Picture below....please don't criticize the paint--it will be changed!

I’ll be the first to say it: I wouldn’t put anything up there.

The weight limit would depend on how well the cabinets are mounted to the wall and how much weight already exists IN your cabinets.

The piant is the least of the issues and I agree it depends on how much is already in the cabiets and I aslo do not like stuff there why not just one if you must and plan to fix the lighting

What does your collection of antique cast iron scales weigh?

PPF--All together they weigh between 30-40lbs. I can be flexible on which scales I choose to display.

Patricia Colwell Consulting--Thanks for your thoughts. The lighting is here to stay. For us old house buffs, it's a treasured piece, albeit not everyone's style.

Minardi--Thanks much for the concrete answer. 15lbs per square foot...I've got about 5 square feet, so 75lbs doesn't give me a lot of wiggle room. Better weigh my dishes!

I like your light fixture. I'd seriously consider finding another place to store and display your scale collection. They can't be properly appreciated so high above comfortable viewing level. I also think your kitchen would look better with nothing resting atop the cabinets, though I accept that for you "stuff-on-cabinets" may be a desirable look. It is for a lot of people. Come to think of it, it was for me once upon a time.

I'd not press my luck. Find another location where they can be better seen up close.

I don't hate your wall color. While it isn't great with your counter, I like that it doesn't draw too much attention to the empty space above the cabinets. I like the clean and empty look of it now. After all, it isn't exactly empty ... there's a paint color up there. :)

You can build a shelf right above the cabinets that is sturdy enough to hold 30, 40, 80 lbs. I wouldn't chance adding that load to the cabinet themselves.

Thanks much for sharing your thoughts; a "no stuff on cabinets" definitely seems to be the overwhelming viewpoint. I'll "weigh" my options carefully--I don't want to make a misstep!

They'll be fine.

Depends on who hung the original cabinets - someone who knew/cared about what they were doing, or some strung out tweaker of a tract builder. 😄 I found the original owner of my house. He told me one of the cabinets ripped off the wall one day after they moved in. He then paid a competent kitchen contractor to take all the cabinets down and reinstall them properly. Apparently it matters if you secure them to studs. Who knew?!

It also matters how the backs are joined to the sides, and the sides and tops/bottoms to each other. Ancient history built in place cabinets don't even have backs, but they have sturdy 1x4's fastened to the wall, to which sides and tops and bottoms are joined together. Many times, dimensional lumber rather than plywood. And lots of times with giant 12 penny nails used. Most would hold a 454 Chevy in them if you could get it to fit.

Modern low quality framed cabinets with 3/8" sides and thin hanging rails, well, putting dishes in them can be risky, just because of the cabinet construction. Then you have frameless systems that people install the hanging rail with toggles on drywall and never hit a stud.

You never know what a previous owner did, until it bites you. Or you renovate, and see how lucky you were that it didn't.

Probably MUCH ado about nothing, despite I am not a fan of decor on top

Pick your most important THREE .

Put 2 on one side, one on the other, and vary the sizes. You have not much more than a 54" space to work with, and LESS is more, and odd number is far more interesting

I don't think that top shelf is the best place to display your scales. Here's a link for ideas on How to decorate with vintage scales.

https://ca.pinterest.com/mattchris1/antique-scales/

Visually, I wouldn't put anything up there. But if you have an adventurous spirit, put one of the scales up there, carefully, and see what happens. The odds of the cabinets pulling away from the wall are very small, especially with only 30-40 additional pounds, but as I say, adventurous. If there are no "bad" sounds, add another.

Or... take everything out of the cabinets, put the scales on top, then add stuff back to the cabinets item by item, slowly...

No advice, but this made me recall this photo I saw recently:

Here's hoping that doesn't happen to the OP...

The above pic looks more like an earth quake issue, or they forgot most of the screws!! When in doubt put some more screws in the back of your cabinets and all will be fine!!!

Not!!!! Necessarily!!! If the screws! Aren't in the godforsaken studs!!!!

🙄😄

(And now that we've used up the exclamation point quota, carry on.)

@Ally De, good deal. Now if I could get my good friend on FB to realize that all the you-know-whats have been used up, I’d unblock her. Drives me nuts. Not everything is intense, surprising, or awe-inspiring.

Consider: grease and dust build up, weight concern/limiting the collection, and filling that space may just feel cluttered. To add interest, suggest instead adding a backsplash behind the stove and select one that will connect the counter, wall color and flooring (which is needed anyway).

If just wanting to display the scales, they would be more appreciated in a vignette on floating shelves elsewhere.

I would not put anything on the top of the cabinets. The antique scales will not be seen. You want them to be used for conversation. You want them there be admired. You want them to be noticed. Up there it will never happen. Up there they will just get dusty, dirty, and full of cobwebs. If you are anything like me, they will only be cleaned once a year and I will pray that I don’t fall😆

Littlebug, we may have the same friend. Mine posts very short things, usually no more than 3 sentences. But she ends every one with multiple exclamation points. ("We went out to dinner!!! I had the pasta!!!! It was sooooo gooood!!!!")

It takes me too much self restraint not to ask if her period key is broken.

(Edited to fix a spelling error. Sigh. I swear I used to be able to spell too!)