Solid hardwoods are a heavy and hard-wearing material, which makes for a great work surface, but also means that they must be properly supported so that they do not crack or split under their weight. Using worktops as a standard kitchen surface should not be a problem (if you are supporting your worktops with cabinetry as is standard, that is), but if you are considering using our worktops as a breakfast bar, table or office desk, then you will need to use supports for worktops that will be adequate to handle the surface weight.

For Worktops & Desks

If you are using wooden worktops as a stand-alone breakfast bar, or are considering having a large section of your worktop overhang from your kitchen units, then you will need to consider using a suitable support if the overhang is any more than 300mm.

For overhangs larger than 300mm, a leg will be required for every metre width of the worktop to fully support it without putting any unnecessary strain on the worktop.

Legs come in all sorts of different designs; you may prefer a stainless steel or chrome modern table leg, or something altogether more traditional. Our solid oak breakfast bar legs come either pre-oiled; sanded ready to be painted in any colour; or painted in Farrow & Ball’s New White to complement kitchen cabinet doors. Each wooden worktop support is 80mm thick, and 870mm tall (intended to match 720mm cabinets + the leg height), but can be cut down to size to suit any height of the worktop.

Alternatively, our chrome breakfast bar leg is ideal for supporting wooden or laminate breakfast bars in a contemporary kitchen. It has a brushed finish to suit modern appliances and other kitchen accessories, and measures 870mm including the bracket (though the foot can be adjusted).

Lucy James

Martin Smith

Adam Martyn

Depending on the layout of your kitchen and your overhang, you may alternatively decide to use an additional section of worktop to support the overhang. If doing so, we recommend creating a 45° mitre join supported with slotted brackets on the underside of the worktop and an appropriate glue such as mitre seal along the length of the join.

If you are considering joining one end of a breakfast bar directly to a wall, we recommend attaching a small section of wood directly to the wall, then using slotted angle brackets to attach the worktop to the support. This will provide plenty of support on one end, whilst allowing the wood a little space to move with changes in environmental temperatures.