Are you ready to make a no-frills Tiki bar?

Sometimes you need to cut loose – and you want to have a really cool place to do it; so you do what any self respecting carpenter does – you build a Tiki bar!

I had some treated wood left over from some projects, and some waferboard from a siding repair.  Perfect for a basic bar!  Plus I had some exterior paint and a set of casters, so the bar could roll out of the way.  Here is the basic bar:

I rabbeted the landscape ties for the bar rail, and used simple butt joints and exterior screws for almost everything else.  The shelves are fixed and fit buckets and covered storage bins, for extra glasses, napkins, bar tools, straws, and giveaways for kids (tiki necklaces, porpoise bracelets, and stickers, From Amazon).
The important thing to remember is that you are using scrap wood, leftovers and pallet pieces.  there is no “wrong” way to build a Tiki bar.
The important dimensions are as follows:
  • Bar height = 42″ (pl;us or minus an inch or 2)
  • bar width = greater than 36″ depending on available material
  • Bar depth = greater than 14″, Top should overhang and be supported to prevent falling forward (see the “foot” extensions on my design)
  • Bar stool height = 30″ or so
  • Bar stool seat = big enough to support someone’s bottom
Make sure you sand everything smooth, so your guests don’t get splinters, and paint the bar to get the appropriate Tiki look.  Here is a Tiki bar I built for a client on Long Island, complete with roof, Back bar and a salvaged ceiling fan:
 
The author and his Daughter at the Tiki bar.  Yum!
 
Now you have no excuse, but to get ready for the spring and summer with a neat Tiki bar of your own design and some cool tiki drinks!
 
Thanks for reading my blog and Tiki on!  – Aloha!