Antique Corbels

Enhance Your Decor With Antique Corbels

Having antique corbels can elevate the feel of a room, whether it's inside your home or out on a porch. There are various types of antique corbels for sale on eBay that can complement a variety of design schemes.

Vintage corbels

The vintage pieces that are truly antiques will likely be made out of wood. Antique wood corbels for sale could be stained in various colors, or they could even be painted white, cream, gray, or another color. If antique wood corbels are handcrafted, they will be fairly expensive as opposed to a factory-made product. Some may even have delicate designs carved into their faces to include spirals, pictures of animals, or pictures of people. These details can be found from the top to bottom of an antique corbel or they could be contained to the curved section in the middle of the piece.

Faux antique corbels

There are some newer pieces that are made to look like antiques. While not authentic, these can still give you the throwback feel, and they may be cheap options to consider. In general, the older styles are thicker, at least a few inches wide, and involve some sort of curve or carved line for visual interest. They could be made out of:

• Wood: Wood is strong and timeless, and it can be stained or painted. If you use wood on the exterior of a home, you'll need to finish it in a way that offers protection from the elements. The types of wood could include alder, maple, white oak, red oak, cherry, and white hardwood. Some of the wood corbels on eBay will be unfinished, letting you decide how to stain or seal it.
• Plastic: This is very lightweight, and cheap corbels are often plastic. These may be ideal for a decorative purpose versus a structural one.
• Wrought iron: Wrought iron can be designed with elegant curves, making it a material sometimes found in ornate corbels. Its metallic look is complementary of many architectural and decor styles.
• Galvanized steel: Galvanized steel requires very low maintenance, and it's durable as well. Some of the cheaper corbels for sale may be made out of this material.

How do you determine the size of corbels for your space?

It depends on whether they're structural or decorative. If you use a corbel as a support for a shelf or other component, the important dimension to think about is the depth of the corbel. Some recommend that corbels supporting shelves be at least 2/3 of the depth of the shelf.