Worktops on Kitchen Islands: Why Overhang Support Matters.
The kitchen island is the central hub of the room. It’s a place we can cook, chat with family, or even gather with friends over a coffee or a glass of wine.Â
That’s why so many kitchen designs include one. But if your kitchen plans include an island with a hob or sink with an overhang behind it, there’s one detail you can’t afford to overlook: proper overhang support. Â
Does this affect every island?
No! The issue has mainly arisen on islands where there’s a single row of units with an overhang positioned directly behind the cut-out. It doesn’t affect all islands, only those with this specific setup.
Most of the affected islands have been between 900mm and 950mm in width, where the design and spacing create the problem.
Other island sizes or layouts usually aren’t impacted.
Why is support so important?
Stone worktops are strong, but they aren’t indestructible. When you add a hob or sink cut-out to your island, the stone is weakened around the cut-outs. In a regular worktop this isn’t usually an issue. However, on a kitchen island where the overhang is directly behind the cut out for a seating area, that section of the worktop becomes more vulnerable.
Without support, something like a person leaning or pressing down on the overhang – can create stress on the corners of the cut-out. Over time, that pressure can lead to cracks forming out from the corners of those cut-outs. Not only does this spoil the look of your worktop, but it can also be costly to repair and in some extreme cases, replacement.
What support is needed?Â
The good news is that these issues are easy to avoid with the right preparation. Â
Adding steel brackets, or even a full frame beneath the overhang ensures that flex is reduced when pressure is applied to the overhang.Â
This means your worktop will be able to handle family life, dinner parties, and the occasional enthusiastic lean without worry.
Our personal favourite and most discreet option is ‘L’ shape brackets. The vertical part of the bracket can be drilled into the kitchen carcass from the inside with the horizonal part protruding out to support the overhang.
In some cases; with 30mm thick material we can route out the underside of the stone. This means when the brackets are installed they sit flush with the underside of the worktop.Â
With these brackets you need to ensure they are 5-10mm thick and extend out to support at least half of the overhang. So with a 300mm overhang they the brackets must be at least 150mm long.
