My DIY Bar (lots of pics!)

[Yesfan70]

How wide/deep is the bartop?

20" give or take an inch once I add the trim pieces. There is a 4" overlap over the countertop. The countertop is 24" deep. Seems a lot of bars I've seen and read about have a width of 18"-22" for the bartop and typical kitchen counter dimensions for the counter top and back bar. The countertop is 36" high and the bartop is about 42". Overall depth is 44" and the overall width is around 130".

Here's another pic. I can't remember if this was the kind of shot you were wanting. I have to get in a corner to get the whole bar in one shot. The liquor "stand" you see in the back is nothing more than scrap 1x3s on 2x4 blocks. The (temporary) back bar is a piece of 1/2 plywood spanned over a pair of Klipsch towers. Pretty hic huh?

Please excuse the mess. The man cave has become another storage space. Things have been a bit cramped since my mom has moved in while going through her chemo treatments.

 

[Yesfan70]

Yesfan......if I'm ever in your area........I WILL drink alot of beer with you....... bscene-drinkingdrunk:

Sounds good Barn! bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Batman]

Are you going to miter the bartop trim at the corner? where it turns towards the support pole...

 

[Yesfan70]

Are you going to miter the bartop trim at the corner? where it turns towards the support pole...

I was going to take some short square stock, and rabbit a lip that would cover that edge. I plan on tracing the curves of the handrail, so it tapers flush to the hand rail.


Or are you talking about something completely different?

 

[Batman]

I think we're on the same page...Very nice work if I haven't said so already. :eusa-clap:

 

[Yesfan70]

From this to this is what I was thinking.

The edge would flow into the handrail. I plan on doing the same to the other ends to protect the wall.

 

[Botch]

But how can you sweep peanut shells onto the floor with that end cap?

 

[Yesfan70]

But how can you sweep peanut shells onto the floor with that end cap?

That's the idea. This ain't Logan's or Longhorn Steakhouse.

 

[Yesfan70]

I thought I would go ahead and skin out the bar. I double checked all my wiring and it looks good, so decided to move forward. Due to my phone being a pos, some of the pics might not look as good, so bear with me.

Finished the side and rest of the front. I had a slight droop in the front of the bar, so I used a pair of 3 ft clamps, reversed, to level it before putting the corner pieces on.

It still has a bit of droop, to my eyes when looking down the length, but placing the level through out the width of the bar shows the bubble within the lines, so good enough for me.


So far, the best $38 I've spent on this project.

Another shot of the side.

I used some scrap paneling for the "endcap" of my handrail. Not real happy with it, but I didn't account for the thickness of the paneling elsewhere, so I may just leave it and cover it so it's nice and flush with the 1x4 trim.

A shot of my outlets after the paneling was put on.

Since this was scrap paneling, it's not as tall as the backsplash. I think what I will do is just run some scrap paneling to fill out that part of the back splash, since it will be covered with 1x4 board anyway.


I did run into a snag and thought I would ask some advice. It is the seam on my bar top.

Obviously, I couldn't get a 12ft x 2ft section to cover the bar top length, so I had to make do with a 4x8 panel cut in two and then doubled up. I haven't put any polyurethane on it yet, but thought about just putting some filler, sand and re-stain the top (entirely if I have to), then clear coat it. What do you guys think?

 

[Barney]

Thats what I was thinking...but someone may know something better than filler/sanding...

 

[Towen7]

That plywood veneer is ultra thin so be careful when sanding. For a tighter fitting joint try cuttting each board at an opposite 45 degree angle.

 

[Yesfan70]

That plywood veneer is ultra thin so be careful when sanding. For a tighter fitting joint try cuttting each board at an opposite 45 degree angle.

That's what worries me about the sanding. I plan on going very light on the sanding. I'll probably have to re-stain the whole thing too, which is ok. I keep telling myself, it's not a high end bar I'm trying to build but that doesn't seem to help.


I thought about the 45 degree angle. My mitres on the trim pieces haven't been so great due to some warp here and some bow there in my 1x4 stock, so I was a bit hesitant taking that risk at my skill level (Norm Abrahms, I'm not) with the plywood. With the exception of the brad nailer I made myself get, the majority has been done with a 30+ year circular saw and corded drill.

 

[Maximo]

Wade, update please.

 

[Yesfan70]

^^^ Nothing new to report. I may have a couple of "finished" pics, but in all reality I still need to add a foot rail and some bar stools. My projects have taken a side step due to my older brother's health and my mom's. I still need to add a back bar and kegerator, but that's going to take some time.


I'll look through some of my pictures for anything new.

 

[Yesfan70]

I found a couple of pics.

Like I said, nothing new. The stools I have are loaners from my sister in law. I'm hoping to replace them with something that matches the bar better. I plan on getting 5 stools. I also want to add some track lighting and have some small lights that span the width of the bar. The ceiling fan ain't cutting it and I'll probably relocate it upstairs somewhere.

The large bookshelfs in the back will be moved somewhere as well. I want to have a full length back bar with a sink to the far right, and my kegerator to the left. In the center of the wall, I want to put a 50" plasma for more casual viewing when I don't want to fire up the projo.

 

[Maximo]

that looks awesome. I would love to fall offa one of those stools.

 

[Wardsweb]

Nice job and you get to say "I made that."