Updated pics of my bar the Pi-Yi Grotto

I had been collecting tiki stuff to fill my bar for nearly 5 years...I still didn't have enough clutter so I decided to fill the bar with lots of lumber, powertools and discarded florescent light fixtures! Take a look!

I decided to go with a real time-worn, rustic feel so I ripped the existing lights out to leave gaping holes in the facade and created the look of tropical vines by having live Romex cable hang down into the room. Next I attached some furring strips to the quaint asbestos tiled ceiling to liven it up a bit!

Finally here's an overview of the new and improved Pi-Yi Grotto - come on in, have a drink but watch your step, mind the live wires, look out for stray fasteners, don't pay any attention to the upended furniture and just move that cordless drill off the barstool! The bar is open!

More photos to come soon...I'm contemplating a new name for the bar...Johntiki's Shit Hole - wadda ya think?

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: johntiki on 2004-06-07 22:33 ]

An inspiration!!

Looks like you had a hell of a party last night!

You've got a good start to work with. The swordfish is a nice touch. But mind those live wires, as someone pointed out recently, tiki decorating relies a lot on things that are dried plant material, and hence very flammable.

what about the name "Tiki Tenement"???

On 2004-06-09 06:12, docwoods wrote:
what about the name "Tiki Tenement"???

That's a good suggestion but I think Shit Hole has such a nice ring to it! In actuality the pictures are showing the work in progress as I mat the ceiling, remove the ugly flourescent lights and generally revamp the entire place...things have been progressing slowly but I anticipate completion sometime next week (I'm on vacation for 2 weeks starting Friday) More photos will follow...

A nice start. My first thought was that you could use a fake window with a beach scene.

After 2 1/2 months of intermittent hard work, brainstorming, a bunch of sheets of luan plywood, and a couple gallon cans of Liquid Nails I'm proud to announce I have completed the ceiling remodel in my bar! Below is my tale of rebuilding the Pi-Yi Grotto, if you don't want to hear my bitching just go to the photos below...

My bar is exactly 12'x 18' and I thought it would be no problem buying the 6'x 9' sheets of lauhala matting from O.A., installing a bunch of furring strips and stapling the stuff right to the existing ceiling but it didn't quite work out that way! First I was delayed starting the project because Oceanic Arts didn't have the 6x9 sheets in stock, I had to wait for a new shipment. While I waited for the matting to ship I bought split 5" diameter bamboo poles in 12' lengths from a bamboo suppliers in New Jersey. Here is a link...I can't say enough about the pleasant experience I had buying from these people!

http://www.bambooandrattan.com/

Luckily my Dad who is in sales, picked the stuff up after a sales call elsewhere in New Jersey so I didn't have to pay for shipping!

Finally I got the four sheets of lauhala and I falsely assumed that I'd spent a weekend hanging the matting and spend the third evening sipping Mai Tai's in my new and improved bar. Boy was I wrong.

Before I started the ceiling I made the decision to remove the 4 shitty looking, harsh, noisy fluorescent light fixtures. My father and I proceeded to rip them down, which was a chore in itself, and transfer them to the local landfill where they belonged! I just wanted to install 2 incandescent light fixtures cattycorner from each other. So after a couple days of installing junction boxes, capping off unused wires inside other boxes and installing 2 ceiling fixtures in the gaping holes created by the vacant fluorescents, it was time to get started on the ceiling itself.

Let me preface the details of the installation by saying this...do not think you can install matting without mounting it on plywood! I read all the posts about gluing the matting to wood before trying to hang it but I falsely assumed that I could just install some strips, attach it to the strips and everything would be simple! After spending a few more days installing the 1/2" boards to the ceiling joists the entire length and width of the room, we were ready to hang the matting. I never bothered to take into account that natural products like matting are not square. Needless to see it was a disaster and I had to rethink how to hang this stuff!

Finally my Dad suggested we get a few sheets of luan plywood (1/4"), glue the matting to the 4'x8' sheets; squaring up the sides that would come into contact with the walls, hanging them tight in the corners and allowing the excess to flap over and attaching that later. It was a major pain in the ass! First, we measured and cut the holes we needed for light fixtures, AC vents, etc. Second, we had to glue the matting to the plywood and then we could install it using a pneumatic staple gun with 1 1/2" staples and a few screws!

Once all the pieces were hung tight in the four corners, we cut pieces to fit in the gaps, installed them and attached the matting in the middle with the lovely pneumatic stapler! Finally, after what felt like an eternity, which was actually only about 2 weeks, the ceiling was matted!

Installing the bamboo poles was uneventful thanks to the handy dandy chop saw and we had the task completed in about 4 hours on Friday. We also re-hung the thatched roofs and re-installed the air vents! I think by Friday both my father and I had enough - we weren't stopping until the hard work was done!

Friday night I spent a good 2 hours installing the homemade "fish float" fixtures. Saturday I spent 5 hours, until 3 AM getting the bar cleaned up, the ceiling clutter installed, vacuuming, dusting, putting mugs and other stuff back in their places and re-hanging wall decor that had to be removed during construction! Tonight, I had my first Mai Tai while listening to the soothing sounds of exotica in the new Pi Yi Grotto! Thank God it's finished!

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues...I present Johntiki's Pi Yi Grotto!

The overview...

The bar...

Bar detail...

Left wall...

Back wall...

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: Johntiki on 2004-08-22 23:54 ]

Johntiki-absolutely stunning! You did a superb job-looks like you'll be doing a load of entertaining there!

"It was a major pain in the ass!" -johntiki-

The account of your trials had me laughing and thanking Tiki that I am not so driven. But your ceiling looks great, you need to put in a couple of lateral loungers (matresses) so folks can lay on their back and admire it (hopefully you mix drinks that'll help get them in the right position).

For anyone else fearing such efforts I suggest dimmer switches and colored light bulbs. With drinks, the right music, and a deep blue perpetual twilight any room seems exotic.

John,
Looks great.
Might I suggest you get some of the raffia table skirts they sell at Party City and elsewhere, and staple them to the ceiling against the wall. This gives an added "bamboo hut" thatch roof feeling and softens the line between the ceiling and walls. PLUS! It's a very quick, easy install. I did this in the paneled basement I was in before and it was nice. Especially in the low light of a tiki bar. And if you don't like the length, you can just trim it up some, make it a rough, uneven edge, etc. The skirts are 12 feet and a bargain compared to the skirts. 3 times the length of a skirt for only maybe twice the price.

hey john-t,

now that i've gottne my 'sweeeeet' exclamation out of my system, i wanted to give you big props for the custom ceiling fixtures. those are a great solution to a lower ceiling and clearance issues with hanging floats. craftsmanship, is all i can say.

Thanks for all the comments! Johnny $ -the "fish float" ceiling fixtures are actually 2 ugly as hell lamps I found at the Goodwill - I used the glass globes for the floats - bought 2 crab nets at Dick's Sporting Goods for $5.00 a piece - dropped the globes in, tied them at the top and attached them to a standard ceiling light fixture with the supplied screws! I really wanted the hanging fish float lamps but with such a low ceiling this was the way to create the look without having them hanging right in your face!

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: johntiki on 2005-03-05 20:07 ]

Johntiki,

Great job!

What method did you use to hang the wall matting? Did you mount on plywood or just tack it right up there?

I finally started hanging the wall Lauhula for my bar yesterday. Velcro!... Don't ask!

:music: ...C'mon back TC'rs and talk to FREAKBEAR :music:

[ Edited by: FreakBear on 2004-09-01 19:51 ]

I just stapled the wall matting on the wall -I kinda wish I had gone the plywood route with that too but when an occasional bubble pops up another well concealed staple does the trick! Looking forward to seeing your progress FreakBear!

where did you find the lauhala matting on that web site ? I looked but didn't see it ,what size do they sell it in ?and lastly is that bamboo 5 inches around? I live in Delaware and may plan atrip to that place it's about 2 hours away according to map quest . might seem worth the trip to save on any shipping cost.

Mai Tai Matty!

It generally comes in 3'x6' or 4'x8'. I've seen it on several websites including tikibosko.com.

That is one very well done tiki bar! the fishing float lamp fixture is an ingenious way of doing it! very creative way around low ceilings.
Are you having a drink right now in that beautiful hidaway?

thanks freakbear I'll check that website . I was hopeing to find it at that bamboo and rattan sit just because it's with in driving distance from my house . I'll just look around some more .

Polynesiac - I had many a Mai Tai in the Grotto this weekend! Thanks for the compliments!

Mai Tai Mattie - I was able to buy the bamboo from Bamboo and Rattan Works in New Jersey but I had to buy the matting from Oceanic Arts - I couldn't find the stuff anywhere within driving distance!

Looks great. Wish wife would let me build one inside. I got to keep mine outside