Cedar Wood Brackets, Foam Brackets, and Pvc Brackets

Architectural wood brackets and decorative corbels are commonly used in the building industry to add support for overhangs and decorative beauty and detail where needed. Tradtionally, they were hand carved from stones. However, nowadays, they can be poured into molds and made from foam and/or concrete. Other types of architectural brackets are made from woods, such as cedar or cypruss. Restoration materials such as AZEK and Versatex are also used for longer lasting ability and better paintability. Each material offers a different look with different advantages and disadvantages and a different historical setting that resulted in their rise to the top.

Architectural brackets are commonly seen in craftsman style homes and have made a comeback with the advent of new no rot materials that allow these beautiful accents to have lasting power. The craftsman style architecture highlighted many simple, yet beautiful details that added a unique touch and style of architecture to many homes. During the current 2008 housing recession many builders have turned to the use of architectural brackets and other architectural details on the outside of homes to boost curb appeal and attract potential home buyers. Here's a little bit of information that will help you learn more about what type of material is best for your decorative bracket needs.

Cedar wood brackets are most common for small quantities needed in custom sizing and. It is generally not difficult to find a local handyman or woodworker to build them on site. The use of a custom millworks company is most appropriate for custom needs. There, different fabrication techniques can be used in a cost-effective manner to get specialty items duplicated for you. Cedar wood is easy to work with and these types of decorative brackets can be easily fabricated for most architectural needs. Cedar wood brackets offer the advantage of being able to be left natural, stained, or even painted. When stained, there is no material that can be substituted to provide the same raw look.

To install wood brackets for structural support, it is important that the brackets themselves be anchored to a part of the house that is usually load bearing. The use of lag bolts is common for such a task. To accomplish this, a large 2" diameter hole is countersunk with a ¾" pilot hole for the lag bolt. This is done into the wood bracket at key structural points and a matching wood plug is cut out to later hide the lag bolt. Once the hole is countersunk, pass a long lag bolt with a 3/8" diameter and a 1 ½" washer on it through the hole. Fasten it through the wall such that it hits a stud or if in brick or concrete use and additional lag anchor to attach it for a strong grab.

Foam brackets, made from polyurethane, have made their mark when large quantities and when the need is for non-structural purposes. For foam brackets, the use of construction adhesive is usually most appropriate to attach them. These types of decorative brackets are never structural and are usually used when builders want to provide a decorative look in a cost-effective manner. They are manufactured with molds cheaply and so they are usually less available in custom shapes and sizes.

PVC brackets fabricated from restoration materials, like the name implies, are good for applications that need to last a lifetime, but also need to be custom. This is a great material choice over foam when the quantity is smaller and more custom. They are generally less structural than cedar wood brackets, however, they look like wood when painted. PVC, unlike vinyl, has a matted finish to it and is a solid material that holds paint exceptionally well. These architectural brackets are installed much the same way as wood brackets. Occasionally, they are hollowed out on the inside to bring the material cost down and to make installation easier with the use of "dead wood" or a slip over strip. Since they are non-structural this is usually a good idea. They are a much more durable option than foam when the brackets are installed in low places that are accessible to passing hands. They can also toe nailed with fasteners or glued with PVC glue onto a PVC backing for extra support.

Stones, marbles, and concretes are most commonly used in commercial architecture, skyscrapers, and other greek and roman style architectures. They are sometimes molded with rebar coming out of the back end when made from concrete. The advantage to this is that for the installation, concrete can be poured over the rebar for a strong attachment that allows the corbel to stick out of the building and support anything above it. There are other techniques used as well depending on the application and structural capacity involved with concrete, stone, and marble corbel brackets.