A customer
recently asked us to install an 8 foot long granite bartop that was 18 inches
wide on a 4 ½ inch wide pony wall separating the kitchen and dining room.
He wanted a 2 inch overhang on the kitchen side of wall which left nearly 12
inches of granite overhanging the dining side of the wall.
He was
surprised when we told him he'd have to install a number of 6"
corbels to support the bar top. He assumed all the installers had to do was
"glue” the bartop to the top of the wall. While the pony wall itself could
easily bear the weight of the bartop, without corbels it becomes a
fulcrum. Imagine a 200 lb. man sitting on one end of a teeter-totter and a 40
lb. child on the other end and you can to see the problem.
As a standard installation rule 70% of the overall countertop width has to be supported by base cabinets, knee walls, corbels, etc.
Different countertop materials have different requirements. Solid Surface countertops can overhang 6 inches without
additional support (e.g. plywood decking). 3 cm Quartz
(engineered stone) can handle a 14 inch overhangs and 3
cm Granite overhangs should not exceed a 10 inch overhang without additional
support.
Additional support members can include corbels, flat steel
(3/8” by 3”) or a design element incorporating an apron and table legs. If you need help with an estimate, give us a call at (417) 258-2787 and ask for Doug, Holly, Mitchell or Sarah.