2
votes

I am having a new granite counter top installed and the counter installer has said that I need to install new corbels on the knee-wall to support the weight of the granite counter top. The current and the new counter top extend about 12 inches beyond the knee-wall and the current brackets that are there right now (see picture below) will not hold the weight of the granite.

I agree with the installer that new brackets need to be installed but I am having difficulty finding corbels that would work. I have tried both Lowes and Home Depot and depending on who I talk to either they have no idea what a corbel is (I didn't either up until now) or they point me to decorative corbels which are not made to support weight, let alone the weight of a granite counter top.

Any ideas what type and where I could find corbels that would be strong enough to support a granite counter?

enter image description here

1
  • Locking because if asked today it would violate the product recommendation policy and be closed.
    – BMitch
    Jul 27, 2015 at 18:25

7 Answers 7

8
votes

Well Jeff, the term corbel is new to me also. I always thought corbel was a champagne. But as far as supporting the granite:

I think those corbels are quite ugly and rather than replace them with more ugly corbels, I'd be inclined to build a support structure around the top of the knee wall and trim it out. If you were to add a perimeter of 2×4's dressed out with 3/4" pine on that wall, you would increase the load bearing area from about 4 1/2" (3 1/2" stud plus 2 × 1/2" drywall sides) to 9 inches. 9 inches should be plenty to support the new 12" top. Add a little decorative molding to hide any exposed 2×4 on the bottom and a little Scotia or 1/4 round along the top under the counter and you got a nice finished look.

3
  • +1 for almost what my answer would be. I recently had this exact same problem and I built another wall on the end of the existing wall so that it looks like a T. Then I just continued the existing trim all the way around the new wall. Aug 3, 2011 at 15:40
  • @Tatton Chantry: Do you have a picture of what you did? Aug 3, 2011 at 15:51
  • I can take one and post it this evening. Aug 5, 2011 at 12:20
3
votes

I can't leave a picture on my comment, so I have to leave a whole new answer. Here is what I recently did.

enter image description here

The one wall was not enough to support the counter top, so I put the T on the end.

Also, as another answer... When I was looking for corbels for this, I found that Home Depot had corbels in two different places. One place was all the decorative ones, and one place was all the heavy duty ones. I think it was by hardware with the big metal brackets. They will definitely have a strong enough corbel.

3
votes

I had a similar countertop, and thought about making corbels, but ended up modifying pine shelf brackets from Lowes. I doubled them up, gluing two brackets together & filled the seam with wood putty.

Pine Shelf Bracket Item #: 233268

1
  • Huh! I would have thought that the wood would cause problems by swelling and shrinking. I guess there is enough give in the countertop? Sep 7, 2011 at 16:59
2
votes

If you're looking for a modest, inexpensive solution, then wood corbels or some hybrid as discussed would be your answer. However, if you have the budget and desire a classy look to enhance that new granite countertop, I'd consider wrought iron corbels.

0
votes

If the replacement countertop will have roughly the same dimensions as what's in the picture, you should be able to get away with a firmly secured subtop screwed firmly into the top of the wall. (Pic doesn't look like 12 inches). If you need to find something decorative try enkboll. They're a bit pricey, but make very nice products. If you want to go a little cheaper, try ebay.

0
votes

Hidden countertop support brackets are the solution. They hide under the countertop, they are strong so can be used with stones like granite and they make your counter top appear to float. Best of all no knocking knees and use all the bar stools you want because wooden corbels will not get in the way. Make sure they are at least 1/2 inch thick or they will bend. The more the countertop extends out the stronger they will need to be. cheap metal brackets will not work. You need strong wide rolled steel brackets of 2 1/2 inch thickness.

-1
votes

There are many hidden countertop support brackets on the market. Lowes just starting carrying them. I used http://www.counterbalanceshop.com for my kitchen. These would be less visibly then some of the other options.

1
  • This answer isn't much more than a link to a supplier website (who I hope you don't have an affiliation with, or it should be deleted as spam). To improve your answer, you could list the acceptable overhang amounts for whatever type of bracket you're recommending, why a specific design provides a better solution than others, etc.
    – Doresoom
    Aug 6, 2014 at 16:48

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