Corbels
Choosing the Right Sized Corbels
If your intention is to use the corbel as a means of support, such as underneath a counter top, the depth of the corbel you choose must be at least 1/2 of the depth of the overhang which it will support. If your intention is to use corbels as a means to brace shelving, then you must choose a corbel that is at least 2/3 of the depth of the shelf which it will support, since the corbel will be the shelf’s sole means of support.
When incorporating corbels into your home for purely decorative reasons, choosing the correct sized corbel is based upon the proportions of the surface you’re working with, as well as the physical details of the corbel itself.
If you intend to place the corbel above the fluting of a pilaster, the key dimension you are working with is the width of the corbel. The corbel should measure as wide, though no wider than 1/2 inch of the pilaster.
If you intend to place the corbel underneath a structural beam, the key dimension you are focused on is the width of the corbel. The corbel’s width should measure as wide as the width of the beam, or no smaller than 1/4 inch of the width of the beam.
If you intend to place the corbel beneath a countertop, the key dimension you are focused on is the depth of the corbel. The same rule applies when using the corbel as means of support: the corbel should measure at least 1/2 of the depth of the countertop’s overhang; or more preferably, exactly 3/4 of the depth of the overhang.
If you intend to place the corbels inside a door opening or entryway, the key dimensions you are working with is width. The corbels’ widths should measure the same as the width of the doorway. They should never measure smaller than 2 inches of the doorway’s width, with 1 inch on either side. Also, special consideration should be given to the sides of the corbel, since the carved details will face outwards. The carved details will be the first glimpse of the corbels one sees when passing through the doorway.
If you intend to place the corbels on either side of a kitchen’s stove hood, you are working with both dimensions of width and depth. The corbel should be rather large; at least 12 inches deep. If cabinets will abut the corbel, the sides of the corbel should be flat, so it will be flush with the cabinets
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I am really relieved to see this post. I have been so confused on what I should be looking for and this was very helpful. I also did not realize there were so many specifications as to where the corbels should be placed. It has certainly shed some light on a few things, that’s for sure.
- Emilio, December 17th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
This article is great. Its perfect for beginners. It gives us so much more to work with. It answers our questions right on the website instead of have to call someone up. I love this website!
- Jonica, December 23rd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I agree. I went into this whole corbel/bracket business completely blind and now I know what I should be looking for. Thank you!
- Katherine, December 23rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I don’t know how I even got by without ever coming across this website, but I am so happy that I did. This article was so helpful, I can’t even express how thankful I am. It has taken me a long time to figure out what I needed for the new countertop that we will be installing next month. I am so glad that this website is around. It’s very helpful!
- Joseph, December 24th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
when i found out that i needed corbels to support i was panicked! i have never even seen or noticed corbels before finding out that my counter will need extra support. When I was told that I needed them I immediately went to the web. It was absolutely perfect that found this site. It was so great that all the answers that I would need regarding corbels and it is amazing! Now my only dilemma is which corbel to decide on– and that problem I can handle much better than not knowing what I am doing. thanks to this website I am now a corbel expert and proud of it!
- Anne, December 29th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I have been looking all over the place trying to find out how to find the right corbel. I eventually just called the customer service line that is available on this website, and they were very helpful. If I had known this blog was available to all to see, I probably wouldn’t have even had to bother with calling them. Although sometimes it is so nice to talk to an actual person over the phone to explain it. When all is said and done, I would have to say that both this blog and the customer service line are very helpful. What a great website!
- Louise, December 30th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Man, I was really freaking out over what to get for corbels. I finally had to call and ask. Like Louise said, they were very helpful. And this entry is great too. Very helpful.
- Jarome, December 31st, 2008 at 10:11 am
I really like how thorough this blog entry is. It pretty much includes guidelines for any type of use a corbel has to offer! Thanks for the tips!
- Janet, January 2nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Yes, I agree. This was very helpful. I will have to show my brother this article. I know that he and his wife are having a rough time looking for corbels. This will most likely really help them out.
- Rhett, January 5th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Wow, this was great! It was incredibly helpful and now I know what am looking for. I was having a really hard time choosing corbels before this…
- David, January 7th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I love this web-site for finally letting me know what a corbel is and exactly how to pick out the perfect one aside from how it looks. When I first found out that i needed a few corbels, i thought that i really just had to find some size that fits the size of what it will be supporting exactly. I was also a skeptic about how strong they could actually be. I usually thought that they would aid, but not be able to support anything completely– I was seriously impressed with what these little helpers can accomplish.
- Jan, January 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
We are finally adding the final touches on the baby’s room, I bought a wall shelf for her books, and a cute little picture that holds her first handprint and picture and says little princess. It looks great! We still need to get some fancy corbels for under the wall shelf, the wood brackets that came with the shelf are pretty plain, I want to get something fancy (like the picture) to dress it up some. Maybe paint them pink! Her walls are blue, with natural wood furniture, and all of the wall hangings are white with pink, it works pretty well! I am even thinking of getting some crown molding to help hide the not-so-good paint job we did ion there, neither my husband or I can paint very well! The site linked is great for those things, I like that they are mostly natural so we can paint them to match! Our plans to come are to add another wall shelf (lots of books) gt a nice toy box, one of the wooden ones, not a plastic one, some more pictures, change out the mini-blinds for a pull down shade- it is way too bright in there during the day for her naps! And a few other final things and it will be all done, we are trying to keep it cute while still able to grow with her, all the furniture converts to big kid things and such.
- eve, January 9th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I’m glad someone has finally made it a little easier to figure out which size a corbel should be. I think home-owners generally have a hard time when it comes to remodeling. I have found a lot of people don’t really know what they need to do before starting a project. Finding the right corbels when putting in a countertop is very important.
- Glenn, January 14th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
This was so helpful. I wish I had seen it sooner. I installed the wrong size for the amount of overhang last year and my countertop was so heavy that it actually tipped forward. What a mess. We finally figured out what went wrong and I ordered some corbels in the correct size. I definitely won’t be making that mistake again!
- Tudor, January 19th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I know! I had some really big issues while trying to figure out how I was supposed to choose one of these things. I feel pretty lucky (and relieved!) to have found this website. It was very helpful with my decision making process (and what a process it was!)
- Sam, January 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I have only just discovered the difference between brackets and corbels. And we discovered that with the length of our overhang, we needed brackets. I think a lot of people don’t realize how hard it is to get the right now. Thankfully we found a perfect bracket that goes with our style. I think it’s the one that is in the picture above. We stained them to match our oak cabinets and they look great.
- Jerry, January 30th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I ordered corbels based on what I thought would work and how nicely designed the corbels were. I was very wrong. After putting the corbels into place, we put the granite counter top on. At first we thought it would be okay, but then it started tilting forward and before we knew it, we had to replace the whole counter because it had broke. We decided to learn from our mistake and found some equally nicely designed corbels, but in a size that wouldn’t hurt our countertop, or our wallets.
- Janis, February 10th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
That sucks Janis. My girlfriend and I just bought a house and were thinking about doing that too, but your story just convinced me to look into the sizing a little bit more. I didn’t realize that the size of the corbel is so important. As much as it sucks that happened, I am glad you shared your story on here and I’m glad I was able to see it before making any big mistakes!
- David, February 17th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I have been looking on the internet to purchase some corbels. I saw your website and found a style I liked and almost ordered them. When I scrolled down the page I saw all sorts of information about corbels that I had never known. I know they are used for support but didn’t know it made such a difference with the depth of the corbel. I just placed my order and I feel so much better knowing that I have the right size, and style that I love!
- Kat, March 18th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Im so glad that there is so much information on your site regarding corbels. Before I read this I actaully was just going for style, but really size is the most important factor. I found so many that I like and most of them come in multiple sizes, and different types of wood which is perfect!
- Laurie, May 12th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
This article was rather helpful– i was searching for corbels that were far too large for my counter and i didn’t even realize what the corbel should look like when they are under the counter top. i am very happy though because i finally got some comprehensive help and my counter tops looks fabulous!
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