Another bar build - Speakeasy style

[Mitch S]

Working on this over the weekend, I got the faux beams all finished. It wasn't as hard as I thought, but wasn't as easy either. It's not just a matter of beating the hell out of some wood then "ta da"....looks old. I actually had to put some though into it.

The top beam is the biggest (8x8). This will hold the wiring for the lights. The smaller beam (6x6) will act as a shelf. I started by mitering all the joined edges and corners and gluing up.

View attachment 555603

After that all dried I began the distressing. I used pictures of railroad ties for reference. Although the ends were made of face grain I did my best to make it look like end grain. I used a combination of screwdriver, awl, hammers, reciprocating saw, razors, and files/rasps to get the look I was going for.

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After I was happy with the distressing I applied the first coat of stain. I chose ebony to get the best contrast I could.

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After the ebony I applied two coats of dark walnut.

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I then applied two coats of satin poly and will let it dry for a couple days. After that I will wire the large beam for lights and install it. Anybody have any good ideas for lighting? Something 1920's-ish that would go with the whole theme.

While I'm waiting on this I think I'll start building the cabinets.

I know this is a year old thread, but did you use just standard framing wood from Home Depot or Lowe's? I have a living room that looks straight out of the 70's with overhead beams that are "smooth finished" for lack of a better term. Buying pre-made distressed beams is not an option ($500 per 16' long beam cover).

 

[NewJersey]

Got to the counter top yesterday. The wife was voting for copper, I was voting for concrete... I lost 1-1. So copper it is. Got a roll of 10 mil from basiccopper.com. I've done laminate counters in the past, but nothing like this. It was like extremely heavy tin foil. I managed to get it glued in place and folded over the edges and must say it looks pretty sweet. We went with raw, untreated copper so it will age naturally. It should take about 4 months to start looking like an old penny taking all the spills, glass circles, dents, and scratches with it along the way.

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this is awesome and i wish i saw this sooner. i work at a bar that has a hammered or dimpled copper bar top. it's the defining feature of the bar area

 

[ancientmariner52]

I know this is a year old thread, but did you use just standard framing wood from Home Depot or Lowe's? I have a living room that looks straight out of the 70's with overhead beams that are "smooth finished" for lack of a better term. Buying pre-made distressed beams is not an option ($500 per 16' long beam cover).

Check Youtube for videos about 'distressing' wood. You'll find many techniques there. Some 'beams' in high end homes are made of drywall. Smh. You could make distressed covers for your existing beams, or do the work in place. Personally, I'd build and finish covers on sawhorses, then lift them into place. Working overhead stinks.

 

[Mitch S]

Check Youtube for videos about 'distressing' wood. You'll find many techniques there. Some 'beams' in high end homes are made of drywall. Smh. You could make distressed covers for your existing beams, or do the work in place. Personally, I'd build and finish covers on sawhorses, then lift them into place. Working overhead stinks.

That's my plan for the distressing part. I was looking to see what wood OP was using, like a typical 2x4 or if it was something different. Based on the pricing of the beam "covers", I can see why they do it in drywall. As an estimator for a commercial General Contractor, one of the first things I tell owners to cut if they have a budget issue is any wood ceiling or wood wall display.

 

[ancientmariner52]

That's my plan for the distressing part. I was looking to see what wood OP was using, like a typical 2x4 or if it was something different. Based on the pricing of the beam "covers", I can see why they do it in drywall. As an estimator for a commercial General Contractor, one of the first things I tell owners to cut if they have a budget issue is any wood ceiling or wood wall display.

Oops. Once again, I'm trying to give swimming lessons to a shark! I will say that the cheapest pine is best for faux beams, as long as it is reasonably straight. Knots and coarse grain make the job easier.

 

[Mitch S]

Oops. Once again, I'm trying to give swimming lessons to a shark! I will say that the cheapest pine is best for faux beams, as long as it is reasonably straight. Knots and coarse grain make the job easier.

Nah you're good. Even as I approach 10 years in the industry I still learn things that seem like common sense.

 

[gromitdj]

I know this is a year old thread, but did you use just standard framing wood from Home Depot or Lowe's?

That's my plan for the distressing part. I was looking to see what wood OP was using, like a typical 2x4 or if it was something different.

O.P. actually said that he used Home Depot lumber in his last post. About 2 posts up from yours.

Home Depot Lumber

 

[Mitch S]

O.P. actually said that he used Home Depot lumber in his last post. About 2 posts up from yours.

Home Depot Lumber

Yep, see it now. I posted this when I saw it on page 1 and didn't get to page 2. Kind of a "Eureka!!!" moment and started typing.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

@Mitch S Yeah, it's just the standard 1-by's. Knotty and straight are key. The joints have to be tight too because you're going to chamfer them and expose any sloppy joints. You could butt joint, but I feel that would be pretty apparent in the finished product. Distressing was done by hitting it randomly with various objects, hitting a piece of copper wire on it to resemble worm holes, stabbing it with a screwdriver, and using a scratch awl to for cracks. Finally, it has to be sanded. You don't want it to look like you just distressed it yesterday. My favorite technique is using a reciprocating saw laid sideways and drug backwards at different angles to resemble hand sawn marks.

 

[Soulshine2]

Update: I finally got the main cabinet done. Waiting for stain to dry is like watching paint dry, just not as fun. As I said before, I don't stain things so this was educational for me. I don't distress things either, so this definitely had its challenges.

I used Sande plywood because of the look of the grain. It has a tendency to chip and splinter because of its voids so taping your cut line and using a fine-tooth blade is vital. Stain really does make the grain 'pop'.
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All the pieces of the cabinet (except the inside) got two coats of Dark Walnut, some sanding the wear parts, a coat of Colonial Maple, then satin clear. These wine bottle shelves really showcase the different layers.

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Here's the assembled cabinet ready for more stain.
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The face frames were made from poplar and stained in the same manner.
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The doors are made from a couple pieces of leftover plywood, framed, and panel moulding attached.
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The door were then stained and distressed. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the doors. The left one has just stain. The right has been distressed.
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A coat of finish later they are done. I chose handles that look like iron pipe to match the tower and light switch.
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Here's the finished cabinet.
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This week I learned a couple things.
1) I hate staining.
2) The fumes from stain will be sucked into your gas dryer (even though your dryer is not in your shop) and burn. Out near the exhaust it will smell like charcoal lighter fluid. The next day at work your clothes you will smell like kerosene.

Up next I am going to work on the other cabinet that will house the CO2 tank. I was going to do something that matched the main cabinet, but am having second thoughts.

those pipe handles are cool.

 

[Mitch S]

@Mitch S Yeah, it's just the standard 1-by's. Knotty and straight are key. The joints have to be tight too because you're going to chamfer them and expose any sloppy joints. You could butt joint, but I feel that would be pretty apparent in the finished product. Distressing was done by hitting it randomly with various objects, hitting a piece of copper wire on it to resemble worm holes, stabbing it with a screwdriver, and using a scratch awl to for cracks. Finally, it has to be sanded. You don't want it to look like you just distressed it yesterday. My favorite technique is using a reciprocating saw laid sideways and drug backwards at different angles to resemble hand sawn marks.

Thanks for the info! The whole speakeasy concept you have going is awesome, and love the execution of it in the space. I definitely wish I had space to do something like that.