where to buy bamboo, and other stuff?

Where can I buy large amounts of bamboo, thatch, matting, and other tiki building supplies? There is no place in Wisconsin that I know of that has that type of thing in stock. Is there a good web sight to order from, or does anyone know a better place to order from directly?

Also, would you recomend sealing all this stuff with something if it were in a bar? (I mean a public bar, not a home bar.)

I want to get bamboo of various sizes, from pencil thin to big and thick, like the stuff in the Kon Tiki in Tuscan, AZ.

One other request,
Can you direct me to threads that have cool inside photos like the ones for the Kon Tiki in Tuscan, AZ? I'm looking for cool ideas for construction and decorating.

Any help is appreciated. Mahalo!

Aloha, FD...

So...you are beginning to plan your bar, eh? If you plan on doing the build out yourself, My suggestion is to go with Oceanic Arts...no reason to go anywhere else as they will have everything you could possibly incorporate into your design, plus they have more experience than anyone, anywhere, period.
If you are looking for someone to do the buildout for you, you already know the 'players' here on TC. Just put a call out for bids.

Good luck with all your planning.

Thanks Bamboo Dude.

I will be purchasing the Oceanic Arts catalog soon, and you're right, they do have just about everything. thanks for pointing me in that direction.

It never occured to me that I could plan everthing out and then contract a TCer to do the construction. If budget allows, that is definately the way I would like to go.

Everything is still a year or two off, but I will weigh all the options and post things as they happen.

Mahalo for the advice!

I've bought various thicknesses of bamboo from Peir 1 Imports. They usually come in 6' lengths.

If there is anybody who could be contracted to outfit a Milwaukee tiki bar in the future, feel free to email or PM me. I would like to talk about what is all involved, and how much could be done with my budget.

Franks cane and rush supply in huntington beach ships everywhere and has (if you can believe it) everything OA doesn't. So using OA and Franks - you'll have just about all the material you need.
http://www.franksupply.com/

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-09-15 20:16 ]

As for bamboo...it get's to be a real pain in the ass when you want to ship lengths of 12' or longer...there's a place in New Jersey that I can't say enough good things about...

http://www.bambooandrattan.com/

It might save you on shipping to buy from somewhere a little closer to Wisconsin...if worse came to worse you could probably make the drive out there and pick them up yourself.

Home depot and orchard supply(osh) have bamboo in stock, you just got to hand pick it.

edited by me

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-02-23 10:23 ]

To jump on this post myself, I'm looking for 1" diameter bamboo. I've found it at a store called Hobby Lobby we have here for $3.99 for a 6 foot pole.

That seems to be about the cheapest I've found, if you factor in shipping charges from your online sources.

Anyway, I'm wanting to double my investment so to speak and have these 1" poles split down the middle (just making a facing for the bar front)

Do any of you know how to get clean results splitting the poles like this?

What sucks about 6 foot pole length in my case is that my bar is 42" high, so I can't simply cut each pole in half, unless I want to get creative with the 8" of uncovered bar front... Maybe I can make a kick panel down on the bottom or something...

Anyway, do any of you know of a chain store that's got cheaper bamboo, and also how to split the stuff cleanly?

Thanks,

Luke

Best way? table saw

other ways? Bamboo naturally splits along its fibers (don't know if that's the correct lingo).
I've used thin bike wrenches in the past to split bamboo with pretty decent results. Started off with a hacksawed guide, something thin into the grove and start moving down the pole. THat's the cheapest way.
buy a nice bamboo hatchet or splinter tool for clean results:
bamboo hatchet (for splitting in half):
http://www.hidatool.com/bamboopage/hatchets.html
bamboo splitters:
http://www.hidatool.com/bamboopage/splitters.html

good luck and post pics in a new thread to share what you did!

I am looking for materials to place in the kick-areas of my kitchen and lounge bar areas. I am not sure how to google these, so any help would be appreciated.

LOUNGE (60's wicker and bamboo bar) I'm looking for a clear laminate that could be placed in the curved kick-area on the front of the bar. This will prevent damage to the wicker when accidently kicked by people sitting at the bar. It has to be something that is flexible, clear, and durable.

KITCHEN (plain curved wall) I would like something stainless-steel looking for that 50's diner look, as I have a retro kitchenette set and matching barstools in that part of my kitchen. Needs to be flexible and durable.

you are kidding ,right?

Not sure how you'd attach it to the wicker or structure, but you could use a thin sheet of Clear Acrylic like a kick plate- It should be flexible enough to make that curve.. Or just reinforce the weaker areas of wicker from the rear/behind the bar?

And regarding the kitchen- I can't find a picture of it, but the first thing that came to mind is that classic diner aluminum or stainless steel wall/paneling look- it has large diamond shapes if I recall correctly.. Not sure if it could make that bend though.. That or just some polished aluminum sheeting as a kick plate?

Then hook up one of these- maybe there's a CD player version somewhere:
http://www.thefurniture.com/store/CR-CR10.htm

Just some thoughts..

Yes Capt, that is what I was envisioning for the kitchen bar....that diamond aluminum look. Too funny....I have this stereo off that same site. A long time ago I had the Crosley diner one you had linked and ended up giving to a friend who was wild about it. Crosley makes good products.

I am not sure about the bamboo bar....I don't want to go punching holes in it, so will probably just wait til somebody looks at it and comes up with a good idea. The object is to protect the wicker from getting broken. May I should do something in bamboo....hmmmm. that would look good. Ahhh, brainstorming...gotta love it.

Hey Finky, There is a place in Wilton Manors about 2 miles from the MaiKai that sells all kinds of Bamboo and stuff. Remind me later.

That is a good link that Chip and Andy posted...think I found something to use for my bar.

And now back to the regularly scheduled program....Hey finkdaddy (hyjacked your old thread for a quick question), but mostly wanted to know how everything turned out with yoyur bamboo order....got pictures? :)