Hanging a kitchen on plasterboard

[SpidersAreShitheads]

Hi,

Due to a cock-up in the building process, my mum's new extension has been built with plasterboard, not hardwood plyboard as it was supposed to be.

The builder has said that it's still OK for kitchen cupboards to be hung because they can use rails that are fixed to the steel joists in the walls (example photo attached).

I know nothing about this subject and Google is leading me on a merry dance.

Has anyone done this please - and how did it work out? Were there any issues with stability or strength?

Thank you.

We have an ikea kitchen and the majority of the units are against a stud wall (plasterboard screwed to a wooden frame) which we built to try and straighten the wall up. The units hang from these rails and seem much easier to put up than the other type that you hang from the wall.
You do screw them into studs or beams though.

@Sparklynewname - aaah OK, that's really interesting thank you.

These rails would need to be screwed into a metal frame as it's a modular build, not a traditional one. But the same principle though. The builder says that it's easy to do and won't be a problem.

Is there any gap between the wall and the back of the cupboards? My DM is worried there will be a noticeable gap where the cupboards are mounted onto the runners?

Hi, not a noticeable gap at all. In fact, I only noticed the gap today by my back door which I am always in and out of and the kitchen’s been in 6.5 years haha!