Ways to Secure or Fasten a Raised Bar Countertop

Raised Bar Top

There are basically four methods that can be used to fasten a raised breakfast bar style countertop into place. The counter design and materials the top is made of will determine how you secure (or, “install”) it to the stub wall.



Four Methods of Anchoring a Bar Countertop to a Stub Wall

Straight Steal Brackets

When Granite gets installed on top of a stub wall oftentimes straight steal brackets are secured into the top plate of the wall. Usually the 2” x 4” stud is notched out to accommodate the depth or thickness of the metal bracket. The steal plate is generally about ¼” thick and four inches wide. The length of the support should be recessed in about three inches from the edge of the countertop. So, if your wall is five and a half inches thick and the overhang of the granite countertop is twelve inches, the length of the support would be fourteen and a half inches long.

Installing Blind Plate

What is a blind plate for a countertop? These are fabricated for raised bar top applications where the top is 1-1/2” thick. When the material thickness that the top is fabricated out of is ¾” thick, the blind plate is made out of  ¾” thick plywood. The edges of the top will have what is referred to as build-up that will be around two inches wide. The build-up pieces make the edges of the top look 1-1/2” thick.  A blind plate is fabricated, about 1/8” smaller around the edges, to fit inside the build-up pieces. It gets shipped to the job site loose and is fastened to the top of the   2” x 4” stub wall top plate with screws. Shims are used to get the blind plate level. The breakfast bar countertop fits over this sub-top and is fastened secure with screws. If you were wondering how to install a Corian or solid surface, raised bar countertop, this is the method that is most often used. It also will work with plastic laminate top installs.

• Tip: Before installing, always finish the bottom side of your raised bar top or blind plate.

Screw the Raised Bar Top to the Stub Wall

This method of installing a raised bar top applies to Formica (or, “plastic laminate”) counters. The counter gets built the full 1-1/2” thickness, solid all the way through. The bottom side gets laminated with white Formica in the shop and the edge gets glued on as well. The top of the counter does not get laminated in the shop. Once delivered, it then is placed on top of the wall and pilot holes for the screws are drilled and counter sunk. The top is secured to the wall with screws and shims are placed in various locations to get the countertop level. Once it is fastened and level, the Formica is glued to the top on the job. The laminate covers the screws that are holding it to the stub wall.

Using Decorative Support Brackets

This installation method for supporting a raised bar top had been used for many years. Decorative supports are provided or fabricated by the cabinet/countertop company . The pieces of wood get screwed to the wall in a level position and the counter is placed on top of them and secured with screws from underneath. Here again shims are used to get things level.

That’s the ins and outs of how to secure granite, solid surface or plastic laminate raised bar countertops to a stub wall. Remember to save yourself some headaches by pre-finishing the bottom of the top or blind plate prior to the installation. Once the raised breakfast bar countertop is installed decorative trim molding can be fastened underneath to cover over the voids where the shims were placed to make things level.