My Basement Bar Build!

Got the tv mounted in the corner picked up the plywood and my brother came over and helped me frame it out.

Made some progress on the bar build tonight!!

Got done work early today so I went home and worked on the bar some more. So glad I have a nail gun, I can't imagine doing it with out one. Now its mostly just trim work

Looking good. love the floor look against the wall color.

241 said:

Looking good. love the floor look against the wall color.

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Thanks! Now the hard part, picking a stain for he bar that will match everything else!

Looking mighty good so far. I am in the same process myself right now. I have a thread here on that as well. Just waiting on my 10ft long lump of solid oak for the bar top itself.
Not meaning to hi jack this thread by the way, just seeing a lot of parallels here.

Wow that looks great! Are you going to do a drip tray? Im still undecided, and don't really know how to go about making one

Started putting on the trim work today, im pretty much learning as I go I don't normally do woodworking! Not sure If I should put molding inside the boxes, and what type of molding, or if I should just leave it the way it is. Anyone have any suggestions??

It looks good to me without a molding there.

A cabinet maker would often put a decorative edge on those boards before assembly, but they have the shaper blades to do it easily.

A molding can help to hide any gaps between the frame and the panel. It doesn't look like you have any worth worrying about.

I can think of one other reason to put a molding there. The frame will collect dust on the horizontal surface you are pointing toward. A molding that is thin at the edge where it meets the panel and tapers to wide at the edge where it meets the frame will help to shed the dust. That wouldn't be a big enough reason for me to decide though.

It really comes down to what style you want to see. Simple, plain frames or more decorative molded edges.

hungry4hops said:

Wow that looks great! Are you going to do a drip tray? Im still undecided, and don't really know how to go about making one

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Going to include a beer gutter at the bartender side of the bar top. Going to be very heavily varnished oak (6+ coats) with a slight angle to a drain hole and tube going to a container at the back of the ceramic surface. Will post photos when I do it. A picture is worth a thousand words so they say.

hungry4hops said:

Started putting on the trim work today, im pretty much learning as I go I don't normally do woodworking! Not sure If I should put molding inside the boxes, and what type of molding, or if I should just leave it the way it is. Anyone have any suggestions??

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I think you are fine the way it is. What color stain are you going with ?? and more to the point what kind of wood are you using there ??? If it is a soft wood then I urge you to use the pre stain treatment to prevent it going patchy on you. The soft woods do not absorb the stain evenly. The pre treatment helps it absorb more evenly. I use it on the oak as well just to be safe.
Looks like you are coming along nicely there. Ours will be on hold from Friday till 12th March as we are heading to Costa Rica on vacation.

+1 to Kenmyfam. I'm a woodworker and cabinet maker (Look for my new bar HOPEFULLY this summer!) What I use is the General finishes line of products. Probably the best out there is the Charles Neil sealer, but it's pricey and you can get just fine finishes. If you have a wood working store (Not a big box store) in your area I would definitely go get some. Here's where you can order it online. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=30560&site=ROCKLER

It seals the softer wood and lets a much more even coat of stain go on. You will be very very thankful for using this stuff. You can take a much cheaper piece of wood and literally make it look like a million bucks!

Good luck! I can't wait to see the final results!

Something else I forgot to mention. Do some stain testing on your scrap wood to see how it goes on. Try some on treated and untreated scrap pieces. See the difference before you start on the real thing.

Thanks for all the advice guys! The whole top of the bar is oak, everything else is pine, trying to keep it easier on the wallet. We picked up some minwax red mahogany 225 ill do a test piece tomorrow. And post up some pics.

hungry4hops said:

Thanks for all the advice guys! The whole top of the bar is oak, everything else is pine, trying to keep it easier on the wallet. We picked up some minwax red mahogany 225 ill do a test piece tomorrow. And post up some pics.

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Looking forward to seeing your progress. Like I said, we are on hold till we get back from vacation. My bar top will be ready for me when I get back. The pine will need pre treatment for sure. Some folk make their own out of a paint thinners and varnish mix. 90% thinners and 10% varnish. If you buy the minwax version that's exactly what it looks and smells like.

Here's my test piece! I ran a piece of tape down the middle and used minwax conditioner on the top half. I also poked a hole on each side and used wood filler to see how that would look. I am definitely going to use conditioner on everything! I just need to pick up some polyurethane and put it on the test piece to see how it would look finished.

Hungry, I would almost use two coats on it. I have done that at tines with ponderosa which from your pics seems to be what you used. It's VERY unforgiving! It also will help you fill in and level out your heart woods to your soft woods.

Two coats of conditioner, a VERY light sand with 600 in between and you will be rewarded in the end. and I mean VERY light sanding, just enough to know down the dust nibs and create a positive "tooth".

I'm with the 2 coats of conditioner as well. Good Luck with it.

Sorry its been a while since I updated! Finished up all the wood work today, got the arm rail glued and screwed. Just have to fill in some cracks with wood filler do some sanding and I should be all ready for stain!

I was hesitant to post this, don't laugh. Im not really a wood worker but when I test fitted the arm rail there was a 1/8 inch gap so I needed to put something in between the two 3/4 inch pieces of plywood. I browsed around the depot and lowes and couldn't find anything thin enough. Then I had a crazy idea to use toothpicks, went to the grocery store and bought 1000 for 1.80. Spread them out put down glue and assembled the top of the bar, perfect fit!

What is there you are using for the arm rail? Some folks might like to know where they can get it. Also did you modify it?

EZCyclone said:

What is there you are using for the arm rail? Some folks might like to know where they can get it. Also did you modify it?

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i foud a place nearby the arm rail is red oak http://www.delawarecountysupply.us/home.html they charged 10 bucks a foot, and the had a huge selection to chose from. It would have cost more if i ordered it online, and i wouldnt be able to see it until it arrived at my house. i didnt have to modify at all, it was pretty easy to install!

What was it specifically called? Bar Arm rail? I myself will make my own, but that seems to be the most obscure part to find to make your bar.

This build looks awesome - I cannot wait until I have a house that can have a bar in it. This is definitely some great inspiration and some great work here.

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Bar is built! Ready to be stained!

Looking great man!

hungry4hops said:

I was hesitant to post this, don't laugh. Im not really a wood worker but when I test fitted the arm rail there was a 1/8 inch gap so I needed to put something in between the two 3/4 inch pieces of plywood. I browsed around the depot and lowes and couldn't find anything thin enough. Then I had a crazy idea to use toothpicks, went to the grocery store and bought 1000 for 1.80. Spread them out put down glue and assembled the top of the bar, perfect fit!

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Sometimes it's the simplest of solutions that work best, just takes some time to figure it out. Looking good!
I have stood in the hardware store many hours like an idiot trying to figure out how to make something do something it was not design to do, but works for my application. Then the poor hardware store guy asks if I need help.... I have learned at that point to just say " I am good, thanks" to avoid that odd look and the confusion that follows.

Got some staining done today!

Looking great!

Looking good man! How did you do your conditioner?

EZCyclone said:

Looking good man! How did you do your conditioner?

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Did two coats with a rag, took forever lol

Oh I bet! Looking good! What's next?

Wow. The stain just cranked it up to 11. Great work.

Thanks guys! Next step is going to be a couple coats of gloss polyurethane!

Got the first coat of poly laid on there! Now just got to wait for it to dry, sand it smooth and put down the second coat!

Looking good buddy! Can almost see the first pint on it now!

Can't wait to see it finished - looks amazing.

Looking great !!!! Don't be afraid to put an extra coat or two of the shiny stuff on that bar top (or anywhere else for that matter)

kenmyfam said:

Looking great !!!! Don't be afraid to put an extra coat or two of the shiny stuff on that bar top (or anywhere else for that matter)

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I'm with Ken, especially on the soft woods.

hungry4hops said:

I was hesitant to post this, don't laugh. Im not really a wood worker but when I test fitted the arm rail there was a 1/8 inch gap so I needed to put something in between the two 3/4 inch pieces of plywood. I browsed around the depot and lowes and couldn't find anything thin enough. Then I had a crazy idea to use toothpicks, went to the grocery store and bought 1000 for 1.80. Spread them out put down glue and assembled the top of the bar, perfect fit!

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Sounds like something I would do.