Comments on: Basement Bar Design #7: Bar Top and Countertop Surfaces

By: Rich Elliot

Rich Elliot — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:56:47 +0000

Great article. One addition would be Copper Bar Tops which are spectacular. These days copper comes in more than just the traditional shinny or “old” penny look. http://www.ColorCopper.com has 18 patina copper finishes that are beautiful.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:29:34 +0000

Laci,
I don’t have any experience with removing scratches from epoxy surfaces. You may want to check out the end of this section of a manufacturer’s website on installing epoxy tops.
I’d try this on an inconspicuous corner first….
Apparently, you can lightly sand out the scratches with very fine sandpaper. This will cloud the finish, but you can render it clear again with a top coating of resin or even clear nail polish.
As I said, I haven’t tried this, so I can’t testify as to exact methods or success. Good luck!

By: Laci

Laci — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:12:47 +0000

My boyfriend has epoxy on the dining room table. My two yearold scratched it up pretty good. My boyfriend is not to happy about it. Do you know any way to remove the scratches from the epoxy?

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:44:14 +0000

Glass is a gorgeous surface, and as I understand it, you can make it sturdy enough even for commercial applications. But you don’t see it that often, do you?
I’d suspect this is for two reasons: One, it’s ridiculously expensive. More importantly, I get the shivers when putting down a glass, especially a fine stemmed glass, on a glass surface. The click is not so much musical as wince-inducing. That’s just my vibe, but I’ll bet you’d get a lot of people to respond that way.

I suppose, given that last caveat, it would depend on the bar you’re building. It might be awesome in a hotel lobby bar or such, where 90% of your traffic is transient customers, and the look of the place will determine whether they enter or not at all. But for a place that wants to develop a community or just a lot of repeat clientele, I think it would not feel right.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:34:09 +0000

Hi Doug,
Just found your blog.
I was thinking about putting in glass counter tops for a commercial bar setting. What are your thoughts on that?

By: I'm {interested in|looking into|researching|reading up on|confused about} this whole thing at moment. Need to read up on it big {style|time}!

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:00:37 +0000

I’m confused about this whole thing at moment. Need to read up on it big style!

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:03:56 +0000

I haven’t. My bar tops are Corian and polished aluminum.
Copper is gorgeous, but not terribly easy to maintain, I imagine.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:26:44 +0000

Have you ever done any copper bartops?

By: Patricia Ausherman

Patricia Ausherman — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:14:40 +0000

A friend urged me to check out this website, great post, interesting read… keep up the good work!

By: Wayne DeLano

Wayne DeLano — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:15:01 +0000

Hello Doug, do have faricators that you recomend to any one who contacts your site?

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:52:47 +0000

Joseph,

A bar top is going to get a lot of wet on it. I’d use at least a varnish, but more likely a heavy polyurethane or the resin treatment I describe above.
You could go with a regular floor finish, but you’ll have staining issues out the wazoo.

By: Joseph Tommasi

Joseph Tommasi — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:52:37 +0000

very useful. One question. If you choose wood as a bar counter top, what kind of finish do you put on it? Varnish or regular wood floor finish?

By: d

Wed, 27 May 2009 14:02:40 +0000

You gotta try this cleaner http://www.rejuvenate.tv/countertop.php” rel=””> it makes cleaning countertops so much easier

By: manu

manu — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:52:35 +0000

im designing a rounded bar counter and a display area so i want to know the conditions and process to design it

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:28:13 +0000

Mike,

I have never tried this, so I can’t say for sure. I’ll take a shot at a few things that come to mind. You probably know better than I do about how it’ll work with the paint and tile, but you might want to try it with a couple of sample tiles glued to a board before you hit your own counter.
The grout is where I think you’ll have the problem. Will you remove it before you paint, then regrout before you epoxy the counter? If you don’t, I think you’ll have some cosmetic issues. Are you spraying epoxy just to seal it all, or are you going to pour a clear coat to smooth the surface?
That said, it sounds like a cool way to jazz up an existing tile counter!

By: mike

mike — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 04:43:57 +0000

Hi
I have tile all through out my 25 year old kitchen and would like to paint it. My thoughts were to completly clean and etch it, then sand the heck out of it.
I was going to use a primer called XIM, the best and strongest adhering primer I have ever used (im a painting contractor).
Then I was going to colorize the tile in random patterns using acrylic paints and THEN spray epoxy over it.

Can someone tell me if I can do this? It sounds as if I can but I need some feedback perhaps!
thanks,
mike