Building outdoor bar - waterproofing

[ewerbeck]

Hey everyone,

I started here years ago getting brew advice and in my search for bar plans/building help, guess what site popped up? Exactly.

Background: I am building a bar on my patio. It is covered up until about 7 feet out, then there is a small grate for drainage, then the concrete is on a slight incline until the pool.

Plans: I plan on building a bar out to about 5 feet, to allow someone to sit at it and still (somewhat) be in the shade.

Problem: During heavy rains (I live in Florida), the patio gets about all the water it can handle and the water has made it more than once up within about 1 foot of the house. So, if there were a bar there, it would be in about an inch of water out nearest the drain. Doesn't happen often, but it happens.

Question: Is pressure treated wood and sealant enough for this problem? Should I elevate the bar somehow? Put another material (tile, etc) at the bottom of the bar on top of the wood? Anyone had this problem?

Thanks a bunch.

Eric

 

[Safa]

Thought about just throwing down some face-bricks as a base to your bar? It could look nice if you work it into the design up the upper part, as well as elevating the vulnerable parts.

You could I suppose put down a small concrete slab over the top of your original patio and then tile over the top of that. That way the bartender would be a few inches taller than the guests, which lends a nice feel to me, but that just sounds like work. I'd use the bricks and start the shelves/cupboards/wooden bar structure a good 4 inches off the main patio floor.

 

[ewerbeck]

I like that idea. I guess if I use bricks for the base, I'm going to have to decide what color and how to match that with the patio, etc. I am going for a rustic/beach look (mostly wood) so it might be a challenge trying to work in bricks... but I do think that might be the best solution long term.