How To Change Out Your Corbels

At Federal Brace we believe in presenting solutions to problems faced in common countertop support applications. In this blog we will discuss the issues faced when attempting to replace wooden corbels with metal supports. So if you want to change out your wood corbels for decorative steel brackets we’re going to tell you how to do that successfully. Before getting into any corbel change out you will want to take the time to investigate your countertop. Make sure you are removing decorative pieces only. In Load-bearing installations the supporting brackets must be attached to solidly fixed material that is capable of holding the weight of the bracket and countertop. When replacing wooden brackets that are in a load bearing application you will want to remove them individually and replace immediately with the metal countertop supports.

The tools that you will need include a Cordless drill, a pry bar, a flat and heavy scraping blade and a reciprocating saw. First things first, you need to remove all the bolts, nails and/or screws used to fix the decorative corbel to your support structure. Look for small patches of mismatched grain. This will help you identify any wood plugs used in the fascia. Also, examine the inside of the cabinet or back wall for screws and washers. If your corbel happens to be secured to the support structure with fasteners screwed in from the cabinet or backside of the support structure this will make your corbel removing easier.

Once you have removed all metal fasteners and exterior “trim” pieces, you can take a pry bar or scraper and gently pry the corbel away from the support structure surface. Use the scraper to loosen any glued areas. In some cases you might have to use a saw for hard to remove corbels. Wood corbels have Keyholes that slide over bolts that are attached to the support structure. In instances where the countertop will not be removed but you want to replace the corbel a saw is likely needed to cut the bolts. You apply layers of painter’s tape on both sides of the corbel in order to protect the fascia next to the corbel. Once you have covered the area around the corbel you will need to get a saw blade behind it. Use a reciprocal blade to cut any nails or screws, but not the wood. If you only have a hacksaw blade, you can get the blade under the corbel and manually cut the screws. Be careful to not harm the fascia on the load bearing structure.

Once the wood corbel is removed the hard part is over. To install your Federal Brace countertop support brackets you can simply place your brackets in the desired location making sure they are snug against the under counter and over a supporting stud in the support structure. Mark your hole locations and drill a pilot hole for fastening the bracket to the structure. Make sure that your pilot hole is not larger than the fastener used (generally ¼”). You will want to space corbels every 12 to 18 inches if it is a un-gusseted bracket, and every 24 to 30 inches for a Federal Brace gusseted bracket. That is what Federal Brace recommends, which is dependent on not only the gusset but also the load weight of the countertop. The great thing about Federal Brace brackets compared to wood corbels is that you are able to remove the brackets very easily. Putting them on is easy and taking them off is just as easy. Also, there is the stainless steel and steel look of the brackets and the weight carrying nature of these brackets to consider.

If your particular application will require significant weight carrying capacity or there are special features in your countertop application we suggest consultation with a design engineer on site. Always make sure that the support structure of any countertop overhang is substantial and can support the weight of the counter being supported. For more information about the Federal Brace brackets please contact them at sales@FederalBrace.com or call them at 877-353-8899.

How to choose your Shelf Bracket. Box-Store Brackets V.S. Federal Brace

When compared to shelf support brackets found at your local hardware store or from your large national box store the advantages of using Federal Brace shelf ­ brackets are obvious. Before even inspecting the details of the comparison brackets you will notice the difference in weight. You see, the Federal Brace shelf support bracket is made out of 12-gauge material thickness. Our brackets are also 1.5 half inch wide compared to the thinner box store type supports.

We provide the stainless steel option as well as the raw steel option. We figure you want and deserve options. ­When you look a little closer at the two comparison brackets you will see that our countertop brackets are free of dings and nicks. The care of craftsmanship is apparent on the finish of our brackets. Go a little deeper and you see that we have carefully designed our countertop support brackets so that there are no weldments on the face of the bracket. Plug welding is done on the reverse side to give a clean and sleek look.

Check out the way you receive your countertop supports as well. Federal Brace brackets will come to your doorstep, individually hand packed in boxes designed to secure the parts in shipping. The final comparison will come once the countertop support brackets are installed. You won ‘t need an engineering degree to know that the Federal Brace support bracket is providing a more secure support of your shelving unit.

Check out some of our Shelf Brackets:
Arrowood Shelf Brackets
Bel Adora Shelf Brackets
Brunswick Shelf Brackets
Forma Shelf Brackets
Inspiration Shelf Brackets
Orion Shelf Brackets
Streamline Shelf Brackets

Federal Brace How-To Video 3: Raised half-wall & backer blocks

(please give it a few seconds to buffer once you've hit play)

In this countertop bracket installation video, Federal Brace VP of sales, DJ Toal, and custom home builder,Trip Lipinski, of Louis and Sons take you through the steps to installing a granite countertop onto a raised half-wall with backer blocks.

This is an excellent illustration of a common countertop support application with the important areas to consider when doing a granite countertop extension with support brackets. The Federal Brace countertop support brackets used in this installation are the popular Brunswick Designer Countertop Supports with the curved gusset.

For further information on the brackets please contact Federal Brace at http://www.FederalBrace.com or #877-353-8899

How to choose a Bracket. There is no comparison: Box-Store Brackets V.S. Federal Brace

This one is for the customers that are thinking of buying the local hardware store or large box company support brackets, so I’m posting this on both blog sites at Federal Brace. Before you buy consider this comparison:

First of all, when you are picking between the two types of different brackets you’ll notice a considerable weight difference. The Federal Brace countertop support is made out of one-quarter inch steel, and the standard box bracket is made out of a material not even as half as thick. The Federal Brace countertop mount is a wider dimension than the local hardware corbel. The material size and dimensional difference between the Federal Brace and the box store bracket means that Federal Brace has a stronger bracket that will hold up your shelves and countertops better.

Federal Brace gives you a choice and a benefit in the brushed nickel finish that matches common stainless kitchen countertop appliances. They provide the stainless steel option, knowing that some customers are willing to pay for a certain type of look.

You will notice that the Federal Brace bracket has less dings in it than the store bought corbel, because of the care involved in the finish of the brackets. Also, the box store bracket may have the evidence of a long trip – being loaded and offloaded from cargo ships from foreign lands. Federal Brace brackets will come to your doorstep, individually packaged in boxes that are designed to secure your product during shipping. You can go pick out your box store bracket from a bin that looks like the old game “A Barrel of Monkeys.”

You dig a little deeper and you see that Federal Brace has carefully designed countertop brackets with no weld elements on the face of the bracket. The bracket is constructed with plug welding which gives a flawless finish on the face of the bracket. Not only are these super-strong brackets, but also they enhance the look of the countertop they are supporting.

Some may point out that the price comparison needs to be made. That’s fine with us. Our brackets are priced higher than the box store brackets – for the exact reasons listed above. As the old adage goes “you get what you pay for.” In this instance, you get a better looking, better made, stronger and safer support bracket for the investment you didn’t skimp on – your countertops. Go with Federal Brace countertop supports when your countertops matter. ~ www.federalbrace.com

How to install Freedom Countertop Supports

Many people will purchase Federal Brace countertop supports because they are looking to limit knee knocking under sitting areas. Today, we are going to review how to install a granite countertop to a knee wall such as a breakfast bar installation.

The Freedom Countertop bracket is a ninety-degree piece of steel without a gusset (the piece that connects the bottom and top of the L-bracket). It is a quarter inch thick up to 12 inches and goes up to .375 inch thick 14X14 – 16X16 and up to a 1/2 inch at 18X18 –20X20.

You want to make sure you have the right number of brackets - you want to have a bracketed support every 12 to 18 inches and no more than four inches of over-hang extending beyond the end of the bracket. Every application is different and we cannot be there to advise an application we cannot see, you want to consult an installer, but some general tips when speaking to the installer are…

In most instances, customers using the Freedom style countertop supports are attaching the brackets directly to the studs and covering with wall board material. You will want to attach the Freedom hidden countertop brackets with lag screw fasteners. You will go from flange to flange making sure the brackets are level. You can use a four-foot level to do this. You can put some paneling on the front of the knee wall to hide the down flange of the brackets. You will clean the brackets and put adhesive on the brackets. When you place the countertop you want to make sure they sit evenly and all the weight is being properly dispersed across the brackets. After an appropriate amount of time for them to dry you can slide over some chairs and you’ll be all set to go.

If you’ re looking to put the supports on top of sheet rock dry wall, you are going to need some kind of backing on the wall, like a backer board. When you position the brackets you want to make sure that the supports are carrying the load not the backer board. You would attach the backer board with several rows of nails going into the stud. A quarter inch lag bolt will then go into the backer board when attaching the brackets themselves.

However, if you want to attach the bracket on the studs on a wall that is finished you will need to recess them into the sheetrock and make sure you connect them directly to the stud using lag screws. Once the wall has been repaired, you can apply granite adhesive to the tops of the brackets – this also goes for when using the Bracket Backers™ as well.

You will clean the brackets and put adhesive on the brackets. Be careful not to let the glue drip off the side when you go to place the granite.

I hope these basics lead to a better understanding of the installation on this popular style of bracket. Thank you very much and have a great day. ~ SK

www.federalbrace.com

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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