Hula Sue's South Seas Hideaway - Home Tiki Bars

MPP Mr. Pupu Pants Member Edmonds, WA Joined: Mar 06, 2008 Posts: 337	MPP Mr. Pupu Pants Posted posted on Fri, May 2, 2008 12:24 AM Hi Everyone, I've been a lurker on this site for over a year--admiring the many talented artists at work here. You guys are truly inspiring. I've been planning to build a Tiki Room in my basement for quite some time and finally amassed most of the materials to do so. The working name for the room is 'Hula Sue's South Seas Club' (for my wife) and will be what we’re considering a part Enchanted Tiki room, part Hawaii 'simulator' and uh…part other stuff. I was lucky enough to find (listed on Craigslist) a bamboo covered (interior) Chinese restaurant in Tacoma that was being renovated, and got a free truckload of whole and split bamboo poles. Felt just like hitting the lottery (you know, if the lottery gave a bunch of bamboo to the winner). I had to steel wool the old peeling varnish off of miles of poles but it was worth it. I found a great restaurant corner booth and some nice rattan and bamboo furniture on Craigslist as well. I started by framing in walls over the concrete (following the weeks it took to clean the place out). The short flight of stairs down to the basement will be surrounded by lava cave entrance with bamboo railings that terminate in Tiki Pole newel posts. There will be fake windows behind the bar with a large, rear-lit photo backdrop (from panoramic pics I took on vacation) of our favorite Hawaiian beach (Tunnels Beach on Kauai) set back into the adjoining storage room for depth. On the walls, I’ll be using a combination of bamboo, matting and Tapa and I’ve made some baseboard and trim inspired…er…ripped-off from the likes of the legendary Bamboo Ben and others on the site (I just love the way the wood looks when you torch and wire-brush it to get the weather-worn raised-grain look—like some of that woodwork in Fantasyland). Anyway, I’m just getting started (and by that I mean I’m several months in) but I thought I would post and document my progress—and hopefully solicit some great input/ideas/inspiration from all of you. I’ve already learned much from many of you on this site. Mahalo! John…er….I mean Mr. Pupu Pants [ Edited by: Mr. Pupu Pants 2009-06-18 15:43 ]

Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker on this site for over a year--admiring the many talented artists at work here. You guys are truly inspiring.
I've been planning to build a Tiki Room in my basement for quite some time and finally amassed most of the materials to do so. The working name for the room is 'Hula Sue's South Seas Club' (for my wife) and will be what we’re considering a part Enchanted Tiki room, part Hawaii 'simulator' and uh…part other stuff.
I was lucky enough to find (listed on Craigslist) a bamboo covered (interior) Chinese restaurant in Tacoma that was being renovated, and got a free truckload of whole and split bamboo poles. Felt just like hitting the lottery (you know, if the lottery gave a bunch of bamboo to the winner). I had to steel wool the old peeling varnish off of miles of poles but it was worth it. I found a great restaurant corner booth and some nice rattan and bamboo furniture on Craigslist as well.

I started by framing in walls over the concrete (following the weeks it took to clean the place out). The short flight of stairs down to the basement will be surrounded by lava cave entrance with bamboo railings that terminate in Tiki Pole newel posts. There will be fake windows behind the bar with a large, rear-lit photo backdrop (from panoramic pics I took on vacation) of our favorite Hawaiian beach (Tunnels Beach on Kauai) set back into the adjoining storage room for depth.
On the walls, I’ll be using a combination of bamboo, matting and Tapa and I’ve made some baseboard and trim inspired…er…ripped-off from the likes of the legendary Bamboo Ben and others on the site (I just love the way the wood looks when you torch and wire-brush it to get the weather-worn raised-grain look—like some of that woodwork in Fantasyland).

Anyway, I’m just getting started (and by that I mean I’m several months in) but I thought I would post and document my progress—and hopefully solicit some great input/ideas/inspiration from all of you. I’ve already learned much from many of you on this site.
Mahalo!
John…er….I mean Mr. Pupu Pants

[ Edited by: Mr. Pupu Pants 2009-06-18 15:43 ]

Post #377588 by Mr. Pupu Pants on Fri, May 2, 2008 12:24 AM