# Bar construction



## mmulholland

After viewing the thread "Rick's Bar" I've decided to post my own bar construction pics as I build my bar over the next month.  Before I begin I want to thank Rick for his great thread, photos, and ideas - many of which I will be incorporating into my own bar.  I'll begin with some photos and diagrams of my basement layout.


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## mmulholland

Okay, so here is my basement layout


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## mmulholland

And here are three photos of my basement including the area where the bar will go.


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## mmulholland

Here is a diagram of the 10' wall section of the bar.  I will have to redo the electrical and rough-in for the wet bar which will require some dry-wall work.  I'm also going to have to snake a coax from my utility room to this wall for the in-bar TV.


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## mmulholland

Looking ahead I'm going to be adding some games.  This is a limited edition "Marble Links Golf" game that I acquired.  I'm also looking at getting a multicade stand up arcade game.


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## mmulholland

After a great deal of deliberation I've decided to modify the inexpensive low-end in-stock unfinished cabinets at Lowe's.  They will be primed and painted black.  The panel is an insert of 5 mm bead board paneling also from Lowe's.


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## oldognewtrick

Looks good, keep us updated.


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## iadubber

Looking good! I love basement theaters. What are you running for a projector?


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## mmulholland

I'm running an Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 purchased at Best Buy.  I've been very happy with it as a middle of the road projector.  Also, Epson's customer service/warranty is second to none.  Still haven't had time to do a calibration so reds are a bit strong.  I run everything through a Denon AVR-1611 Receiver.  XBOX 360 & Sony Blu-Ray player complete the system.  Just got Netflix steaming through the XBOX and love it.


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## TxBuilder

Where did you find the Marble links Golf?


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## mmulholland

It is no longer made.  However, I know the manufacturer (he is my brother) and he has several more left in storage.   It's pretty cool, you use little metal "clubs" to flick a marble into a hole.  Each side of the game has 9 distinct holes.  My brother invented and manufactured the games but never really found a market for them outside of golf pro shops.


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## mmulholland

I've spent the last four days working on the bar and thought I would share some pictures.  I've installed all cabinets, re-routed the plumbing, wired all the electrical, built the bar framing, and will soon be installing the countertops and the bar top.  For the bartop I'm using laminate flooring with a crack sealer but installing it in a way that will allow me to change it out if it gets damaged.  The bar will be two-toned with all cabinets painted black and some of the bar front a deep red mahogany to match the laminate bar top.  Note: The close-up of the bartop is just to illustrate how the bar rail and laminate flooring will be installed - these pieces are not currently attached.  The wall cabinets will have mirrored backs and are backlit with rope lights.


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## Kode_Luna

Looking good man.  Is your brother planning to sell any more of his Marble Links Golf games in storage?  If so, how much does he want for one of them?


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## mmulholland

I think he is getting rid of them at $250 a piece + shipping (basically just covering the materials cost).  Of course, they are in storage in Peoria, IL so you could always make the trek.  If you or someone you know is serious about buying one I could put you in touch with him.


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## Kode_Luna

I may be interested, let me get back to you on that.  Peoria could be perfect.  One of my best friends lives up there.  I'll give him a shout and see if I can work something out.  I'll respond again to this thread if I can get him to pick it up and hold onto it for me until I can pass through and pick it up.  I'll be moving in the next 3 months so it would do me absolutely no good to have it shipped here.


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## mmulholland

So after about 100 hours of labor I'm essentially finished.  I need to buy the bar stools and I'm nervously awaiting my attempt to epoxy the bartop but it is essentially good to go.  Here are final pics.  In my next post I'll discuss cost and some FYI but I'm not sure if that is kosher on the DIY forum so the moderator can remove it if that is the case.


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## mmulholland

All the materials ran me about $2700.  The appliances (fridge, dishwasher, microwave) were another $800.  I bought about 70% of the materials at Lowe's and 20% at HD with the remaining material (epoxy resin, chicago bar rail) bought at specialty woodworking stores.  The laminate flooring used on the bartop was Mahagany tongue and groove from HD.  The actual flooring between the bar and the kitchenette was peel and stick vinyl squares but spaced 1/8th inch with grout to give the appearance of ceramic tile.  All cabinetry was inexpensive in-stock cabinets from HD that I painted black.  For the liquor cabinets I turned the HD cabinets sideways and removed the doors.  I had mirrors custom cut at a local glass shop and spent another $45 for the glass shelf.

All in all I am very satisfied with the outcome.  However, like always, the job was bigger than I anticipated.  Anyway, hope this info helps another DIY bar builder.


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## oldognewtrick

Turned out really nice, when's the party?


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## mmulholland

Olddog/Newtrick,

I would normally say that we should party during the last regular season game between the Titans and Colts but since both are probably going to miss the playoffs perhaps a raincheck is in order.  Of course, if you are ever up around Indy send me a message.


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## TheDoorGuy

Nicely done MM!
You made good time if you did that in 100 hours.


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## granite-girl

Yeah- that golf thing looks cool. Oh also your basement does too. I'm jealous. Like the look the bar is taking on & the cabinets also.  Are you planning a sit down bar facing that wall with the t.v. & frig... ?  What kind of countertops will you be putting in ? Granite?


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## jefemundo

I know this post is over 2 years old, but was hoping mmulholland, the OP, might still be available.  I love the work you did on this project, would like to know a bit more if possible about the bartop area, I am considering doing something similar myself.  do you mind answering a few questions?  First, after 2 years, are you happy with the laminate bar deck surface?  would you use it again if starting the project over? you mentioned epoxy/resin in a later post, did you seal the whole surface with it, or the cracksealer?  how did you match the barrail stain to the laminate color?  you mentioned you'd build it in a way you could replace the laminate planks if damaged.  How did you do that? Thanks!


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## BridgeMan

Nice looking bar.  Reminds me of my ex-father-in-law's place, also a golf nut.  His bar looked very similar, tucked back into an alcove behind the lower level stairway.  The unique thing about his was him installing a golf hole in the middle of the carpeted floor in the living room above, connected to the bar back splash with a circuitous network of 3" PVC.  You opened a little door to watch the balls roll out.


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## mmulholland

Jefemundo &#8211; I&#8217;ll answer your questions in order.
1)	I love the epoxy coated laminate even after two years.  It holds up to extreme heat and no scratches. FYI &#8211; The epoxy coating is a MUST as the laminate alone just wouldn&#8217;t stand up to daily use &#8211; something I realized after just a few days.
2)	I would still do the laminate flooring but it MUST be coated with epoxy.  This means you cannot ever replace a piece of laminate but the epoxy means you will never have to.  The epoxy coating I used is called &#8220;Mirror Coat&#8221; and is excellent.  The clear coat &#8220;Mirror Coat&#8221; actually cost more than the Home Depot laminate.   It is a 2-part mix that really is pretty easy to work with.  However, it is permanent so get it right.  It has a 15 minute working time so you just mix the two parts together and then poor it on the bar.  You MUST make sure you&#8217;ve sealed all holes since it is liquid for 15 minutes and WILL find holes and cracks around the perimeter.  Then, you leave the room for 2 days (closed vents and demanded kids stay away).  My first batch was not enough so I had &#8220;spotches&#8221;.  I was mortified.  However, the product said to just mix another batch and poor it over the top of the first layer.  It self-leveled and ended up looking spectacular.  I get only complements with several neighbors planning on repeating the look.
3)	The Chicago Bar Rail was an oak product I found at a local specialty lumber store (cannot find it at big box stores).  I tried several stains before I found one that matched the laminate.  I then put about 3 coats of clear coat polyeurethane on the bar rail so it would shine like the bar top.

I liked the look so much I even did a table with a FatHead Cardinals logo embeded in the epoxy (see attached).


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