How to Support a Countertop in a Laundry Room
Laundry room countertops are a convenient area to hold laundry detergents and stain removers, as well as to fold clothing. An unsupported countertop lacks stability and strength, which can lead to the countertop loosening and falling. A laundry room countertop without support is a shelf. Using the same techniques as bracing a shelf will provide a secure and firm surface. Manufacturers make shelf brackets capable of holding a countertop in a laundry room in place.
Locate the wall studs, using a stud finder, along the entire length of the countertop. Mark the wall stud locations with a pencil.
Choose shelf brackets or angle iron L-brackets in a length equal to half the distance from the wall to the front of the countertop. Use one bracket for each wall stud.
Position the bracket up against the wall on the stud marking that extends under the countertop. Trace the outline of the bracket onto the underside of the countertop. Repeat this step for the bracket.
Cut strips of 1-inch-thick wood that are 1 inch longer than the section of the bracket that will lie under the countertop.
Apply construction adhesive to the strip of wood and affix it to the underside of the countertop, lining it up with the outline you drew for the bracket. Hold the wood in place for five minutes, affix the next strip of wood and hold it in place for five minutes. Continue until you've set wood strips into each outline. Construction adhesive dries and sets quickly, so there is no need to brace the wood strips.
Place the bracket up against the wall and along the wood strip on the underside of the countertop. Have an assistant hold the bracket in place tightly up against the wall and underside of the cabinet. Use a pencil to mark the bracket holes directly on the wall and on the underside of the countertop.
Drill pilot holes through the marks and into the wall studs. Drill pilot holes 1-1/4 inches deep on the underside of the countertop.
Line up the bracket with the pilot holes, and have your assistant firmly hold the bracket in place. Sink screws through the bracket holes and into the wall studs with a power screwdriver. Sink screws that are 1/4-inch shorter than the combined thickness of the wood strip and countertop through the bracket hole and wood strip into the underside of the countertop. Repeat this step for each bracket.
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