Pappy's tiki lounge

I'm pleased to report that I was able to hang that door straight--something I was sure I'd mess up. Did I mention I have no idea what I'm doing carpentry-wise?

Yeah, the ceiling is a tough nut to crack. The failure of the ceiling plan, (just laying the mats on top) has sapped alot of my enthusiasm for the rest of the project. Either that or the fact that baby is only letting me sleep for a couple hours here and there. I was planning on hanging lamps directly from the poles. Puffer fish, glass float, tapa cloth--the standard junk. Now, until I figure out the ceiling, I don't know what I'll do for lighting. Mostly I just want to sleep lately. Maybe I'll just sit in there in the dark. Zzzz......

hang in there Pappy...it'll come to ya.

Can't wait to see more pictures. Hang in there and the fun stuff is right around the corner. I'm imagining it all decorated. I wish I had a room that I could make into a Tiki Haven. The garage will have to do for now I guess. Great job and keep us updated with pictures and details.

Babies are great, but they do tend to wreak havoc on your "previous" life. It doesn't last forever though. Before you know it, they sleep all night and your life gets somewhat back to normal. Hang in there. The enthusiasm will come back.

Now I could either just cry about that ugly closet sticking out into my would-be tiki lounge or I could turn that thing into a feature. I went for the second one.

You may be asking yourself what in the world that black hole is doing there in the wall. Did I punch my mighty fist through it in frustration? No! (I got a heavy bag for that), when the lights go down, the tiki comes out.
Someday I might replace the Crummy Christmas Tree Shops tiki with a good one but you get idea. Now I don't wanna call the plasterer back to do this little job. I gotta think about doing it myself. I'm going to need alot of rum....

I'm about at the stage where I resent having to work on this thing every day. I can't believe how long it's taking. Tonight I stuck up another piece of grass matting on the ceiling (1 of 9 and one of the easy ones) then I switched gears.

I wanted to see SOMETHING that looked done so I stapled the lauhala to this one wall here. I also sawed a beautiful piece of bamboo to pieces for the corner edging. One thing I didn't bank on was having to remove all the interior cell walls from the bamboo to fit it onto the corner. I used a Roto Zip bit in a Dremel tool and it went pretty quickly. (whew!) Screwed the bamboo to the corner with pre-drilled 3-inch deck screws. Just 2, top & bottom. Please forget the white switch plate cover. I just put that on to protect the hole I had to cut out for the switch. I used a new razor for that. That's all for tonight. Homer sleep now...

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 13:28 ]

Love that tiki in the wall!

Don't get frustrated, it's really looking great.

And thanks so much for keeping us posted like this. Very cool!

Pappy, the room is looking real good so far. Thanks for the progress pics.

When I was removing the culms from splitting bamboo I used a heavy duty wire cutters. They have a slight curve to the blades, so just cut from one side with the curve of the bamboo, then go to the other side and out she pops. You can go back and snip the little jagged parts pretty close to the bamboo and finish it off with your dremel if its required. It worked really fast for me.

I've been looking at your ceiling dilema and this is a tough one. Everyone gets to staple or glue their matting to finished ceilings with smooth wallboard, just like you did on your sidewall. Without being able to attach it to the ceiling joists, laying it over the bamboo will be near impossible to lay without sagging because of the uneven nature of bamboo poles. I can only think of two things: Fill in each 15 inch gap with another pole, that would only leave 7 inches between poles which might not allow any noticeable sag. You could hold up a spare pole to see how it looks first.

If you can take some poles down you could try this if you think the poles are stout enough to support thin plywood sheets. Get some thin 1/4 inch cheap plywood 4 x 8 sheets. Glue or staple your matting to the sheet, wrapping it around to the backside a few inches. What you'll end up with is a set of matting panels that you just slide up there and lay across your bamboo poles. A problem might be hiding the seams where the panels will butt up to each other but it might look o.k. as is. I don't know how much clearance you have for the panels but I don't know of anything thinner than 1/4 inch that you can staple into.

I would give some of the big guns on this board a shout and see if they can offer you any tips.

Good luck Pappy, take your time, and if you get frustrated just walk away from the job awhile, let the baby put a smile on your face, and go back when your ready.

Thank you again for your support. I'm going to be glueing two pieces of grass matting to 3/16" plywood to make some corner cuts. For everything else, I'm just custom cutting wood strips of between 3/4" and 1" for the joists (depending on how close each bamboo "beam" is to that joist). Then just staple gunning the mats to the strips. It's not brain surgery, just takes time.

Open question to Tiki Central: Has anyone tried lacquering lauhala matting? I have to think it would not only make it look richer but protect it from stains. But would it look too weird if it were shiny?

When we last left our hero, he was dueling the baby for ownership of his free time. Usually I lose but occasionally I can string together a couple hours where I can keep my eyes open. Then I head downstairs.

I lauhala'd over that closet instead of calling the plasterer back. No regrets.

It's starting to really feel like I'm close.

The good news is the flameproofing seems to be for real. This thing just would not catch fire when held over a match. The bad news is I need another gallon.

I made a modest order to Oceanic Arts to get some stuff. No more updates now until I'm really finished. (well, until I get some more money to add the bar)

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 13:29 ]

Looks awesome man. Glad to hear the fire proofing works! Its better to check now than wait for the real thing :o

Just wanted to say Lil Pappy is cute. I'm sure you've already discovered why they are - it keeps you from doing a drop kick at 3am. That's why my little devils are still here.

The Bora Bora Basement is finally ready to enjoy!

Carpet guys came yesterday to install a nice burber rug and some not-so-nice rug on the basement stairs.

Eventually a tiki pull for that door to the fusebox.

Lonely wall will eventually feature a Big Benzart. (Ben, if you wanna deliver that before October, I'll get the dough.)

That couch was donated by my wife's uncle. Each end reclines and a drink holder folds down in the middle. That's living, daddy-o! Don't them sconces look great?

Papasan chair I picked up via Craigslist last weekend.

Repro of Don the Beachcomber's menu.

Now for a lifetime of adding tiki. My immediate plan is for a palm tree or two. I probably won't add a bar 'til NEXT year.

For those of you planning your own tiki room: My wife gave me the grand total for this project--$4,154 and the electrician still hasn't sent his bill. Most of you won't be starting with bare concrete so don't panic. It's alot of work; probably 25 trips to the hardware store for drywall, lumber, screws, paint, staples and stuff you don't know you need :o There was the flooring, subfloor, bamboo, thatch, fireproofing...wow--I can't beleive it's done. But, I did everything myself except for plaster and electrical and I don't know what I'm doing so take heart and follow your dream like me---to the Forbidden Bora Bora Basement! Thanks to everybody for your support too.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 13:57 ]

Very, very cool. You must be stoked! You know it'll be fun to fit it out with art and knick-knacks. Looks real good. Betcha' start on the bar before next year.

Sweet! Can't wait to eventually see it in person!

Nice job man! The total's a little scary. Was the bulk of the budget spent on bamboo?

Red Sox fans drink free!

Yeah, that does seem like alot but Mrs. Pappy keeps the books and she lives for that kind of stuff. Biggest single expense was carpet, then plasterer, then bamboo, then probably the electrician, then grass mats and lauhala, then lumber. Gosh, I'm starting to upset myself! If I can help you with yours, just say the word.

got any leftover matting? :)

It looks great Pappy. I want to do something similar on my walls with matting, but it has been low priority. My carpet was cheap (under $200) because we scored carpet tiles at Mardens that I laid myself. And Mardens is butt cheap. They're a surplus joint.

--SBiM

On 2006-03-01 04:28, pappythesailor wrote:

Eventually a tiki pull for that door to the fusebox.

What about working in a little Kustom Kulture, like a Giant Flying Eyeball doorknob?

http://www.frightcatalog.com/Halloween-Props/Decorations/Diabolical+Doorknob+Eye-1006052/

Add some coathanger-and-stocking wings, et voila!

Very nice, I bet the bar comes soon.
JP

It Really IS getting there. Can't wait to see the whole thing. Looks like you have poured a lot of money down thise stairs.

wow. Just today i read this entire thread and reviewed all the pics. Very very well done. Now i'm just 18 and all, but i'm an artist, so i was wondering if i could point some things out and make a few suggestions. Anyways, the first thing that would probably look very Hawaii-esque is deffinately put some of those shields with the 2 spears behind em, that'd be pretty neat. The 2nd thought is a possible bamboo beaded curtain to go infront of those stairs (Sorry but those stairs sort of kill the aura). I seem to be ranting, sorry. A Third idea is deffinately some authentic palm plants around the room, probably in the corners. Anyways, thos are my tips that i thought of at the moment. You're doing a great job! And from one Bostonian to another, Pahk the Cah in Havahd Yahd.

Pappy...
Hat Tip to you and the Misses ....Job well done !!!!!

Freddie--I dunno if I wanna mix themes!

JohnnyP --You're right but I have lay low with the spending for awhile.

Ben--thank and you're right.

Pocky-- believe me, I got lots of ideas

TikiLaLe--thank you!

P.S. It occured to me that I obviously didn't lay the carpet myself either. First drink in the Bora Bora basement: Zombie. First album played: (What else?) Voodoo by Robert Drasnin. Also Mrs. Pappy says it turned out much better than she feared so happy, happy, happy!

Now let's focus on johnman and the Krakatoa Room! johnman?

I hear ya pappy. I'll probably get things rolling early summer and you're most certainly welcome to help out.

Can't wait to get over to your place. Hopefully we can get something going after Kowloon.

NICE!!!!!

Place is lookin really groovy pappy. Can't wait to see it in person!

As far as the expense, I hear ya there! Part of the reason why mine took 18 - 24 months to get where its at (and still no sink or permanent bar!)

Now just watch the bills add up as you buy crap to fill it with!! "Enchanted tiki room drummer replicas? need 2 of those...ANOTHER limited edition mug from tiki farm for $50?? need a few of those...Oh, and 3 more from munktiki? need those too.....a genuine Leeteg velvet painting on ebay for only $600...need that....heh heh.

If Jess had any clue how much was REALLY tied up in the bar...I'd prob be sleeping there on a regular basis!

Let me know when you'll be pouring for guests...i'll be there in a heartbeat!

PS LOVE the sconses.

Great job Pappy!

I wanted to chime in on your earlier question about the necessity of a sink in a working bar. When Mr. cheeky half and I bought our house it had a bar already built in (part of the reason why we bought it.) The bar had a small fridge, but no sink. I would be much happier and the bar would get even more use if it had a sink. It's not just the glasses that have to get cleaned, but also the cocktail shakers and strainer, especially if people are drinking very different types of cocktails. I find that if we have over lets say 8 people and each person has 2-3 drinks that's 16-24 glasses that sit dirty on the bar unless someone takes them to the kitchen and a shaker that needs rinsing out probably 15 times. Anyway, every time I think we may be getting closer to getting a sink installed something else comes along that takes precedence and well......

So my 2 cents would be to install the bar when you can put the sink in as well. Of course right now probably the last thing you want to think about is more work or spending more money. So don't. Enjoy what you've created, it's a thing of beauty.

cheeky half

.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 14:03 ]

Since my last update, I added some stuff. A 5-foot banana tree (fake; clearance from Target), some fake foliage on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairway, some fishnet and a big painting by a frind of mine (which I haven't hung yet). But that's not why I'm bumping this thread.

I got my masks from Basement Kahuna yesterday!!

Cool, huh? Let's give BK a hand. These are the best tikis I own.

Here's that painting by Nate. That's supposed to be my little family there by the water. You can tell Nate's my friend cuz he painted me with hair.

Fishnet is a cheap way to add nautical tikiness.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 13:20 ]

Lookin' Fabulous Pappy!

Hey that is lookin very sharp Pappy - nice job! I like the BK touches, too.

Looking good!

Great job...it is good to see the pictures of your progress. When you stapled the lauhala on the walls, did you just use a staple gun and did you have to paint over the staple so it doesn't show? I want to do that to the walls in my lounge and want it to look professionally done.

Granite--Thank you!
tikigap--thanks to you too
BK--you rule!
VampiressRN--I just used a regular staple gun right over the painted walls. I keep it so dark in there you can't see them but even in the light, they're pretty hard to pick out. I don't know about "professionally done" but I'm pretty critical of my own work and I'm happy with it.

Sweet additions to the B2Basement Pappy! I love the painting.

Been forever since I made any changes to the place. I did add a beautiful Easter Island ceremonial paddle from our own Basement Kahuna and a maori war club from OA I got last Xmas.

with flash:

This is how I keep the joint generally:

Oh, Yeah. I almost forgot. I made a float light a few weeks ago. I got a float at the flea market for $25 without any rope. Luckily I saved the rope from the last one I broke. This time I didn't crack it and the float light looks great. (says I)

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2007-09-03 17:33 ]

Hey, Pappy! Any changes lately?

Oops. Sorry, I just saw that question now. I edited all the posts to fix the pic links what was busted. I'll try to add a couple more pix tonight unless I'm too drunk. No, there's still no bar downstairs.

How's YOUR bar coming, Big K?

Better late than never I reckon. Harpoon is new.

Palm tree, matted wall tiki and little table r new.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-07-28 13:21 ]

Lookin' good Pappy! Mine's cleaner, but still looks like an operating room. I scored some rattan chairs & a wicker shelving unit & have added mucho mugs & other stuff. I'm hoping next week to put up some sort of curtains or drapes on the 2 windows & finally paint the walls. After that, it's bar building time, but I've got to save the dough first. The economy coupled with my wife quitting corporate America & going back to school has killed my wallet & everything must be scrounged for. I suggested she get a part-time job at Centerfold's so she could make more money in less time, but she just gave me that look. Big surprise, huh! Have fun on NETT. As usual, I've got Hot Rod shows to do & can't make it. Keep us updated on your progress & I'll begin to do the same.

... she just gave me that look.

Oh, yeah. Versus the look, we are powerless.

Start taking pictures of that tiki space and post 'em.

A recent pic.

I'm diggin' it! Where'd ya get the big guy?

what time is the bar open Pappy?

Hey pap were did score that corner chair? I would love to lounge in that room and light up a fat one..I mean have a cold one!

Hi,
Big guy is from Basement Kahuna. Corner chair from flea market. Bar opens at noon!

With $2 Witco. I've decided to keep it. This one grew on me.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2010-09-18 06:56 ]

great room pappy...i'll have to be in envy for awhile longer !