Making your kitchen counter look like a bar party can be a fun and creative way to spruce up your kitchen. Whether you are having a small gathering of friends or throwing a full-blown party, having a stylishly designed counter can really set the tone of the event.
A couple of decades ago, many people saw a kitchen counter only in special institutions (cafes, restaurants). But today, every self-respecting owner, making repairs in the kitchen, just have to think about the construction of a bar in the kitchen.
This article will talk about the methods that will help to make a bar counter with your own hands, using any materials to your liking. In addition, we will tell you about the main parts of the construction, and what you should pay attention to, so that your bar counter was original and functional.
Advantages
Using a mini bar in your home is not only an original design move. Such an idea, having positive qualities, thereby helps you to solve a number of problems:
- Dividing the kitchen into a place for cooking and dining, that is, a place where you will dine;
- In studio apartments, the counter can be a conditional division between the kitchen and the hallway. And if you choose the right colors, you won’t even need to tell your guests that there is a boundary;
- An alternative to the counter, in apartments with a small kitchen. It is also beneficial if no more than 2 people live in the apartment;
- Inviting friends over, you are sure to impress them. After all, this is a real decoration of the kitchen. Look at the bar counters with their own hands, photos of which are presented slightly below – the interior will inspire you.
Types of designs
The main thing to start with – the development of the project. At the heart of any construction plan should be the type of construction. The main elements are two – the tabletop and the base. But their size and shape depends on many factors: the amount of free space, function, place in the room. On this basis, it is worth naming the main options for the construction.
A separate bar outside the kitchen
This is a great idea for those who have a large living space. You can make a bar separate from the kitchen, with a square bar (you can round the corners) with an open space for the entrance of the “bartender”, the height of the bar is 1.3 meters, on the back side place a few chairs on high legs for guests. Above the construction you can hang lockers for drinks and tableware, but there is an option to make the bar itself consist of open niches and put some dishes on them. In addition, you can make a separate sink in the bar for washing dishes.
Monoblock
This design is a design that sits on a square base. In it you can build drawers (or shelves) for drinks and dishes. As a rule, only the base is close to a rectangular shape, but the tabletop can be made in any shape.
With a pipe
A very popular type of construction. The main support is a “pipe” – a metal pole that “runs” the counter through from the ceiling to the floor. On the other side are also two tube legs that rest against the pole. The type of construction is ideal for small rooms.
The fulcrum point
One leg is made and the other side rests on a wall, table or window sill. For this option, it is mandatory to consider the color of the structure, which will serve as a support. But this is not so much a technical problem, as a design problem, and it can often be solved already at the final stage.
Tiered
This type of construction is often combined with one of the above. The main feature is the presence of several levels of countertop. Once you have decided on the type of design it is necessary to set the height of the counter. On average, the classic bar counter for the kitchen should be 0.9-1.1 meters, but it will be normal if you allow deviations “under yourself”. After all, this is your home, and first and foremost should be comfortable for you. You should also decide whether there will be chairs and how many of them are necessary. The main thing is that they should be on high legs, as well as aesthetically combined with the counter.
Choice of material
Once you have decided on the type of design, you should move on to the choice of material. A bar counter consists of two parts: the countertop and the base. There are designers who recommend making both elements from the same material. However, there are many examples when the bar counter with their own hands was made of several different ones. The main materials for making can be particleboard, drywall, wood, brick or stone. Most craftsmen prefer to make bar counters for the kitchen from particleboard, primarily because of the low cost.
The advantage of such a countertop is the ease of working with the material, as well as the ability to choose any color. However, the disadvantage is that chipboard is poorly resistant to moisture, and in the kitchen this can be a problem. Stone looks more solid, however, it is an expensive and sometimes technically difficult material. The difficulty with wood is that it requires special skills. A bar counter made of brick, because of its heaviness, will be an impossible project for homes with a wooden floor.
In addition, when creating a bar from chipboard, you will need metal structures for the frame. You can also use special overhead corners and glass. Before choosing the material, think not only about the price, but also about the quality, because the kitchen is a specific place, which requires resistance to temperature, moisture, as well as to mechanical damage (cuts, impacts).
Doing it yourself
Once you have developed the project, selected the type of construction, as well as decided on the main construction material, you can move on to the embodiment of the project.
Tools
The choice of tools directly depends on the material with which you are going to work. It is mandatory to have with you:
- level;
- hammer;
- screwdriver;
- sealant;
- paint and materials to work with it (brushes, roller).
Other tools are necessary if you work:
With wood:
- bars, cut and prepared boards, skirting boards;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver.
- varnish.
With stone:
- selected stone;
- cement.
This is not a complete list, as your design project may be so special that there will be a need for additional tools. Now we should elaborate on individual projects from different materials.
From drywall.
Many builders are very fond of this material, because any creative idea with it can be turned into reality. A bar counter made of plasterboard is created according to the following scheme. First, it is necessary to make a metal frame. Remember that the durability of the construction will depend on its strength. To make the frame more rigid, the corners should be made from a solid piece of metal, that is, simply by bending. For convenience, you should make incisions with metal scissors.
Also make the frames of the two walls, connecting them with a cross profile. Profiles can be fixed with a punching tool. Dowels should be used to fasten to the wall and floor. After completing the frame, be sure to check its strength. Now proceed to the application of plasterboard. If you plan to make in the rack lighting, then before laying, conduct the cables.
After the work is completed, you should caulk the gaps with the use of mounting mesh. The gaps between the rack and the wall should be caulked with sealant. Then you should paint your creation. If you do not want to use drywall, there are a number of other materials, but it is not necessary to abandon it completely. From it, you can make shelves, coasters and other design elements of the mini-bar, made with their own hands.
From wood
Bar counters for the kitchen made of wood are created according to the same scheme as a similar process from plasterboard: first you make a frame, and then fix the wood. Only in this case, your frame will be wooden. On the floor, make markings where the structure will be located. Then fasten the wooden bars to the floor and wall. Cladding the frame can be done with sheets of MDF.
The tabletop should be prepared in advance: sand it, make all design points (corners, “waves” on the side surface). Before you apply varnish, you should treat the bar with materials to protect against flammability, as well as products to protect against corrosion. Caulk the cracks with sealant, then you can cover with varnish.
Made of stone
Bar counter with their own hands from this material – is considered the most elite and presentable option. Most experts advise polished granite. It is resistant to shocks, temperature fluctuations, cuts. For hostesses, a bonus will be the fact that granite is very rarely dirty. Several types of stone can be used in the base, which will make your counter aesthetically appealing. The countertop can be a different color and even style with the base. To give it a finished look, you should cover its edges with a decorative chamfer.
It is necessary to remember that to work with stone you will need special tools, as well as knowledge and skills, because working with stone is much more difficult than with chipboard. And also, if the bar counter with their own hands made of stone is your dream, but at the same time its cost is too high, there is a good alternative – artificial stone.
Lighting and accessories
Another addition to your bar will be lighting. This is what creates the atmosphere and immediately catches the eye. The simplest option is a separate chandelier under the ceiling, above the bar. Don’t dismiss this idea because it seems trivial. You can choose an excellent designer (moreover, themed) chandelier. In addition, this option can be combined with another, weaker way of lighting. Make a special suspended ceiling and place several lamps of different power and level in it.
The second lighting option would be to place a halogen lamp under the countertop. But, if the main material you have a stone, you will have to give up this idea. True, you can create an additional construction of glass, and place the lamp there.
To make your home bar no worse than in elite restaurants, you should use special dimmers. With their help, you can change the intensity of light.
When the bar counter with your own hands is completed, you should think about its complete set: dishes, stands, perhaps drawings and illustrations. In general, let your rack become a full-fledged bar. By the way, you can take ideas for accessories from existing bars. And most importantly – do not forget to fill the mini-bar with what it can’t exist without – drinks.
