FastCap Black Stealth SpeedBrace, 3-1/2" x 12" - Great Support for Countertop and Bar Overhangs - 08176

easily installed butcher block bar using a router to counter sink. super strong, durable finish

Used on a bar countertop at home and they worked well.

Great support that is completely invisible when installed.

This is the second time I purchased these supports for a counter top. I just had them installed at my new house on my new cabinets. They work great.

Though they are expensive, I can't complain about the quality or strength of these braces. They are excellent, I gave the counter a good test, and it can hold my 210 lb body0 with out flexing, that's good enough for my breakfast bar. Note I have 4 of them spaced at 10" o.c. supporting a hardwood counter.However, the hardware to bolt these down is a little harder to come by. Because they beveled the rim of the holes to countersink the heads, you'd expect that heads would sit flush, but unless you find the perfectly matched hardware for these braces, the head won't be flush. In my case, this didn't present a real problem because I manufactured the top myself, but might cause problems for others.If anyone finds out what hardware mounts flush with these braces, reply so others can benefit.

Excellent value. Used a couple of these under the overhang of a quartz bar. Took the old countertop off, notched a couple of shallow channels in the wood cap that topped the knee wall so that these would sit flush with the top and glued and screwed them in. The holes for screws are recessed, of course, so these worked perfectly. Caulked the edges to soften and blend the appearance and painted the bottom of the stone with flat black enamel. Not necessary, but the bottom is visible to people sitting on my couch, so I wanted to make it disappear a bit. A router would be helpful, but I made the channels with a wood chisel. It took longer, but wasn't terribly difficult. Good braces. Good price. Just what I wanted.

The plates themselves are stiff but the problem is that your underlying structure must be super solid for these to not flex. When I first installed them they had a ton of flex but after driving some more screws into the stud wall it was greatly improved but still flexed. I recommend installing these slanted up about 1/8" so that the counter top flexes them down a little and they will provide more support.I'm guessing most of the good reviews are from people who will never truly put them to the test. Its possible that most granite will support most normal loads, even someone sitting on it and therefore nobody will know if these really work or not. Traditional braces will use the underlying structure in a much stronger manner so having a super solid support structure isn't as critical.

Very strong