What to do with bar top?

Hey all..Im down to the last part of my tiki room transformation and am stuck with a plain white formica top bar..Ive seen tops where they resin over old postcards and flyers and really like that effect..Have any of you tried this before with success..I wondering if I have to take the top off the bar or can I spray paint it a dark color and go from there..Or is there some other type of cover that would be cool..Not trying to copy anyone or steal anyones ideas..Just out of ideas at this point..Thanx

Is the surface flat and solid? If so, you can contact-adhesive just about anything to it.

(Do this in a well ventilated area).

Personally, I've been toying with the idea of getting some of the bamboo sheet flooring you can get, and using that as a bar-top. It's fairly thin, I think, and might glue up nicely.

My wife's uncle build a "bar top" that is a shallow shadow-box, with sand, shells, and assorted artefacts under it, and put a glass top on it so you can see down into it. They can change the stuff around simply by lifting the glass.

this:

http://www.eti-usa.com/indust/ex88.html

My neighbor dose tile work and helped me with my bar top project. I had some glass cut into these free form shapes, then tempered, and inlaid into the tile. I put some grass matting down first, then some cool "matchbook cover" postcards, then a bead of silicone rubber and the glass. I have 2 kids and didn't want the bar top all scratched up. That's why I didn't use resin. Nothing wrong with resin, but tempered glass is MUCH harder, and less likely to scratch.

I think it came out pretty cool.

Hope this helps,

Tiki Bill.

One thing to remember is if you use resin
do not have any plastic to be covered by resin.
The resin gets hot when you mix it and can bow the plastic
if it is thin enough.
Also if you put postcards in resin first cover postcards or other items
with white Elmers glue.
This will keep the resin from soaking the paper and messing it up.
It will also keep colors from bleeding when resin is poured.
As always test one postcard first.
Don't forget the torch flaming it always adds.
You can also shellac then resin for that old time look.
Here's one more tip don't use real images make a copy.
This way you can use high dollar menus or cut images to suit.
Or use many of the same image.

All great ideas..TikiBill your bar looks awsome and dont even get me started on those bar stools..I might check into thea bamboo flooring idea..I think I could probably do lots of damage with resin..

Years ago I made a bar for the outdoors. I used water-thinned elmer's to glue things to the wood top -- items that I cut out of old magazines. I then covered it with Marine spar varnish. It held up for about 4 years outdoors. Indoors, it would probably last forever. The in-laid glass idea is brilliant. I'm going to use that idea the next time I build a bar! But if you want a cheap and easy do-it-yourself way, the spar varnish works very well.

~glen leslie
http://www.jetsetplanet.com

I put bamboo flooring down on most of the house and its F*****G KILLER! That stuff is more durable than oak. The bar stools were the wifegod's doing. she found that cool "Vargas girl" fabric and ironed on this thin plastic film (prevents spill stains from kids and clumsy rum drinkers).

Tiki Bill.

Yo, Slapbass,,, These are all great ideas. U just gotta go wit what does it for you, homes.. I took all the different tiki stickers, biz cards, event card, biz stickers from artist friends, Part of album covers... Pasted 'em all down, and Polyed over it and it came out lookin pretty slammin'.. If you want the real vintage look, This ain't the way, but otherwise... To do a great lookin' top for cheap.. Dis is it, Meng~

Just found these pictures.
This should give you an idea of what i'm talking about.
Shown is a woven mat with burned paper with copies
from a Trader Vic's menu, then glue all.
You must put glue on top of items.
Then shellac.
You would need to sand your Formica to affix mat or paper.

I just finished a bar top, and used crushed lava rock, with the occational small white shell as contrast to the black, then poured clearcast about 1/4" thick leaving a little rock poping out for texture. I even made a little island chain out of slate, with a mini rock cliff, to tie it into the wall.

I too am having to figure out how I want to do the top of the bar I am about to build. I am leaning towards glass over matting with postcards/ads etc. I really like the poured bar top look, BUT I don't like the permanance (is that a word?) of it. The thought of not being able to add or remove items from under the resin is a big turn off for me. Find something new, lift the glass, and zing it under there! Bored with the selection, take off the glass and redo the whole thing! But I was concerned about spills seeping under the glass, but I am hoping, like Tiki Bill, that a bead of silicone would take care of that.

Oootwoods- the shadow box idea is cool too. Do you have a pic?

Tiki Bill- that bar top is sweet!

Surfer- I hope you are planning on posting pics of that. Sound very cool!

Oootwoods- the shadow box idea is cool too. Do you have a pic?

Working on it. It's in Ontario, north of Toronto, and I'm in Eastern PA.. so it may take me a while to come up with a photo.

Aloha John. Keep in mind the bead of silicone I used was to seal the glass to the counter top, then it was grouted in with the tile. The silicone also prevented seepage of the wet grout getting under the glass. There is probably a way to make it removable (I could always remove the grout and cut through the silicone with a windshield knife, but it would be a pain in the ass). I just wanted the glass at the same level as the tile and grouted in for a more kid (and drunk) proof finish.

Tiki Bill.

Get this stuff at Home Crapo. Coats bars and tables well. It is Glaze Coat near/in the paint section.