French cleat Puns

Is there any reason not to rip a 2x4 down to 3/4” and use those as French cleats on my shop walls?

Thanks!

I can’t seem to find an answer. I saw one YouTube video that said don’t screw the cleats to drywall directly but wasn’t sure if he was saying that because people might not screw into the studs.

The wall has drywall Sheetrock on it now. Can I just run long cleats across it anchoring two screws into each stud along the way? Or do I also need a whole sheet of plywood covering the entire section of wall where the French cleats will be?

I’m planning on putting tools and such on the wall of my garage. So it will be some heavy stuff.

I have been thinking of using a French Cleat system to hang some jersey cases in my basement living room and maybe some shelves for memorabilia. I am thinking of some felt along the back of the cleat section on the jersey case to not scratch the paint of the wall. The question is how much contact of the wood need to be overlapped to hold the case? How thick of wood is normally used for a French cleat? Is 1" thick wood enough to have the felt on and leaving say 3/4 or 7/8" of contact surface?

Keeping in mind I have very little wood working skill. I was a plumber and we are called wood butchers of a reason. I have rebuilt my deck and a fence in the last 3 years though so I have done a bit of work with wood.

I want to hang a 32 lb framed mirror. I'm planning to use a French cleat. In my scrap pile now, I have 1/2" plywood or some 1x6. I've read that 3/4" ply is best, but would what I have be acceptable? If so, which one should I use?

EDIT: Thank you all. While I could use any one of the solutions below, for ease I have ordered a metal cleat set.

I’m looking to do a 4’vx12’h section of my garage wall in French cleat. The drywallers were a little too professional when we built and did a very nice eggshell texture on those garage walls. Is that texture going to cause problems with seating the tool cleats? Should I probably suck it up and use a sheet of 1/2” ply as a backer?

I have been trying to find a post or link to a standard French Cleat design (size and spacing) and cannot find one so here is my attempt. Please pick it apart and let me know if you have any recommendations.

This will be for use in a garage.

Tools Required: Table saw, Circular saw, drill, drill bit and countersink

Hardware: #10 torx 3"

The wood required:

2# 4'x8' 1/4" sheet of ply -these will be the backers

1# 4'x8' 3/4" sheet of ply -these will be the cleats ("Cleat ply")

Plan Summary: Cut the cleat ply into 4" x4 ft lengths with one side having a 45 deg bevel. Mount the backer ply long ways to the wall with the bottom edge 4ft from the ground to allow for a bottom cleat in the future.

Step 1. Cut Cleat ply in half to make more manageable 4x4 sheets. Using circular saw, I am unsure if my table saw is ideal for this.

Step 2. Switch to the table saw. All cuts after will be done via table saw. Cut the 2 Cleat ply sheets into 4’ x 8” strips. I will end up with 12# 4 foot by 8 inch strips. (the “Strips”)

Step 3. Cut the strips in half with a 45 degree bevel. This will be done by setting the fence 4” from the saw blade.*** Please verify this.*** this may also depend on how you saw rotates.***

a. This should allow the 45 bevel to cut the 8” Strip into 2 cleats each having the tall side of the cleat of 4”. I will be verifying this prior to cutting.

Step 4. With cleats made, we turn to the backers. Lay-out lines across the backers 4” apart.

Step 5. The bottom section will have a cleat, the one about it will not. This should yield a 6 cleat wall.

Step 6. From the 4’ edge, draw a parallel line 4” from the edge. This will be aligned on top of a stud. Assuming the studs are 16” on center, keep drawing vertical lines every 16 inches.

Step 7. Now that the backer is laid out mount it to the wall 4 ft off the ground. I will only be using 5 screws across the 8ft length just to hold it in place.

a. Place these temporary screws in an uppermost cleat portion. They will be removed once half the cleats are in place.

Step 8. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for the other backer

Step 9. With the backers in place, start with the lowest cleat and mount it flush to the bottom of the backer. Using a drill and countersink, place the holes on the studs. Ideally, the backers form a continuous 16 ft wall.

Step 10. Place a cleat (the “spacing cleat”)on the mounted cleat in the same orientation as the mounted cleat. Do not mount the spacing cleat. It is only

Ok, so these are easy to make, but I’ve been having trouble. I used some leftover pine, cut at 35* angle from a single 1x6. I put one half on a planter box, the other half on the house. I’ve had at least half of them fall off in the wind, (I made 8). So to fix that, I pinned it with a #9 torx screw and that did the trick. It’s still a bit wiggly though. I feel like I should have used a 1x8 and or different wood. I’m considering switching to zclips but that seems overkill also. I need it to hold about 150lbs (dirt, flowers, water in dirt when watering and an occasional 45 lbs dog that uses it to peer in our window from outside)

I need tips for n improvement on using cleats to support a 6’ planter box that is about 8” wide at the top (5* cut on the sides to angle it)

Looking to build at least some french cleat rails as well as some pegboard areas. Above, I'll put "floating" shelves for bins of things like seasonal decor, seasonal hobby supplies, etc.

Example of a french cleat wall: https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-build-a-french-cleat-tool-storage-wall/

I'm thinking bins ( everywhere but under the garage door track then a couple rails then pegboard.

Any advice you've got is appreciated. Specific questions: Do I need a backer board behind my french cleat wall? My garage walls are drywall. What lumber products would you use for the rails & cleats? I was thinking MDF just because I like the clean edges. Note: I want to paint it all white. What pegboard product would you use? I was planning on the cheap stuff then sanding and painting it so the holes aren't brown. Thoughts?