Post #538084 by TabooDan on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 6:26 PM

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post on the Zombie Hideaway!! The last time I posted we didn't even have a Home Tiki Bar page here on TC yet! What a great idea that was!! I have been looking at so many different spaces, it really drives and inspires me to get mine done! Although time just doesn't help at all!

Well, we've been going through alot out here but I really gotta post some pic's so hopefully you don't mind me adding some updates! I've done a few things but it is still not 100% yet. I'm getting close and I seem to be going by the saying "It's not the arrival but the journey" (whatever the hell that means!) :wink:

Okay, so when I last left this thread, I was working on the custom cabinet for behind the bar. This is how we left off:

I had finished building it but I had yet to varnish it and fix the mistakes with the lighting. The goal was to be able to sit down across from this unit and not see the lighting or a reflection of it.
I added pieces of wood at the top of where the mirrors are, just behind the roof line, and also replaced the wood under the left and right side shelves with a thicker piece. That pretty much fixed it so you can't see the lights in the mirror.

Now for the varnishing. What a pain in the ass!! I have done so much woodworking in the Zombie Hideaway that I have ton's to do! Next time I gotta use more bamboo!! At least I will get the look I wanted but it is a hell of a lot of work. It sure pays off though once you varnish! The wood grains just pop and it's so much better to take care off.

I went with a Semi-gloss poly-urethane which is pretty much what I use all the time for woodworking. I will use Gloss for Bar Tops just to give it that extra shine but on shelving, trim and other pieces, I will use semi. I use Min-wax brand which I have had no problems with at all and like the finish I can get. Two coats of varnish with sanding between and three coats on shelves or horizontal surfaces. What a job but you really have to do it right if you want it to last and look good!

The cabinet was built in two pieces so I could move it if I had to and just so it wasn't too big. Here is the top half about to be varnished:

And the bottom half:

You can also see the painted dark brown back panel in this shot. It doesn't look too bad but I decided to remove the backing as I just didn't really like the color contrast between the stained wood and paint.

Here is the cabinet once it was varnished and without the lower back panel:

I decided to go with a tongue and groove back panel to kind of tie in with the wall and just to give it more of a classy look. I really didn't need to do too much because once the shelf is full of stuff you won't really see the backing. I just wanted it to look good and not regret leaving it.

Here's the panel once cut to fit and stained:

This shot shows just why I love varnished wood:

Left side varnished and right side just stain. Not only does the wood get a rich darker color, the grain pops and it really looks nice.
I just did a job at a restaurant and there was a lot of wood working and nothing was varnished. The place would look a million times better and so much easier to keep clean if sealed but they didn't want to. Fine with me though as it would have been a large job! Dust just seems to get right into the wood and it changes the whole look I think. Look at my other photos above and you can see how the color changes once dust or dirt gets on the shelving.

Here's the completed piece:

And installed on the left side:

Here it is with the panel installed and the drawers in:

Because this unit is not too deep at all, the drawers are more of a look I wanted as opposed to something that's going to get alot of use. I did however still wanted them to look good. They will be perfect for matchbooks, stir stix and napkins I think.

Here's a look inside after varnish:

I did a small sliding drawer on top to reveal the bottom of the drawer. More of just an accent thing I like to do but it add's a little character and works pretty good.

Here it is against the wall and with the lights on:

More to come!!
Mahalo, TabooDan

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2010-06-21 18:28 ]