VIDEO: How to install Freedom Countertop Brackets for an Invisible Countertop Support

www.federalbrace.com - In this video, Scott Toal and Broc Siefert of Federal Brace take us through the installation of the Freedom Invisible Countertop Support Bracket.

This video walks us through the features that make the Freedom an excellent selection when a countertop with invisible support is desired. Broc and Scott show us how simple and easy it is to properly route out the channels in your support structure and install your invisible countertop support bracket.

For further information on countertop brackets and the invisible Liberty Support Plates, please contact Federal Brace at http://www.FederalBrace.com or #877-353-8899

VIDEO: How to Install the Liberty Countertop Plate for an Invisible Countertop Support

www.federalbrace.com - In this video, Scott Toal and Broc Siefert of Federal Brace take us through the installation of the Liberty Invisible Countertop Support Plates.

This video walks us through the features that make the Liberty an excellent selection when a countertop with invisible support is desired. Broc and Scott show us how simple and easy it is to properly route out the channels in your support structure and install your invisible countertop support plates.

For further information on countertop brackets and the invisible Liberty Support Plates, please contact Federal Brace at http://www.FederalBrace.com or #877-353-8899

Using Metal Support Brackets to Accent Hardware

There is no question that Federal Brace countertop support brackets are sturdy. In fact, due to the strength of the brackets, our supports at times tend to be pigeon-holed into only supporting countertops.

Federal Brace has designed a selection of heavy duty yet elegant support brackets that go beyond the simple shelf or standard industrial style support brackets. Many designers and contractors are now seeing Federal Brace Supports for what they are - enhancing hardware pieces that can be used in various home decor applications.

Whether used in the kitchen, bath, studio, office or living areas, Federal Brace Support brings a decor touch that shows the homeowner attention to detail and care for quality. At the recent KBIS 2011 Kitchen and Bath Show we had support brackets in several vendor booths, used in actual applications and we were very honored. A couple of those applications, including Masterbrand's Diamond Series kitchen display (pictured at the top), used the Federal Brace supports to hold self-standing shelves within the kitchen cabinet arrangements. The brackets added to the overall appearance of the full kitchen by giving that touch of metal, tying in appliances, fixtures and other hardware with the cabinets.

So when you are considering that decor enhancement that will make your kitchen, bath, residential or commercial application standout think Federal Brace Supports. Designers using our hardware for decor accents have indicated that Federal Brace brackets are perfect because they are not the wimpy looking thin shelf brackets common on the market. The thickness of material that we use on our bracket make a support that looks like it can hold more than your pantry shelves. At the same time the designers really like the sleek, design enhancing appeal of a Federal Brace Support style. It is not that industrial looking shelf bracket that is used commonly in commercial applications.

How to pick the Federal Brace bracket that is right for your application as a hardware decor accent piece. Follow these easy steps:

1. Determine the Gusset shape that best matches with the overall appeal of your living space. If you want an understated look, look at the supports with the lower profile gussets. If it is high-impact that you want, you will want to look to the brackets with the full gussets.

2. If the bracket will be used in a supporting role for shelves, mantle or other surfaces you will need to think about how deep that surface is and how it will be installed. We suggest using a bracket that is not too small under the surface so that you can't see it. When determining what bracket to use as support we use an industry standard to extend the support bracket to within 4" of the end of the surface.

3. Determine the finish you desire. In most instances our decor enhancing supports are purchased in the brushed stainless finish since it matches so well with stainless appliances and nickel fixtures. However, you may have a particular color you are going after in which case you will want to get raw steel and coat it with your custom color. Check out our helpful video on painting your brackets to get more information on this: PAINTING VIDEO - Please Scroll down to Tips & Tricks.

4. If you need a custom style bracket or to modify a current Federal Brace design to meet your needs contact our helpful customer service representative at customerservice@federalbrace.com to discuss your needs. 

That's it. Now you are on your way to new methods of using Federal Brace Countertop Supports to enhance your kitchen and bath designs.

Our review of KBIS 2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada

Federal Brace brought its Eva Reinforced corbel to the best in show at KBIS early last week. The three day long event is the Super Bowl for the Kitchen and Bath industry. A huge event in itself is typically held in Las Vegas, Chicago and Orlando. The event took place at the Las Vegas Convention center in Nevada, Las Vegas.

Architects, dealers, designers, and industry professionals within the kitchen and bath field were presented with several new designs from Federal Brace. Scott Toal, CEO/President of Federal Brace said, “The best part of the show was meeting and hearing from current customers and getting their comments on our products.”

The team at Federal Brace saw representatives from Pan America, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and every province of Canada. Scott Toal continues, “ We saw visitors from 48 out of 50 states. What I liked about having it in Las Vegas is that we were able to meet some of our clients from California, Nevada, Colorado and Hawaii. I had a chance to meet Dave Dressler, a longtime client of our company.”

Federal Brace received quality feedback pertaining to current designs and made a large number of contacts, which they will be following up soon. There­ were a smaller number of vendors, the foot traffic was consistent and the company was satisfied with the turnout. General Manager, Cathy Morgan said, “We had a great time connecting and building relationships with our distributors as well as meeting some of our customers. It was good to see our product showcased in several cabinet dealer booths. Federal Brace is already making plans for the KBIS show in 2012. We hope to see you at our booth!” ­Looking forward to the next year, Cathy, at KBIS, Chicago.

Making of a Good Countertop Bracket | Federal Brace

Scott Toal, President & CEO at Federal Brace, takes us through Federal Brace's design process. Federal Brace works with product specialists, design specialists, and manufacturing and production specialists to create high quality products that enhance your home decor. Let us walk you through some of their new items.



Please be patient, the video could take a moment depending on internet speeds.

For further information on countertop brackets please contact Federal Brace at http://www.FederalBrace.com or #877-353-8899

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:

Federal Brace's Brickyard supports any countertop.

Ok. So we broke all the molds on our latest in elevated supports, The Brickyard Countertop Support. Although southern born and bred, The Brickyard does not take its name from drag, stock or even kart racing (but it would be cool if it did). The south is where bricks are made and we are proud of our brick making! The Brickyard is made of steel and symbolizes the strength of brick - made from cinder, fire and ash. This mighty look surrounds the oval at the Indianapolis 500 and now you have this steel powerhouse for your granite and concrete bar applications. Our bracket will hold up against weather and is a durable and strong carrier of stone or granite.

When you hold this bracket in your hand you know you’re holding something strong. You need something strong to hold up your granite. You want something with a strong foundation. Well, look no further than this beast for your next kitchen, bar or office remodeling job. It looks great indoors and excellent outdoors. When you are ready to fire up your grill, this is a wonderful outdoor support. A perfect addition to any Floating Countertop, granite application or stone bar – it is a master addition to the Federal Brace line.

A hulk of a design, with three holes that give it a modern spacious look, in keeping with our Euro-modern designed brackets. Clearly American-made - you will not find a more beefy support anywhere in the market. Trust your instincts and put this in any construction or work area you may find. You will not be disappointed in this beautifully crafted, confident support.

Click here to check it out: THE BRICKYARD

Federal Brace: More Ways Better Than the ‘other guys’ - Supporting Shelves, Too.

Federal Brace is expanding its product selection to include shelf support brackets. The company’s countertop supports are providing that solution the consumer wants for their solid surface counters and now the company is determined to support the rest of the home as well. With its new line of shelf support brackets Federal Brace is moving into the library, bedroom and pretty much anywhere where there is a standard shelving application.

By the end of the year, Federal Brace plans to add sixteen shelf bracket styles, some of them modeled after your favorite kitchen countertop supports, matching the countertop supports in your kitchen to the shelves in the rest of your house can be achieved.

How are they structured differently? First of all, you’ll notice a considerable weight difference between Federal Brace and Box-Store Brackets. The Federal Brace shelf support bracket is made out of a twelve-gauge material while the standard box store bracket is made out of a thinner material. The Federal Brace shelf bracket mount is a wider dimension. This provides greater strength and stability to your shelves. Federal Brace Shelf Brackets make the wood or plastic counterparts look like toothpicks – in my opinion.

Federal Brace shelf brackets give you a choice, and a benefit in a brushed stainless finish that matches nicely with standard stainless and brush nickel finishes. They provide the stainless steel option, knowing that customers are willing to pay for a certain type of look. You will notice that Federal Brace has less dings than store bought corbels, because of the care involved with the finishing the brackets, and the fact that they are not shipped in containers from overseas. Not to forget, the bracket is constructed with plug welding which gives a weld free finish on the face of the bracket.

Federal Brace knows that some homeowners want to have heavier shelving applications. You can support wood, glass, marble, granite and no weak substitute will do for any of these applications. Some may point out the price comparison, that’s fine, because as the old adage goes, “ you get what you pay for.” So, when your shelves matter, go with Federal Brace Shelf Supports. ~ www.federalbrace.com

There is no comparison: Box-Store Brackets V.S. Federal Brace

This one is for the customers that are thinking of buying the local hardware store or large box company support brackets, so I’m posting this on both blog sites at Federal Brace. Before you buy consider this comparison:

First of all, when you are picking between the two types of different brackets you’ll notice a considerable weight difference. The Federal Brace countertop support is made out of one-quarter inch steel, and the standard box bracket is made out of a material not even as half as thick. The Federal Brace countertop mount is a wider dimension than the local hardware corbel. The material size and dimensional difference between the Federal Brace and the box store bracket means that Federal Brace has a stronger bracket that will hold up your shelves and countertops better.

Federal Brace gives you a choice and a benefit in the brushed nickel finish that matches common stainless kitchen countertop appliances. They provide the stainless steel option, knowing that some customers are willing to pay for a certain type of look.

You will notice that the Federal Brace bracket has less dings in it than the store bought corbel, because of the care involved in the finish of the brackets. Also, the box store bracket may have the evidence of a long trip – being loaded and offloaded from cargo ships from foreign lands. Federal Brace brackets will come to your doorstep, individually packaged in boxes that are designed to secure your product during shipping. You can go pick out your box store bracket from a bin that looks like the old game “A Barrel of Monkeys.”

You dig a little deeper and you see that Federal Brace has carefully designed countertop brackets with no weld elements on the face of the bracket. The bracket is constructed with plug welding which gives a flawless finish on the face of the bracket. Not only are these super-strong brackets, but also they enhance the look of the countertop they are supporting.

Some may point out that the price comparison needs to be made. That’s fine with us. Our brackets are priced higher than the box store brackets – for the exact reasons listed above. As the old adage goes “you get what you pay for.” In this instance, you get a better looking, better made, stronger and safer support bracket for the investment you didn’t skimp on – your countertops. Go with Federal Brace countertop supports when your countertops matter. ~ www.federalbrace.com

Finish Steel Support Brackets for the Look You Want

Federal Brace countertop support brackets provide the variety of different selections in shapes and sizes. The companies customization services give you, the designer, the ability to modify and even unique create the support as your design requires. Another area where the Federal Brace countertop support brackets allow you to create as desired is in finishing.

While Federal Brace provides services for finishing steel and even stainless in custom colors and finishes, most of the customers of the company choose to finish the steel brackets off on site at the installation location. By taking this step the designer or client can choose the coloring and texture desired in the finish of their countertop support brackets. There are practically infinite posibilities in finishing on steel, but the real nice thing is that generally any protective paints available from a hardware, paint or box store can be used to finish Federal Brace countertop support brackets.

By using a flat black with a slight texture the look of wrought iron is possible while supporting with the strength of plate steel. In some instances where the unfinished iron look is desired designers will use a clear laquer to finish the bracket. This process brings out the iron colors and variations of color in the metal providing depth and a uniquely rustic appeal to the brackets. Of course, the variety of colors available makes painting the countertop brackets simple. From bright red to cream white, your countertop supports can take on the look you desire.

Heck, stick the countetop bracket on a spinning wheel and let the colors flow - tie-dye countertop supports. Now to figure out what room to put those in...