Kitchen Remodel Nightmare!

Recently we heard news about a retired couple who had an unexpected problem when trying to remodel their kitchen. They ended up having to pay for their countertops twice due to the negligence of another company! The video peaked our curiosity so we did some research on how to prevent kitchen remodeling problems from happening to you.

One way to prevent kitchen remodel problems is to hire a kitchen designer or visit your local kitchen design center. You might think that hiring a kitchen designer would be expensive, but it will be more cost effective in the long run. They are experienced and knowledgeable. They will plan a schedule for your kitchen remodel and stick with it, saving you time. They will save you money as well because they will be able to avoid the damages you might encounter on your own. Kitchen designers are skilled professionals and they know what types of questions to ask in regards to making your dream a reality. They might even give you ideas that you haven’t thought about before. They are also familiar with the certified suppliers and installers in your area.

Designers will help you avoid the problems you might sustain while looking for an installer yourself. We have referenced an article below that will explain what types of questions should be answered before the countertop installer is hired and if you’re remodeling yourself, how you can go about answering these questions. These questions include “Is the installer experienced, have you had a chance to see some of his work, is the installer easy to deal with, does the installer have the appropriate insurance and contractor’s license, will the job be finished in a timely manner, and are the labor and materials covered under warranty?”

Your neighborhood kitchen or home design center can help you choose the color of your countertops or cabinets. After they help you, they can give you a list of insured installers in your area. You can find installers in your phone book or internet directory as well. After you find an installer make sure to interview them even if you already have reviews from friends or family members. During the interview you can ask for referrals from previous clients that the installer has worked for. If you can talk to those clients/homeowners, you can ask them how the installer was to work with. If you don’t receive all positive feedback, you should consider the possibility of continuing the search for a different installer or further researching the feedback you receive.
http://www.countertop.com/articles/wiarticle.aspx?aid=7

Our KBIS from last year.

Last April, Federal Brace went to Chicago, Illinois for KBIS 2010. It was the first time for the company. They spent three to four days at the show in a 10X10 booth with up to 15 to 20 countertop bracket designs. The KBIS event ended up being very important for the growth of the company.

The three-man team was very impressed with different vendors, different booths, and even though it was reported that the participation was down from previous years, Federal Brace was very active at their booth and made great contacts. The booth was on the “outskirts” of the traffic areas for the show, but they had a good turnout at the Federal Brace Booth. By the second day, Federal Brace ran out of catalogs and the comments on the countertop supports were very positive.

Federal Brace President, Scott Toal says, “We found the participants were impressed with our designs. We had architects, contractors and designers visit us at the booth. They asked very good questions and pointed out things they like in our product. It was very helpful for a company just entering the market.”

One funny story about the company’s visit to Chicago was a learning experience on the show floor. While setting up the booth the Federal Brace staff learned that if you don’t have union workers setting up your booth you cannot use any power tools. All of Federal Brace products are mounted individually to a display wall. “My hands were so sore by the end of set up.” adds Scott Toal, “Just a funny thing that happened, but the entire venue was phenomenal and we were very happy with the response.”

Now, Federal Brace has close to thirty designs, they have ventured into reinforced corbels, Bracket Backer™ boards and shelf brackets. They invite you to check out their website before attending the show. “We hope that designers will be very impressed with our line,” says Federal Brace General Manager, Cathy Morgan.

This time Federal Brace will bring more catalogs. They had such a positive response and it was the first venture into tradeshows. Now they fully understand why people say KBIS is the pinnacle in the Kitchen and Bath trade and the company is honored to be apart of this event. Last year they made excellent contacts from Chicago and hope to do the same with this year in Las Vegas. It should be an amazing show and they hope to see you all there, BOOTH NUMBER C7283 / 2011 KBIS Las Vegas.


Check out our website - click below:

Designer Spotlight: RBS Kitchen Design Center

In Racine, Wisconsin the RBS Kitchen Design Center has been offering quality kitchen and bath remodeling, lighting ideas, storage and design solutions for over fifteen years. Our Designer Spotlight for December has come to Racine.

RBS has a large showroom showcasing a wide selection of granite, hardware, flooring, and tile. To display the countertops, the Kitchen Design Center recently contacted our Sales Manager, Broc Siefert, about an order for Brunswick and Oxford countertop braces. “Having recently installed them into our showroom. My fabricators stated how fabulous they are. ‘WOW!’ is what they told me,” says Owner, Mark Barnhill. Mark continues, “ This product lends itself to granite, quartz or stone applications. The product blew us away when we saw it at a Kitchen and Bath Show last year. Brass is so passé. They come in enough shapes -it’s contemporary and simple.”

For RBS, their specialty is kitchen and bath solutions, they have the resources and expertise to take your project from drawing to completion. They offer their customers a professional design staff, experienced installers, expert project management and plumbing and electrical by licensed professionals. We look forward to many years of service with a company such as RBS Kitchen Design Center, and in this article we are proud to focus on them, one of our designers.

If you are in the Racine area and you need a quality kitchen and bath design for your new residence, or are looking for a remodel job so your kitchen or bath looks like brand new, please contact Mark Barnhill at RBS Kitchen Design. Mark concludes, “ The neutral necessity of steel makes it applicable on the frameless or hidden countertop bracket. This is a quality product and we’re happy to do business with Federal Brace.”

RBS Kitchen Design Center

2310 on South Green Bay Road

Racine, Wisconsin 53406

(262) 554-2400

http://www.rbskitchen.com/

Like RBS, we believe in beautifully crafted, confident support.

The Three Favs.

The three most popular countertop bracket designs at Federal Brace have the customer’s interest in mind. This week I’ll be focusing on the Brunswick, Freedom and Liberty countertop braces.

The Brunswick is the one that started the Federal Brace line. It’s the original. The customer wanted to alleviate knocking their knees on their braces. “Everything about our company is finding a solution to the customer’s problems,” says CEO and President, Scott Toal, “The Brunswick provides the customer with a bracket that has the strength of a gusseted bracket and can hold a substantial over hang, but limits the possibility of knee- knocking.” The angle of the gusset on the Brunswick bracket bends toward the interior angle, which allows for more space in front so your knees can swing freely. It gives a nice elegant euro-style design. Check out the Brunswick Countertop Support product page here (link).

The Freedom comes from the customer’s desire to have a countertop that appears unsupported. It offers the maximum area underneath the counter without interfering with objects under the counter. The Freedom Countertop Bracket gives support for an overhang with essentially no viewable gusset. Scott continues, “The Freedom is limited in application due to deflection or bending in the bracket. So it is an excellent solution when the unsupported counter area is under 20 out from the support structure. We really suggest not using the Freedom on applications larger.” People use them on island extensions and certain knee wall applications. While these type of brackets are not new, Federal Brace’s offering has matched material thickness, bracket dimensions and placement of the fastener holes to create a modern design with strength. Check out the Freedom Countertop Bracket product page here (link).

The Liberty Countertop Support was designed well after the Freedom. “Some customers do not have the surface area to put a bracket flange down their supporting wall,” Scott explains, “Maybe they have a cabinet opening in the way. Maybe the material was already on the wall-board and they do not want to have a bracket with a down flange.” Federal Brace developed the Liberty bracket, or Liberty Plate, for such situations. It is very similar to a Freedom bracket in its carrying capacity. In order to install the Liberty style brackets the customer will need access to the top of their supporting wall. Like the Freedom bracket, the Liberty is not made over twenty inches due practical deflection. Check out the Liberty Countertop Plate product page here (link).

Three stunning brackets manufactured at Federal Brace. The Brunswick, Freedom and Liberty brackets were all created with the customer's needs in mind. Federal Brace believes in Beautifully Crafted, Confident Supports. ~ SK

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Designer Spotlight: BREWER CABINETS

Brewer Cabinets has been providing cabinetry in the Birmingham metro area for over 30 years. Starting as a custom shop in the owners’ basement, it grew quickly as word of mouth spread about their attention to detail and dependable service. In the world of cabinetry design there has been a gradual shift to factory cabinets, giving the company a wider selection, enduring finishes, and more dependable lead times. While the focus of the company has always been on residential construction, there has been a shift from strictly new construction to servicing remodeling jobs.

A family run business with over thirty years of experience, Jason Brewer, Vice-President of Operations says, “ Our product line carries everything from Timex to Rolex. We do kitchens from $3,000 dollar jobs to $50,000 jobs to $100,000 jobs.” People work with Brewer Cabinets when they want quality and affordable prices. They have an expansive showroom displaying their quality wood cabinets, kitchen countertops, appliances and granite countertops. Jason continues, “The Federal Brace product is more of a use to us, as a designer, on granite countertop jobs where a sturdy bracket is needed.”

When installers see our braces’ sturdiness they are amazed by the craftsmanship of the Federal Brace products. At Federal Brace we have supplied Brewer Cabinets with multiple Freedom hidden countertop brackets in cold rolled steel and stainless steel. People want a sturdy brace that’s unobtrusive, they want to know it won’t bend, it has to hold granite, and they want it to blend with their modern kitchen design.

We look forward to many years of service with a company such as Brewer Cabinets and in this article we are proud to focus on one of our outstanding design customers. If you are in the Birmingham area and you need quality kitchen designs for your new residence, or you’re looking for a remodel job so your kitchen looks like brand new, please contact Jason Brewer at Brewer Cabinets.

Brewer Cabinets

1 West Park Drive,

Birmingham, AL 35211

(205) 942-4000

http://www.brewercabinets.com/

Like us they believe in Beautifully Crafted, Confident Support.

Entryway Counter Shelf

I started not long ago with Federal Brace as a customer service rep and now they have given me the task of writing the blog. There is a lot to blog about. I see this as a way to help people understand how to use counter supports. I hope that you will find this interesting and helpful and invite others to take a look at it as well!

For the first week I chose to do something that covers something near and dear to my heart – the entryway shelf! I had an idea of getting rid of your foyer coffee table and adding a granite counter in its place. All you need is two brackets, some screws and a slab of granite or other material. You’ll always have a place to set your keys or your mail when you come home from a long day. I’m always looking to throw things around when I come through the door, stepping over the dogs and tossing keys regularly. If I set my keys in the kitchen they end up getting knocked in the dog’s water dish or lost amongst my girlfriend’s paperwork. She’s a speech therapist and she’s good at what she does, but she has her stuff all over the kitchen.

I would love to be able to leave my keys and important papers at the front door. Running out the door, I’m always late. It would be great to have some kind of place – the key holding place by the front door - to grab my keys as I’m charging down the stairs and hurdling the dogs out the door. Key hooks are annoying and obtrusive, while a decorative counter or shelf adds elegance to a foyer.

Kids can put their back packs and shoes under the counter once they come in the door. Husbands can kick their muddy shoes under it and out of the way – to pick them up later and clean them (I’m sure). You can put your stuff under a granite shelf – try doing that under a traditional foyer table with all the scroll work dowel stuff going on under there. A shelf can be positioned nicely in front of a mirror on a wall and everything stays off the floor.

During my favorite time of the year - the holiday season - you can put bowls of potpourri, candy bowls for trick-o-treaters, candleholders, a nativity, scented candles, or Santa and his reindeer up on that entryway shelf. Almost anything can be displayed on a granite counter or marble slab.

During my time here at Federal Brace I’ve learned that you should have sturdy brackets holding up your granite, marble or even heavy glass counters. We recommend no more than four inches of over-hang unsupported, so if you are getting a twelve-inch deep slab and mounting it on the wall we have a pair of 8X8 countertop supports waiting for you to order on-line or with one of our friendly customer service professionals. It’s essential to have good solid support structures. Steel brackets are sturdy, reliable and a lot better than the cheap foreign junk you’ll find at major box stores. Wooden corbels are not made to support anything. They are just for show.

It’s the holidays, you can accentuate the first thing your guests see when they come into your home, but more importantly you’ll have a practical shelf for year-round use. Check out Federal Brace’s fantastic selection of counter supports and get started with making your entryway more than just an area to walk through. Here is a link to Federal Brace for your convenience – www.federalbrace.com.

Have a great day and thank you for joining us here at Federal Brace’s Blog Spot. I will be covering other topics here in the future looking at Bracket Backers versus lumber, I’ll be spotlighting our dealers, looking at our three most popular brands, just to name a few. I hope you’ll subscribe and return to this site. Have a good one. -- SK

Holidays are Coming - Is Your Kitchen Design Ready!

The holiday season will soon be down our chimnies and at our doors. Hospitality goes hand in hand with the festivities of the holidays. Family gatherings, dinners with the neighbor and Christmas parties are all opportunities to show family and friends some love.

In these large gatherings, or even intimate dinners, a functionally designed kitchen can make the occasion a success. If a kitchen is not properly situated to provide adequate serving area, there can be congestion or even accidents. Now is a great time to consider making some design upgrades to be ready for the holidays.

An eating or serving bar can be added to a kitchen by putting in a half-stud wall and mounting a counter bar at the top of it. An elevated bar bracket, such as the Alpine Designer Support bracket from Federal Brace, can attractively place tasty treats closer to guests' olfactory senses while enhancing the look of the kitchen as a whole. The stainless steel finish gives the kitchen a luxurious look that makes an impression.

Other possible kitchen upgrades to consider include adding an extension to a kitchen island or adding a serving shelf to an empty wall. Both of these additions assist with those large gatherings by increasing the serving space of your kitchen and dining areas. Also, when the holidays are over these become excellent places for decorative display and informal eating occasions.

Remember, when presenting design upgrades in preparation for the holiday season to give the homeowner time for ordering and installation. Ordering of counters and countertop support brackets should happen now to allow for production and shipping timeframes. You will want to make sure that your design changes get in long before the holiday rush happens!

Check our Federal Brace's Website for details on Support Brackets for your holiday design upgrades: www.federalbrace.com

Light, Stone and Metal - A Dream Combination

When determining how best to create the aesthetic and functional appeal desired, William Spiegel, designer with Design Presentations in Highland Park, Illinois decided to mix light with stone and put in a dash of steel. The creation that resulted is unique, beautiful, brilliant and can serve an entire house party with no problem.

Due to its translucent properties Onyx was chosen as the stone for the surface counter and elevated bar. Lighting was installed under the surfaces so that when lighted the entire bar and counter surface would be illuminated. The beautiful textures of the stone are seen as the light penetrates the onyx giving forth the impression of a sea of light.

A strong and sure support was required for the elevated onyx bar including the subsurface and the lighting. To provide that strong support for the bar (weighing over 400 pounds) while not compromising on the designer appeal of the bar as a unit Bill talked with Federal Brace and selected the Alpine Designer Elevated Countertop Support Bracket (view product page here). Specifically designed to support elevated counters, the Alpine is made of quarter inch stainless steel and provides ample fastening opportunities on a 12" base plate that fastens to the support structure under the subcounter and elevates its top plates 8" above the counter to support a bar. The onyx bar seen in the images is entirely supported by the Alpine Support Brackets.

To finish off the metal accents on this Onyx Bar, Design Presentations used a "jitterbug" finish on stainless plate that matches up nicely with the stainless brackets on the face of the support structure under the bar. The finished product is magnificent.

Federal Brace is honored to have our Alpine Countertop Supports as a part of this beautiful work. We thank Design Presentations and William Spiegel for including our brackets in their design and sharing the pictures with us.

To view Design Presentations Website Click Here.

To View more information on Federal Brace Click Here.