Bracing for island support

After my longer-than-expected cabinet painting adventure, it's time to add the supports for the kitchen island overhang. To allow for seating comfort at the island, an overhang of 10- 12 inches is recommended- no banged knees, here!

I found various recommendations as to support vs no support for that degree of overhang with a laminate countertop. Heavier materials such as slate or granite definitely require supports! I decided err on the side of caution and install supports- better safe than sorry, right?

Shopping for supports, I found a HUGE variance in style and cost. I love the look of corbels for support but needed something less obtrusive to maximize space and allow ease of use of the rotating stool seats that I plan on using.

I went with a 12 inch metal bracket from Houzz (https://www.houzz.com/product/38492316-contractor-grade-countertop-support-bracket-12-traditional-brackets) that will be inlayed into the island base structure so that the countertop base rests directly onto the structure as well. The brackets are only 1/4" thick so the will be virtually flush with the bottom of the countertop overhang- exactly what I wanted! The price was extremely reasonable and the quality/strength is fantastic- I will have no worries with these supporting the overhang! (And, no. I have no affiliation with Houzz, just giving offering my personal 2 cents on a product I purchased for this particular project!)

So let's get to it!

First, determine

the position of the brackets and mark the edges. The wood between the lines will be removed to a depth equivalent to the bracket so the countertop base will rest directly on the island support.

Using a wood chisel, score along the pencil lines using the end of the chisel to the depth of the bracket. This scoring will prevent excess wood being removed. (Alternately, you could use an oscillating tool to remove the wood.)

Carefully chisel out the wood, occasionally checking the fit of the bracket.

When you are satisfied with the fit, repeat for each bracket (fortunately, since I only need two for my island!).

Drill pilot holes and using the provided screws (you may need to purchase longer ones, depending on your particular project), attach the brackets. DONE! One step closer to having a fully functional kitchen island : )

Easy, right? It is! Just be careful of the projecting brackets until you place your countertop- I moved my stools in place to block that area and to be sure that no one ended up walking into them.

The laminate has arrived

and is resting on the floor of the front room to remove any "curl". (There may or may not be some doggo paw prints on it when the boys went to investigate the new arrival...) I'm so excited to move on to the next step!