Building my Basement Bar

[natocamp55]

I think that looks great, maybe mount some black pipe as a foot rests while on the bar stool

 

[AboveTheBest]

I think that looks great, maybe mount some black pipe as a foot rests while on the bar stool

I’m either going to use black or galvanized, but either way it’ll be steel pipe.

 

[Neutron]

Definitely a great rustic look. Love it

 

[AboveTheBest]

I feel like a kid at Christmas. I can’t wait to unwrap my counter so I can flip it over and see how the surface came out, tomorrow after work can’t come soon enough.

I ended up using plain-old Quickrete 5000. I couldn’t bring myself to spend $20 for a 40lb bag of the Countetop Mix, when an 80lb bag of this stuff only costs $4.50. Total cost for this counter was $45; including concrete, wire mesh/rebar, and a sheet of melamine. It still wouldn’t have been bad with the more expensive stuff ($150), but that’s almost a full tank of gas in the boat.

 

[Beachbummer]

Pretty Slick! What is that perfect square embedded towards the right of the countertop? almost looks like a paver...

 

[AboveTheBest]

Pretty Slick! What is that perfect square embedded towards the right of the countertop? almost looks like a paver...

That’s a piece of 2” foam board insulation that will be a void for the sink when I take the form apart.

 

[drewkaree]

It might just be the picture, but I can't see a knockout for the plumbing fixtures for the sink. I have been wanting to try this myself, and we may end up doing concrete when we redo the kitchen at the vacation place. It's a small kitchen, so it'd be the perfect size for a test run of something like this, but depending on funds, I may end up going with a DIY wood countertop.

Looks like a rewarding project, and it's always good to test out the progress at the end of the day with a drink or twelve!

 

[AboveTheBest]

@drewkaree The sink is a one hole drop-in so no knockouts needed, except my wife

I flipped it and took the form off to let it dry better. The surface came out very nice but I have some pinholes from trapped air to fill in prior to sealing.

Here’s a picture of me testing out the progress last night. I test fit my sink, so if ou look close you might be able to see the faucet hole.

 

[2kwik4u]

Looks great!

Buddy built a concrete counter top for his outdoor kitchen at camp. Doesn't look quite as nice, although he didn't pour and flip, he just poured in place. He used some sort of food grade sealer on it instead of normal sealer. I'm sure you're all over it, but thought I would mention it.

 

[AboveTheBest]

Looks great!

Buddy built a concrete counter top for his outdoor kitchen at camp. Doesn't look quite as nice, although he didn't pour and flip, he just poured in place. He used some sort of food grade sealer on it instead of normal sealer. I'm sure you're all over it, but thought I would mention it.

Thanks!

I’m still unsure what kind of sealer to use. At this point I’m leaning towards impregnator/sealer for stone (about $20 from Lowe’s), but I’m still looking at some of the more expensive epoxy type sealers that go for around $150.

I want it to keep the rustic look so I don’t want to make it too nice of a finish, but want it to protect the concrete at the same time.

If I use the cheaper stuff and don’t like the results I can always use something different later.

 

[AboveTheBest]

I’m going to need to buy some corbels for the overhang on the bartop and found these that I think will look good attached to the barn bean corner posts. It has a railroad spike look to it, which will go well with the rest of the look.

I’ll probacly use an additional Corbel in the middle to distribute the weight, butvthat one will likely be a hidden bracket like what they use on kitchen counters.

 

[swatski]

@drewkaree The sink is a one hole drop-in so no knockouts needed, except my wife

I flipped it and took the form off to let it dry better. The surface came out very nice but I have some pinholes from trapped air to fill in prior to sealing.

Here’s a picture of me testing out the progress last night. I test fit my sink, so if ou look close you might be able to see the faucet hole.

View attachment 89007

Looks fantastic. I was surprised you were pouring it upsidedown, but it makes sense - looks like there is no need to polish! Very clever.

--

 

[Dean P]

Nice! Looks awesome. How much does it weigh? Getting inspired...

 

[AboveTheBest]

That counter weighs roughly 250lbs, and when I make the actual bar top it will be around 350lbs.

Pretty manageable really with another guy to help.

 

[Dean P]

Damn, that's heavy. I mainly work alone (wife tries but...). Thinking about an outdoor kitchen. Keep posting pictures.

 

[MattFX4]

Wow man looking good. My basement is currently under construction now too! HVAC went in last week, I installed a 100 amp subpanel and all wiring for HVAC, and the framers are here now framing soffits, bathroom, ceilings, etc. They are also going to frame up my bar. Going with 2x6's for frame at 42" tall. It is going to be L shape in a corner. The pic below is my rough plan. This is from above looking down. the thick black lines are the outline of the walls. The back bar will be 10' wide in a 22" deep nook in the wall. I will have to have cabinets cut down or made to fit flush in the 22" depth area. The orange lines will be the lower counter top, and green will the raised bar section. I will also have a soffit built to follow the bar lines with recessed lighting in. The middle section inside the bar will be 9' tall ceilings. Only thing I am worried about it is the space between the back bar area where tv will be on wall, and the front bar. Right now I will be at about 36" which I think will work. The opening on the left to get behind bar will be about 30". Its plumbed for a sink already, and I want to add wine cooler, beverage fridge, and kegerator all built in. I will have to start up a post as my progress moves along. Once framers are done I will be doing all electrical my self. Sub out plumbing, and then the drywallers will come in.

 

[MattFX4]

@AboveTheBest Ours was too long to get them in the house that way so we didn’t have much of a choice. Plus my wife didn’t want joint lines if we could avoid it. Here are a couple along the way and how it turned out.

awesome man. I am going for the same look with exposed brick. What are the dimensions of your bar? How tall is ceiling above the tv at that soffit?

 

[AboveTheBest]

@MattFX4

I went with 36” between the bar and the back wall as well. I think that gives you plenty of room to move around. I’m not sure exactly where I landed with the opening to get behind the bar, but it’s probably close to 30” as well.

The way I figured that dimension is kind of funny actually. I already had the deer head on the wall and just determined how far away the bar needed to be before it felt like I was ducking under it. Luckily my basement ceiling is 9’ so the mount was able to go a little higher/give me more clearance.

It’s funny you mentioned getting your HVAC done, as it’s the one thing I didn’t plan for and am now trying to slap something together. I’m thinking of adding a Rennai gas heater to the main room somewhere, but I’ll probably worry more about that in the Fall.

 

[MattFX4]

@AboveTheBest cool sounds good. I like the concrete counter tops. Do you recommend DIY them? I may try to go that route too.

I went with a full Trane heat pump central heating and air system. It's nice but running the ductwork really got in the way with my ceilings. The way it worked out I will have a 16"x24" soffit around the entire perimeter of my basement and it will be 9' everywhere else. I will add crown moulding to dress it up.

It's been fun so far. I can't believe some of the quotes I got to have it finished turn key by contractors. Doing as much as I can myself, and subbing out things like framing and drywall should save me a lot.

 

[AboveTheBest]

I can’t even imagine what a turnkey would have cost me. I subbed the drywall and framing, and ended up getting very good prices on both.

The DIY concrete is worth it IMO, and it’s going to be really cool when I can say I did the whole bar myself. It’s definitely a good way to save some money on the basement too. We put quartz in our kitchen last Summer and it was around $4k.

Try making one, maybe a test piece for a coffee table. If you don’t like it (or it turns out poorly) you’ll only be out about $50 and a few hours of work.