Tiki bar in garage

Because a garage is just too nice of a place to waste using for cars, we're building a tiki bar in ours. It's coming along very slowly (we only work on it on weekends), but we're making progress. Here are some photos of how it's going so far. For some reason, the photos are in reverse order, but you'll figure it out. Still no name for the lounge, so suggestions welcome.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24858756@N02/

"I am Lono!"

[ Edited by: arriano 2008-04-01 15:12 ]

It is looking pretty good...you have a lot of work done so far. Time to christen it with a Mai Tai!!! Keep up the great work. Love the picture captions. :D

We felt the same way about our dining room and living room - no one comes over anyhow so we're making it our personal oasis! May I suggest to future viewers of these great pics - go to the last page and view it all backward - I think the end is the beginning! Now, go have a drinky and read this again!

Nice start. You've got a great space to work with. Layers man, layers!
Cheers.

Now you need to build a garage in front of your Tiki Bar!

Thanks for the feedback folks.

A little further along than last time and starting to look a bit more like a tiki bar (by page 3):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26292307@N08/page1/

Looking great so far.What is this? A light box? Did you make it?

MrsHoptiki

Seems like you have a nice patio/backyard...why the garage?

BP Hoptiki -- I don't know what you call them. It's a lighted picture with a function that makes it look like the waves are moving. Has sound effects of crashing waves and seagulls. We're going to eventually make it appear like you're looking outside on a tropical island. We got ours at Tikiland in San Diego. Here's one online: http://www.solarlightspro.net/store/product.php?productid=195

TikiLaLe - We have other plans for the backyard. And like I said, seemed like a waste to use a big garage to house cars when we could turn it into a tiki bar instead.

I like the bar top with the postcards and epoxy gloss coat, nice touch!

why would you cover the garage door as opposed to leaving it clear so you can open it and let the party spill onto the driveway and street???...also by sealing it off, all you need is one careless smoker and your fire escape is now blocked.....what a scene that will be when everyone is trying to cram their way out the side door when the place is on fire cause you screwed them by blocking off the main door!!

On 2008-05-05 13:24, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
why would you cover the garage door as opposed to leaving it clear so you can open it and let the party spill onto the driveway and street???...also by sealing it off, all you need is one careless smoker and your fire escape is now blocked.....what a scene that will be when everyone is trying to cram their way out the side door when the place is on fire cause you screwed them by blocking off the main door!!

Who are you, Fire Marshall Bill? The garage also has two regular doors as well as a cat door. Not to mention plenty of club soda and other mixers to extinguish flames if absolutely necessary. And who says I'd allow a smoker into my bar anyway?

Boy, Tipsy, you know how to win friends and influence people in lots of threads. Seriously, if you are trying humor in this and other threads, it's really just coming off as rude.

On 2008-05-05 13:52, arriano wrote:
[
Who are you, Fire Marshall Bill? The garage also has two regular doors as well as a cat door. Not to mention plenty of club soda and other mixers to extinguish flames if absolutely necessary. And who says I'd allow a smoker into my bar anyway?

..what about 151 on the occasional flaming cocktail gone awry and accidentally dropped on the floor???..ever think of that??? hmmmm....hmmmm??

thankfully, the cats will escape with their lives!!

On 2008-05-05 14:03, JanetMermaid wrote:
Boy, Tipsy, you know how to win friends and influence people in lots of threads. Seriously, if you are trying humor in this and other threads, it's really just coming off as rude.

you would be right...if i actually gave a c@##P! how i came off!!! har!!!...but thanks for the citation miss "officer manners".....

On 2008-05-05 14:03, JanetMermaid wrote:
Boy, Tipsy, you know how to win friends and influence people in lots of threads. Seriously, if you are trying humor in this and other threads, it's really just coming off as rude.

i have spoken to TIPSY about his writers before.

....Look, i was just havin some fun.....i think your garage project is really off to a good start.....nice carpentry job on the bar too!!....it'll be cool to see this place unfold through pictures.....keep posting them!!

...and tiki david, your grammer is awful!!! ...... we need to talk about that.... If you are going to take pot shots at me from the brush, you need to do it with some assemblance of style and grace......

...and tiki david, your grammer is awful!!! ...... we need to talk about that.... If you are going to take pot shots at me from the brush, you need to do it with some assemblance of style and grace......

ouch! hand me a tissue.

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2008-05-06 11:39 ]

Yikes. I don't know how we got to this stage. But anywho, back to the bar....

Still can't agree on the best name for it, so if anyone looking at the photos has a jolt of inspiration, lay it on me.

here's a name....

"car ports 'o' call lounge".......

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-05-06 12:04 ]

Had the pleasure to briefly visit this tiki work-in-process yesterday evening and meet the owner -- believe it or not, after making contact through this board, we found we'd lived right across the street from one another for the past year but hadn't met! The project looks GREAT, and is going to be amazing. Wish I had such carpentry skills. Really, a first-rate job: I'm quite impressed!

How did I miss this before?!?!?!?
Kind of takes "New Bar Night" in a different direction doesn't it?

Looks really good!

On 2008-05-06 04:43, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
....Look, i was just havin some fun.....i think your garage project is really off to a good start.....nice carpentry job on the bar too!!....it'll be cool to see this place unfold through pictures.....keep posting them!!

...and tiki david, your grammer is awful!!! ...... we need to talk about that.... If you are going to take pot shots at me from the brush, you need to do it with some assemblance of style and grace......

Grammar is spelled with an a not an e, and its semblance not assemblance.

Such irony here...

irony
noun
the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect : “Don't go overboard with the gratitude,” he rejoined with heavy irony. See note at wit .
• a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result : [with clause ] the irony is that I thought he could help me.
• (also dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

The bar is coming along swimmingly!

To drown sorrow, where should one jump first and best? "Certainly not water. Water rusts you." -Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2008-05-23 13:55 ]

On 2008-05-23 13:41, Heath wrote:
How did I miss this before?!?!?!?
Kind of takes "New Bar Night" in a different direction doesn't it?

Looks really good!

Heath!? My god, they'll let anyone onto these message boards :wink:

I am several years away from any garage conversion, but have one question that I'm sure folks will have good ideas about. How do you diminish the look of the garage door hardware on the walls and ceiling? Mine is the same type of hardware as yours arriano. :)

On 2008-06-10 21:53, VampiressRN wrote:
How do you diminish the look of the garage door hardware on the walls and ceiling? Mine is the same type of hardware as yours arriano. :)

As long as the door doesn't need to open (snicker), you could A-frame over the hardware, so the peak is in the middle of the ceiling and the lower ends cover the rails. Or you could do an awning that extends from the walls.

Howdy

Updated with a few photos of the finished bar:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26292307@N08/

We've named it the Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge. A special virtual mai tai to the first one to translate the name.

VampiressRN: See the first photo. Basket and bamboo covering the garage door opener.

"I am Lono!" -- http://www.347steps.com

[ Edited by: arriano 2008-08-25 20:58 ]

On 2008-06-10 21:53, VampiressRN wrote:
I am several years away from any garage conversion, but have one question that I'm sure folks will have good ideas about. How do you diminish the look of the garage door hardware on the walls and ceiling? Mine is the same type of hardware as yours arriano. :)

false wall/ceiling, it will appear that it simply does not exist from the inside. pretty simple construction...

On 2008-08-25 20:48, arriano wrote:
...

We've named it the Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge. A special virtual mai tai to the first one to translate the name....

Hale Ka'a = Garage

Nice job and great progress pics. Thanks for showing the ceiling. :)

On 2008-08-25 21:22, Hakalugi wrote:

On 2008-08-25 20:48, arriano wrote:
...

We've named it the Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge. A special virtual mai tai to the first one to translate the name....

Hale Ka'a = Garage

We have a winner!

..i still like my suggestion..."carports o' call lounge"

but i'm weird like that....

...pics look good...may i suggest an epoxy cement paint for the floor like the kind they sell at home depot??? i used it in my old tiki bar in the basement a few years back...they have these chips you sprinkle into the paint to look like speckles or sand....i used the tan paint but they come in different colors...you may want to look into it if you haven't decided on a floor treatment yet...it's very durable and would finish off the whole room nicely....

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-08-26 09:13 ]

I agree with Tipsy on the floor. That finish does look nice in a garage and a tan color with the flecks would really help finish off your room. I will probably use this type of a flooring cover when I do my garage. :)

On 2008-08-26 09:09, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
may i suggest an epoxy cement paint for the floor like the kind they sell at home depot???

Thanks Tipsy. Yeah, we have considered that, and may still. There are lots of tweaks and additions to be made as time goes by. Although the floor shows up well in these photos with the flash, you really don't see it very well normally as it's a pretty low light place. But once I get a free few days I'll look at the floor paint again.

We've been having fun using the bar as a studio for our podcast (see link below). Comes in handy when making drinks to discuss on the show.

"I am Lono!" -- http://www.347steps.com

[ Edited by: arriano 2008-08-26 19:29 ]

Maybe paint a big island or tiki on the floor then clear coat over it. Take your time with the decisions it'll pay off later.

Wow what a awesome bar you built!!
I'm just getting ready to start my basement tiki room (Tiki Underground) and spotted your framing of the bar. Did you use all 2x4? I'm a horrible carpenter, so any help would be greatly appreciated!!

On 2008-09-25 13:44, locnar2001 wrote:
Wow what a awesome bar you built!!
I'm just getting ready to start my basement tiki room (Tiki Underground) and spotted your framing of the bar. Did you use all 2x4? I'm a horrible carpenter, so any help would be greatly appreciated!!

So,locnar2001,you are in brunswick?,i am just up the road in berea,with a garage full of stuff,what do you need?

TIKI DAVID?? As in the legionary TIKI DAVID!?!?

If your who I'm thinking of you do carving also? sorry but I've heard of a guy in Berea that is a Tiki legend in NE Ohio..
I got a basement of stuff so far.. I had another bar In North Ridgeville but ended up moving to Brunswick and having to start over. I'm just looking for a actual Bar frame to start with..
I saw this on the site and it looks like something I could handle.. And I have a ton of 2x4 to start..
Would it be ok to email you? Would love to swap stories!

call ,the number in your PM's

Locnar -- Thanks for the kind words. Sent you a PM also.

We followed a set of plans I bought online from http://www.barplan.com. We used the L-shaped bar plan and adapted it and made it shorter to fit our space. Many, many trips to Home Depot followed. We'd have some boards cut at Home Depot, and some I cut with a newly purchased circular saw. There were several gaffs. We just kept at it, a few hours each and every Sat. and Sun. for about three months. Building the bar was by far the most difficult part. Decorating, putting up thatch, installing lights, etc. was a piece of cake in comparison. Take your time, be patient, and when in doubt, have a mai tai.

Just found this thread and had to throw my compliments in as well. Very nicely done!

I'm just getting started on my own garage tiki bar and am scouring this site looking for ideas... thanks for the pics. :)

great job guys...

got my bar done just have to get the rest of my decor together..

Howdy. It's been quite awhile since I posted anything about our home bar. So here are some photos of projects from the past year. All done on the cheap.

I created this sign that's just outside the front door of the bar. Since the bar's name is Hale Ka'a (garage) I thought it appropriate to include a vehicle. I wanted to include Japanese glass floats, but realized that a good breeze would knock the glass against the stucco and probably shatter. So I went to Toys R Us and picked up two transparent rubber balls and used some netting from Party City to create the illusion.

A friend of mine recently gave me this mechanical cockatoo. It runs on batteries and says all sorts of corny jokes, etc. Reminds me a bit of Disneyland's Tiki Room. Anyway, I soon discovered that bamboo and rattan cages are damn expensive. So I used a couple of pieces of leftover lumber for the top and bottom and picked up some wood trim from Home Depot to make the bars. Add stain and some fake flora and voila:

Finally, I wanted to create a lamp for the bar that was a bit different. I went to Michael's and bought a crate. I stenciled the bar name and some Chinese writing and stained it. I put a light bulb inside and used some blue cloth so that the light glows through the slats:

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2011-02-08 21:58 ]

Great ideas man. I'm diggin the bird cage. I remember they used to have some talking bird toys for sale at the gas stations.