing table so that at least one is in line with the stud.
- 2). Use a level to mark a line where the top of the table will be on the wall. Measure the height of the table, from the top to the bottom of the skirt along the back edge. Many have no skirt on the back; they are open to allow a mounting cleat (a board attached to the wall) to hold the table top up.
- 3). Cut a piece of 3/4-inch thick plywood or hardwood, 3 to 6 inches wide and as long as either the table skirt or the inside dimensions of the cleat space on the back of the table. This will be your mounting cleat. Measure down from the line you drew with the level to mark the bottom of the table skirt, or table top, whichever will rest on the cleat. Position the cleat against the wall at this height, centered on the table's position. Mark the cleat where each stud intersects it and bore two pilot holes with a 1/8-inch bit. Drive 3-inch treated deck screws into each of these.
- 4). Cut a square, 2 inches smaller than your table is deep (sticks out from the wall) from cabinet grade plywood in the appropriate grain for stained tables, or from medium density fiberboard for painted tables. Mark a diagonal line between two opposite corners of the square and cut it in half with a jigsaw.
- 5). Cut installation cleats for these triangle brackets, 3 inches wide and as long as the width of your square. Attach these to the edges of the triangles, so that the square corner is framed, and the angle remains open. Glue and screw these into the edges of the triangles, centered, so that 1 1/8 inch overhangs on each face of the triangle.
- 6). Notch the square corner of the triangles as needed to fir over the rear of the table skirt. They will be mounted with one install cleat against the bottom of the table, and one against the wall. Use the jig saw to cut the notch. The notch will also need to work around the install cleat you attached to the wall, so that the wall cleat of the triangle extends from the bottom of the wall cleat and the remaining triangle cleat, sits even with the bottom of the table.
- 7). Align each triangle with a stud, inside the width of the table and drive 3-inch treated deck screws through the cleats into the studs, one every 12 inches, angled toward the center, along both edges of each triangle.
- 8). Rest the table atop the cleats of the triangle, extended out from the wall, with its back edge against the wall, resting on the wall cleat. Drive 1-inch screws up through the triangle cleats, into the bottom of the table, one every 8 to 10 inches.
