My bar project

Hey all,

Haven't been around in a while, but still brewing on a regular basis. Just too busy to hang out on the boards these days. I figured I'd share my latest project - my new bar.

The whole thing took me about 6 months working in my spare time and on weekends.

Started with a blank slate - my recently completed basement...


Picked up some cabinets from Menard's. I had to go special order because I wanted cherry, but they are on the low end. They looked better than I expected.



Here is a problem area - sump! I ordered a cabinet face to cover it and framed around it

Dude, I'm jealous! I have no room in my house for that kind of project. Keep us updated so we can live vicariously!

Next comes the drywall



I trimmed the bar out with some hardwood - the center will eventually be filled with brick. Carboys filled with water work nice when you don't have BIG ass clamps.



The top is plywood with a rail I picked up online. The rail was a pain in the neck to install, but I like the look.

This is a small thing, but I'm proud of it. I cut a cap for the end of the rail so it was finished nicely



Next was adding some paint to the walls and adding the brick. This stuff is from Robinson brick. It's a brick veneer that you install like tile. This is it before mortar



I tiled the top - eventually to be covered with envirotex

I build a trellis and hung some grapes. These things light up. I also have some accent lighting on the back wall and under the bar, but it doesn't show well in pictures. Added some bar lights too



Here is everything lit up



Here are the stools and brass bar rail

That has to be the nicest home bar I've ever seen! Great job Rod.

Now for the beer porn - 4 taps fed from the closet behind the bar. Also added a shelf to hide the lighting behind the bar and finish it off. The sink was added too. This also shows the top completely finished. I really like how it turned out



Another view



I love it. It's been a big hit at parties and serves up a nice glass of beer too. It's my new favorite hangout.

Everything looks really. really nice. I'm jealous.

Looks great! I really like the tile you picked for the top of your bar.

Holy crap. That's one super fine job! Do you do that type of work for a living?

love the idea of the taps IN THE WALL!!!
awesome home bar porn!

Gonefishing said:

Holy crap. That's one super fine job! Do you do that type of work for a living?

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No - it's just a hobby. I'm mostly an internet nerd for work. I did a lot of reading to figure out how to do stuff and it takes me 10 times longer than people that know what they're doing.

Nice bar Rod. Good to see you back here.

Wow, That is really nice, and the fact that your a fellow IT geek is very impressive.
It looks fantastic, thank you for sharing it with us.

I have to say I hate you... Not because of your fine craftsmanship, or your glorious bar, but because you have space to put that in.

Great work. Now invite us all to raid it.

honestly.. that is the best i have ever seen. the grapes adds such a great tough too!

Congrats man.. that looks excellent!

RD, Good to see you man! Was wondering where you fell off to, now I see! Awesome job man! Supremely jealous! :rockin:

Ize

WOW!! Awesome job!

Ize said:

RD, Good to see you man! Was wondering where you fell off to, now I see! Awesome job man! Supremely jealous! :rockin:

Ize

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The new job is keeping me pretty busy. I need to make a point of stopping by a little more often.

Nice bar! For someone who claims he has no idea what he is doing, you sure did it well!

OMFG Rod, that is so amazing. WTH is up with all of you bar snobs coming in here lately?

Mine looks like a joke compared to you guys!!!!!!

That is freaking amazing, I love the biergarten trellis (or whatever you call it) look above the bar...WOW. I'm speechless. Best one I've ever seen. LOVE the tap idea.

Looks real good, Rob. Glad you're still around.

Beautiful setup!

Kal

That's beautiful! I love the trellis idea, and the neutral colors are awesome. It's a great bar- I'm so jealous.

the bar looks awesome - I wish I had a spot for something like that. It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but is there room to go around the side of the bar? It doesn't look the the top is hinged. Is there space between the bar and back counter, or do you have to crawl under it?

caspio said:

the bar looks awesome - I wish I had a spot for something like that. It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but is there room to go around the side of the bar? It doesn't look the the top is hinged. Is there space between the bar and back counter, or do you have to crawl under it?

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You can walk around. You can't see it in any of the pics except for the pre-drywall ones, but the bar is actually two levels - the tile level and a lower serving area. The side return wall goes just covers the side of the cabinets. There is about 3 feet between the front and back cabinets.

Hey Rob, any idea of how much cash you've invested into this venture?

That's a great space. Nine foot or ten foot ceilings? The trellis is awesome!

Very cool, and very nice work! Question about the tile: it looks like you added some finish to the top, covering both the tile and the grout. Is that polyurethane, or some other tile sealer? I really love the shiny...me like a da shiney!

I have total basement envy - living on a slab sucks!

Nice work!!

TwoHeadsBrewing said:

Very cool, and very nice work! Question about the tile: it looks like you added some finish to the top, covering both the tile and the grout. Is that polyurethane, or some other tile sealer? I really love the shiny...me like a da shiney!

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It's an epoxy flowcoat called Envirotex. I've heard it compared to 70 coats of polyurethane but you pour it out in one application.

Very nice work, and nice to see from a fellow PC man. hope to compete some day

Beautiful work. The trellis with light-up grapes is a very nice touch.

That looks awesome, Rob. What the hell's that Blueberry Wheat I see on Tap #4, though?

wow!
So you going to go install one at each of our houses next?

The top is plywood with a rail I picked up online. The rail was a pain in the neck to install, but I like the look.

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where did you find this railing online?? it is exactly what i have been looking for. this is an awesome build by the way. great job!

Yea .. me too.... where did that rail come from ?? Thanks for any info !!

jct9335 said:

where did you find this railing online?? it is exactly what i have been looking for. this is an awesome build by the way. great job!

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RiverSwillBeer said:

Yea .. me too.... where did that rail come from ?? Thanks for any info !!

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It's from Rockler You have to install the base in tiers to get it to sit right. I used a layer of 5/8th that went to the very front, then a layer of 3/4, then the lip went over the tile. I think I have a cross section pic somewhere. I'll try to find it.

I got the brass rail there too.

mmb said:

That's a great space. Nine foot or ten foot ceilings? The trellis is awesome!

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They're 9 foot. They seem taller because I sprayed the whole thing black. It was way cheaper than a drop and I still have access to everything. The only negative is noise. You can hear everything that's going on upstairs when it's quiet, but for a party room, it's no big deal.

talleymonster said:

Hey Rob, any idea of how much cash you've invested into this venture?

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Probably about 5K or so. Not exactly sure since I bought in bits and pieces and was constantly returning things and buying different stuff. The cabinets and the counter top (not the tile part) were most of it.

mmb said:

It's an epoxy flowcoat called Envirotex. I've heard it compared to 70 coats of polyurethane but you pour it out in one application.

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I had to do two pours since the slate tile was so uneven. The stuff is pretty easy to work with and really looks cool.


And guys...

It's ROD! Robb was the guy that got banned =)

rdwj said:

IIt's ROD! Robb was the guy that got banned =)

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Oops! That's what you get for disappearing!

(dammit, I feel like an ass... but trust me, I wasn't confusing you with Cheezy!)