Counter top bar-do you need supports?

11 years ago

In my new design, the counter top will be extended out to make a seating area. I've seen some designs where it appears there are structural supports attached to the cabinets and supporting the counter top and then I've seen others where there no obvious supports. Is there a rule of thumb to know if I'll need supports?

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bahacca
Original Author

11 years ago

cloudswift-thanks for that idea as well. I will want something that isn't visible. I also don't want to block any space under the area since bar stools will be there. I'd also like to avoid knee bumping on any supports.

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Comments (16)

Brent B
11 years ago
What material are you wanting to overhang, and how far?
weedmeister
11 years ago
Yes, there are rules. It depends on materials and thickness and attachment method.
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cakelly1226
11 years ago
We have supports but you can't see them.
rocketmomkd
11 years ago
I had the same questions about overhangs. We'll have two in our new kitchen. There are requirement, as state already, and if you do a google search you'll find lots of info. But your fabricator should also be able to answer your questions. Ours told us how many supports we would need. We are using hidden brackets from Federal Brace for both our overhangs, one on a pony wall and one over 24" base cabinets.
kimiko232
11 years ago
We have just 10 inches on our bar. Anything over 10 inches should be supported. We have quartz. We were told this by both the installer and several places we got quotes from.
bahacca
Original Author
11 years ago
Granite and would be about 18-24 inches hanging over(a gentle curve, hence the differences in measurements)Thank you so much! I'll make note to ask the fabricator/installer about the braces.
secondcup
11 years ago
I go with 12" as a rule (for granite, wood, and quartz counters) but whether it's 12" or 10" you'll definitely want braces.

Do you need any help finding some? There are a TON of options online but I found some great/easy ones. You can either get them in stainless steel or "cold rolled steel" which is basically raw steel that you have to paint with a spray paint. I got stainless because I went with a bracket that didn't show at all rather than a decorative one.
Cloud Swift
11 years ago
We have 2 cm granite (geologically our stone is really quartzite) and a 15" overhang. It's supported by a 3/4" plywood underlay and steel bars that are inset into channels routed in the plywood. The plywood is covered by the laminated edge (i.e. 4 cm double thickness of granite) of our counter top so there is no visible support. If one doesn't do a laminated edge, one could put a molding that matches your cabinets around the edge of the plywood to hide it.
remodelfla
11 years ago
I'm pretty sure this is the one we have:

Here is a link that might be useful: Federal Brace
hwieneke
11 years ago
My cabinet maker designed my island which is great for my family of 5 - we can sit around the island like a table:

Here it is with all 5 chairs:
charliehorse99
11 years ago
You can buy steel supports, for example these guys: http://counterbalanceshop.com/index.php

Here is a link that might be useful: Counter Balance Shop
Cloud Swift
11 years ago
Here is a thread where I posted pictures of what we did to support the counter.

Here is a link that might be useful: counter support thread
bahacca
Original Author
11 years ago
Cloudswift-thank you AGAIN-the pictures are PERFECT. When I talk to the fabricators/installers, I'll be sure to ask them about rooting the steel supports into the plywood sub.
Brent B
11 years ago
Plywood is for 2 cm. thick stone.

Corbels are for 3 cm. thick stone, with, generally 8" overhang, although this overhang number varies throughout the experts on the internet and your stone fabricators.

.
janralix
11 years ago
Our raised bar on the peninsula will be 18" wide. About 5" of it will rest on the supporting wall; about 1" will overhang on the counter side; and about 12" will overhang on the other side where bar stools will be placed. It will be granite and therefore pretty heavy - its 7' long. We didn't want corbels to interfere with seating, so our granite fabricator is routing the underside of the granite and installing 1/4" steel plates under the bar (every 18" or so) as supports. The routing allows the steel plates to be flush with the underside of the bar. They will be visible only if one bends over and looks up underneath the bar. They charged nothing extra for doing this.