How to Stain a MDF Wood Corbel | Federal Brace

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Cathy Morgan, General Manager at Federal Brace, shows you how to properly stain an Eva Reinforced Corbel. She shows the beauty and craftsmanship of treating your protective casing that attaches to your metal L-Bracket in an easy two-step process. The finished product shows off the beauty of a wood corbel and the polished support of Federal Brace.

For further information on countertop brackets and MDF Corbels, please contact Federal Brace at http://www.FederalBrace.com or #877-353-8899

How to Elevate Your Kitchen Countertop

An elevated countertop brings a countertop to a new level of majestic appeal. Today, I’m focusing on how to install an elevated design that is considered fine hardware and can enhance the finest of kitchens. Federal Brace cannot make any recommendations on specific applications, because every application is different. But they can give some general information on particular styles of countertops, which I will do in this blog.

The first thing to do before ordering the brackets is to see how many you will need. Federal Brace recommends that you use a bracket at least every 24 to 30 inches on an elevated counter application. You will need to make sure that the bracket you select works with your sub-counter arrangement.

Now that you have your support in hand you will want to set to mounting the bracket using the mounting plate at the base of the support. You can set the height of your elevated counter by moving the mounting position down from the bottom of the sub- countertop. The support’s gusset will extend out and over the sub-counter.

You want to mark where to place your starter holes with a pencil. Make sure that your locations for fastening the bracket to the substructure allow for enough material for the screws to “bite into." Take an electric drill and put an eighth inch drill bit to make the pilot holes for your fasteners. PLEASE NOTE: Make sure that you don't drill all the way through the material the screws will fasten into.

You’re going to change up your drill so you can put in your quarter inch lag screws (or bolts), that will connect through the fascia material and into the stud or substructure. Now that the first lag bolt is connecting the brace to the material and the stud you want to make sure it’s level before you add additional bolts.

Once all the lag bolts are in you can use a ratchet to make sure they are snug. Don’t over tighten them or you may strip out the wood. You want to make sure you use an extension when using the ratchet so you will not scratch the finished surface of the bracket.

With your brackets attached ready to support your elevated counter, you can place your counter on the support plates of the brackets. Make sure that the slab width does not extend over 4” on either side of the plates and that the stone slab is evenly distributed over the full length of the counter. You will want to use an adhesive or chalking to fix the counter to the brackets.

With an elevated counter you will have a real showpiece in your kitchen area that can be used for serving. The spacious appeal and beauty of the elevated granite slab will enhance the look of your kitchen or even office reception area. ~ SK

How to spot the differences between Steel and Stainless Steel

When looking to design your kitchen Federal Brace offers two different grades of steel: Cold Rolled Steel and Stainless Steel. I am going to examine the differences and similarities between Cold Rolled Steel & Stainless Steel.

Similarities first - on a molecular level, which I won’t delve into too deeply, the components that make up the two materials are similar but contained in different proportions. We will discuss the effects of the component makeup later. The two types of steel have the similar deflection characteristics under weight (they carry a very similar amount of weight). This is where the similarities end.

Stainless steel is about forty-percent more expensive than cold rolled steel. The additional costs are due to the special processes required to get the non-corrosive nature of the stainless material and the elegant brushed metal finish. Stainless steel comes in a bright- brushed #4 finish, and that is good when you’ re trying to match to kitchen appliances. The good news is that you don’ t have to paint stainless steel because it won’ t corrode. If you are having trouble telling the differences between steel and stainless, you can use a magnet, because stainless steel has little magnetic attraction.

The cold rolled steel is raw and will rust if not treated properly. For large orders, we can powder coat paint steel, which basically means that we apply an electric charge to the bracket, and then spray on powder paint that adheres to the surface of the metal (I will likely do a wet paint vs. powder coat paint comparison in the future – so check back often). When you purchase the steel you’re purchasing it because of the versatile look it can give you. “ The reason we provide steel is that designers want a color that goes with their décor,” says Sales Manager, Broc Seifert, “ Some of the designers like to give our brackets a clear coating to give it a post-industrial feel. I can see it going well with a concrete countertop where everything is contemporary.”

When you receive your cold rolled steel brackets, machine oil or other surface protection coatings may be applied to the bracket. The brackets are laser cut, and the machine oil is attracted to the metal when they are being made. One benefit of the machine oil is that it will preserve the bracket during shipping. Use hot soapy water to wash off the oil before you finish them for installation. You will need to take care that the brackets are completely dry. Any moisture that remains on the brackets, including in the welds, will cause rust spots. The final step is to put a finishing coat of primer, paint or acrylic on the now clean bracket as soon as possible after washing to prevent rust from forming.

Bottom line is whatever you are looking for you must be careful to treat your brackets properly. If you have stainless steel they require limited maintenance, but cost a little bit more. If you have purchased raw steel brackets you must paint them to prevent corrosion. Be careful not to scratch them during installation.

Thank you for your time. Thanks for joining me at the Federal Brace How To Blog. Have a great day! ~ SK

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