What kind of support does a 15 inch overhang on an island require?

[X_Digger]

4. What kind of framing, how much counter is not hanging over, and what kind of countertop?

You could do a cantilevered countertop with no supports if you have a beefy enough frame and enough of that frame not hanging free.

e.g. If the frame is 2x4's on edge, half-lapped with the uprights or sandwiched between multiple uprights with lag bolts, then you could sit on the edge of the frame without flexing, especially if you have 3/4" plywood on top, locking it together.

The problem then becomes with how to hide all that structure. If you're doing something like tile, it's easy. Granite? Not as easy.


For example, this would be a knee wall behind the island so that you could pull up bar stools.



Now if the island is just a single cabinet, or two cabinets back to back, you can't get away with as much overhang without some more work.