# Anchoring Kitchen Island



## darenrogers (Jan 18, 2010)

A client of mine has a kitchen island that's 48" wide and 24" deep. She wants to install a slab of granite on top of it, with a 15" overhang on three sides. I'll be installed corbels to support the overhang but haven't decided how to best anchor the island itself to the floor. 

The last thing I need is a $3,000 slab of granite tipping over onto someone. 

Any recommendations?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

The way I do it is to place the island where it goes. Lay masking tape against the toe kick on the floor at the short ends. Mark where the long ends start. 

Remove the cabinet, and draw parallel lines to the tape the distance from the tape for the thickness of the toe kick. Screw a 2x4 or a thick strip of wood to the inside line, so it fits between the front and rear toe kick. 

Set the cabinet back down and screw the toe kick to the 2x4's. If you screw close to the top of the toe kick, and there is cabinet overhang, the screw won't show.

If the ends are straight to the floor, install the wood strip to the back of the long run of the toe kick (48" length). Adjust the length to fit between the ends of the toe kick.

You can get a variety of press-in plastic/wood/metal caps that fit into a phillips or square drive head to match woodgrain colors or solid colors.


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

Is the long kick nailed, glued and or screwed to the floor of the island? as top heavy as this island will be, kids or young adults playing grabass or someone actually yanking on the slab in anger could pull the kick out from the island floor.

I might go 1 step further find out what the height of the kick is to the bottom, of the island floor cut a 2X4 to a 1/4" less and screw that to a 2X4 on the flat then screw the flat down. 

The verticle 2X will give you wood to screw 2 high.


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## darenrogers (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks so much fellas! I may take both of your ideas and screw a 2x4, or even a 4x4 down to the floor. Also, just found out there's a crawl space beneath the kitchen so I'm thinking of either lag bolting the piece of wood into the floor joists or thru bolting it through the subfloor assembly.


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## jlord (Feb 1, 2010)

Don't forget to extend the ply to support the overhang of the granite. I would make a new plywood top. The granite edging will hide the ply.


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## darenrogers (Jan 18, 2010)

jlord said:


> Don't forget to extend the ply to support the overhang of the granite. I would make a new plywood top. The granite edging will hide the ply.


The granite is 3cm thick, which based on what I've read and been told, does not require a plywood support. The only restriction I'm aware of, based on the slab thickness, is a maximum unsupported overhang of 10". In my case, the unsupported overhang will be around 8".


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Daren,
I have almost the same situation in my own kitchen, except my overhangs are 10". I do the same thing cabinetman does, tape and all. I don't think you'll have any trouble. We have danced on top of mine, (really) and it didn't go anywhere. As long as you have a decent quality cabinet under it, you'll be fine. 
Mike Hawkins


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

You did not state what material the floor is made of. Concrete or wood.

Is your question how to fasten to concrete?

George


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## darenrogers (Jan 18, 2010)

GeorgeC said:


> You did not state what material the floor is made of. Concrete or wood.
> 
> Is your question how to fasten to concrete?
> 
> George


It's a wood floor...3/4" maple over 3/4" plywood.


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## jlord (Feb 1, 2010)

In post # 4 he did say there was a crawl space under the kitchen which would lead me to believe it to be on a raised foundation & not a slab.


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