How to Build Your Own Tiki Bar?

While most of your neighbors still entertain in their “traditional” bars, you can have an edge over them by building your very own tiki bar.

A tiki design is a Neo-Polynesian design that was developed in the 20^th century. These bar designs are found all over the tropical islands of the Pacific such as Hawaii and Tahiti. These days, the popularity of such designs is rising, thanks to satisfied tourists who want to bring the distinctive feel of the tropics right in their own home or backyard.

Building a tiki bar is very easy to do. All you need is an extra time, right tools and materials for the job. Below is one way to make your own tiki bar.

Steps:

1. Scout the location for your bar. If you want to build it indoors, a corner in your living or dining room is the ideal place to put it. Actually, you can place your tiki bar anywhere in the house as long as the tiki design meshes well with the existing design of the room and it is located in the area of the house where you entertain your guests.
2. If you desire to place your bar outdoors, the patio is the best way to do it. Or any place where the ground is as flat as possible. You can even place it beside your pool. If you worry that the thatched roof may fly away and put debris into your pool, put a net under the roof to catch falling leaves. You can then decide of you want your bar to be freestanding or anchored to a wall or fence.
3. Before building your very own bar, you should have an idea of its actual size and final design. One way to do this is to have a sketch. While the size of your bar should be dictated by the allocated space, you should abide to some rules in building it. First, the bar should be higher than your waistline, about 40-42 inches high since the stools used are also higher. The width should be about 5 to eight feet and its depth about 2 feet.
4. Next, prepare the materials for the frame. You can use 2x4’s in constructing the frame. If bamboo is available, you can build the bar with about half the diameter as bamboo is unusually strong because of its structure.
5. After making the frame, use plywood to cover the tiki bar’s front and sides. Plywood provides the support structure for your bamboo fencing that will be nailed over it later. You can use this if you are on a shoestring budget. For the bar surface, using veneered plywood makes it resistant to water.
6. To achieve that authentic tiki look, nail bamboo fencing over the plywood on the front and sides. Be careful in nailing it in though, as bamboo can crack easily. You may want to first drill a hole that is slightly smaller than the nail to prevent cracking. Bamboo fencing can be bought in some home improvement shops and on the internet. You can also purchase bamboo blinds to achieve the same effect.
7. The next step is to build that feature that makes your bar a tiki bar: the roof. If you want to have an authentic tiki bar, building a thatched roof over it should do it. You can hire a professional who can do the thatching for you. But if you want to save on expenses, a cheaper alternative is available. All you need to have are palm fronds covering a sloped plywood. Depending on bar’s size, you can then support this by driving two or four bamboo poles into the ground.
8. To make your roof stable, build a frame that will span the length between the poles. Then, put 2 plywood sheets to the frame to have your roof pitch. You can then staple the plywood with palm fronds or thatching to hide the plywood from view. As before, if you worry about the thatch blowing away, cover it with a net.
9. An indoor tiki bar indoor usually doesn’t have the luxury of space to make a roof possible. And frankly, you don’t even need one. You can still make your roof look good though, by hanging a raffia fringe above the bar.

Decorating your Tiki Bar

You can decorate your bar to give it more of the Polynesian and tropic feel. You can also use your decorations to make your bar scene as lively as possible. Here are some ideas in decorating your bar.

Having lights put into the bar can make a huge difference in the atmosphere of your party. You can put colorful lights on the bar’s roof to portray that festive mood. If your bar has a back wall, it can also help to place lightings on it. You may also want to have torches placed into the corners of your hut to add more authenticity.

Another idea is to decorate your tiki bar with tropical images such as a picture of a beach or even a surfboard. You may also want to add pictures of the sea or hula dancers along the back wall. There is actually no limit in designing your bar. You can even add some distinctively Polynesian designs such as totem poles, totem figures and tiki masks. Other decorating ideas include moai carvings and tiki masks among other things.

Purchase high stools that can match the design of the bar. You can find it in most home improvement stores or even in thrift shops. By high stools, it means that your guests’ legs dangle above the ground. No backrest is needed on your stool.

It is important, especially in an outdoor tiki bar to have a storage compartment located in the table bar. This can be used to place glasses and drinks and should be tight enough to prevent pests from entering and dust to build up. Just below the roof, you can also have a built-in glass holder if you like.