# Rec room Bar ideas



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

It ain't broke. Don't fix it.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

hmm depends how deep you wanna get into the pocket $$

My thoughts:

I'm not much a fan of the thick vertical boarding, it looks weird to me... Horizontal lines are more pleasing... or more 'interior' if that makes sense. What you've got now is... too polished to be "rustic" looking, but too rustic to be "polished" It's somewhere in between.

At a minimum, for the cheap, on the columns, back and side of the bar, I'd add some thin trim boards to break up the wider "flooring" planks, something like this:









OR I'd add some corbels like this:










For a bit more work/money, I'd cut down the planks narrower and install them in simple angled patterns like so:









OR with some scrap backer wood, and maybe some additional different colored planks, do more of what I'd call a "stone wall" look like this:










If I wanted to spend the cash, I'd scrap all the existing flooring/siding whatever and do something far more polished like raised panels, or even something fancy like this:









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With any of the above, I'd redo that bottom trim. It looks like they used the existing contractor grade baseboard, but there wasn't quite enough for the length, so they butted it to the corner board trim (which is wood L channel used to cover the unfinished ends of the flooring/planks from the looks of it.) 

I'd want something more substantial at the base to "secure it to the floor" visually, the 3 whatever inch tall base looks like it's barely holding it down (... my brain sees things odd sorry) I'd want that base to be at least 4" tall, if not 5+. I think, if you wanna cut costs/do bare minimum, you could do a simple flat base molding that'd sit as proud as your corner trim bits - what is that 1/2" or 1/4" maybe (hopefully? would make it lots easier to find common thickness'ed wood to fit right in) Then just lightly round over the top outside edge with some sand paper, and maybe give it a different color, a darker "heavier" walnut/mahogany/cherry, would look good IMO.

You could combine above with my first idea, and paint the trim bits breaking up the width of the planks with the darker color stain. That'd be pretty striking, and I think you could get away with about half the horizontal trim's shown in that example pic. Restain the countertops edge pieces dark to really make it pop.

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The counter top edges should be flush to the top surface. Seems to me that either they were planning to put in a thick liquid bar top, or they used the same wood L trim to "wrap" the counter top edges. Either pull that trim off and cut it so it'll be flush to the top of the countertop, OR get some bar top (two part epoxy resin) and fill it until it's flush with the trim surface (run a bead of silicone around the entire inside top surface of the bar top before adding the resin.) ** FYI resin can be colored and fiddled with to do absolutely amazing looks, so frankly, if you're gonna go that route, I highly recommend searching YouTube for "resin table top" or "resin pours" and skip the wood flooring faux bartop look entirely.

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Not a fan of the "office" ceiling tiles. I'd upgrade to architectural foam or tin ones.

Also ditch the can lights, put in flat LED panels with the new ceiling tiles.

Maybe throw some extreme cove crown on the weird ceiling edges (See - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Alexand...med-MDF-Crown-Moulding-CR699-9U096C/206876640 OR https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ekena-M...Smooth-Crown-Moulding-MLD04X04X06BR/202607643 OR https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ekena-M...Smooth-Crown-Moulding-MLD02X02X03TR/202607675)


Personally, for a bit more money, and if I didn't need access to whatever is above it, I'd coffer that entire ceiling out flush with the rest of the rooms ceiling. You could do a cool look and really highlight a fancy new light in there too, something along the lines of what this person is doing:


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

The stools are to close together 6 ft. :vs_laugh:


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

If you are in quarantine you need more booze.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

We built this one for a client. The large top is exactly the size of a group of drink placemats (whatever you call them). He plans to lay them in and pour clear poly over them. The bar side is the size of those glass cushions where they are inverted to dry.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> hmm depends how deep you wanna get into the pocket $$
> 
> My thoughts:
> 
> ...



Thanks! A lot of things to think about here. 

Bar front
What about those stick on plank kits that look real? I could place these horizontally and make the bar front gray possibly for a bit of contrast? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Timberwall-Barnwood-9-7-sq-ft-Driftwood-Grey-Wood-Wall-Plank-Kit/1000379495

I do really prefer the rustic wood look though. 

Ceiling tiles 
I have a mega amount of ceiling tiles so replacing all of them means big bucks. I need to find an economical way to make it look better, but not spend a fortune. Also, is it better to go with tiles that show water leaks or waterproof tiles? I ask because if there was a water leak from upstairs we wouldn’t know otherwise. 

Bar trim/countertops 
This is my current pain point. 
I could take a close up if needed. I’d love to do something here, but the previous homeowners basically used Pergo laminate flooring for the counters and cheap polyurethane trim around the bar. 


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

4rpr said:


> the previous homeowners basically used Pergo laminate flooring for the counters


Thought that's what it was, hassle with spills against the edge trim. All the faces look to be cheap 4x8 paneling. 

Paint is always the cheapest fix. Just changing the color of the walls would offset the lighter wood and fit a more rustic or 'masculine' look.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> Thought that's what it was, hassle with spills against the edge trim. All the faces look to be cheap 4x8 paneling.
> 
> Paint is always the cheapest fix. Just changing the color of the walls would offset the lighter wood and fit a more rustic or 'masculine' look.



Stain paint? What color and type? So that’s better than stick on planks I mentioned? 

I literally hate the countertop trim, but have no idea what to replace it with. 


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

Hard to guess how far for you to take it when "economical" means different things to different people. 



4rpr said:


> Stain paint? What color and type? So that’s better than stick on planks I mentioned?


I was talking about painting the walls around the bar, dark green and maroon seem popular. But you could paint the paneling. If you want rustic wood look, I don't know if you can stain it, it looks like cheap old laminated paneling (not hardwood veneer), but I think you could stain it in a method similar to a fiberglass door, paint guys could help with that.

They sell corrugated metal panels 3' high just for this. $7 a pop and I saw a 'rusted' version.

Also there are many versions of 4x8 panels, vinyl embossed like copper, horizontal wood-look like shiplap, that might update it a little more but be cheap.



4rpr said:


> I literally hate the countertop trim, but have no idea what to replace it with.


Don't know if you have an option there. It looks like just the Pergo glued on top of maybe 1/2" ply, looks real thin. Maybe encase it all as an economical way, with what I'm not sure - sanded ply/mitered edges, a thin metal wrap? They do make vinyl covers that look like metal, or just get a sheet of laminate. You'd have to probably mill the edging to fit the Pergo T&G if they left it there.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> Hard to guess how far for you to take it when "economical" means different things to different people.
> 
> 
> I was talking about painting the walls around the bar, dark green and maroon seem popular. But you could paint the paneling. If you want rustic wood look, I don't know if you can stain it, it looks like cheap old laminated paneling (not hardwood veneer), but I think you could stain it in a method similar to a fiberglass door, paint guys could help with that.
> ...



Do you need close ups pics? I could do that. Let me know which close-ups you’d like. 


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> Hard to guess how far for you to take it when "economical" means different things to different people.
> 
> 
> I was talking about painting the walls around the bar, dark green and maroon seem popular. But you could paint the paneling. If you want rustic wood look, I don't know if you can stain it, it looks like cheap old laminated paneling (not hardwood veneer), but I think you could stain it in a method similar to a fiberglass door, paint guys could help with that.
> ...


Do you means these should replace the can lights? Easy to replace or need an electrician? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux...t-4200-Lumens-4000K-Dimmable-RT22SP/305016659

And can you link where I could find the corrugated metal panels or the 4x8 panels? Possibly locally at a big box store or?

Flooring 
What are your thoughts about the bar flooring?


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

4rpr said:


> Thanks! A lot of things to think about here.
> 
> Bar front
> What about those stick on plank kits that look real? I could place these horizontally and make the bar front gray possibly for a bit of contrast? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Timberwall-Barnwood-9-7-sq-ft-Driftwood-Grey-Wood-Wall-Plank-Kit/1000379495
> ...


Bar Front
Ooo I like that grey wood much, much more than the light knotty pine for sure, has a lot more "weight" to it as well - which I'm preferential to on cabinetry. You could do a smooth application like the Lowes pics, but I'd put backers/slanted backers on the planks before installing to get more of that "uneven wood" look like in the one pic I posted before. That extra "depth" is interesting.

Ceiling Tiles
Gotcha, paint and stencils to the rescue:

















If you want to get a bit more $$ into it, I bet you could craft a simple wood grid and secure it to the acoustic tile tracks using magnets. Something along these lines:










Bar Trim
If you redo the bar front in the grey planks, I think you can go trim free on the entire bar face (if I read the product page right anyway, the ends of each plank are "finished" rather than particle board, right?)

Bar Top
Yeah... I mean honestly, the pergo tile thing just doesn't look real at all...

Maybe something like these resurfacing kits, there's more colors if you click the category header link above the product pictures there on Lowes, I just picked the black for the grey planks, white would probs look great also - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Giani-Coun...g-Kit-Actual-Net-Contents-44-fl-oz/1000116497

Then on the counter top trim/edging, I'd flush up the trim that's there, or buy some 1x1/2 or whatever thickness measurement wood strips, add wood filler in all the gaps between countertop and trim, sand it so its smooth, then paint the resurface stuff over the entire top and edges.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> Bar Front
> Ooo I like that grey wood much, much more than the light knotty pine for sure, has a lot more "weight" to it as well - which I'm preferential to on cabinetry. You could do a smooth application like the Lowes pics, but I'd put backers/slanted backers on the planks before installing to get more of that "uneven wood" look like in the one pic I posted before. That extra "depth" is interesting.
> 
> Ceiling Tiles
> ...



Ok that these are peel and stick? Edge profile is squared. 


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> Bar Front
> Ooo I like that grey wood much, much more than the light knotty pine for sure, has a lot more "weight" to it as well - which I'm preferential to on cabinetry. You could do a smooth application like the Lowes pics, but I'd put backers/slanted backers on the planks before installing to get more of that "uneven wood" look like in the one pic I posted before. That extra "depth" is interesting.
> 
> Ceiling Tiles
> ...



Also, would you be opposed to adding granite countertops? My base is too thin underneath and plus over by the sink and wall the old owner believe it or not didn’t truly make counters back there, but rather an all in one design. So I’m not sure how a contractor would add granite back there. I was thinking a white/gray granite look along with the gray front. 


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

4rpr said:


> And can you link where I could find the corrugated metal panels or the 4x8 panels? Possibly locally at a big box store or?


Just look up "wall paneling"
HD 885 listed hits
Menards 168 listed hits
Menards corrugated wainscot



4rpr said:


> What are your thoughts about the bar flooring?


Not as important, can't be seen as much, especially if the lighting is focused on the bar and work counters (well better to have lighting there). Thin pile carpet looks same height, so is it peel-n-stick? Just depends on your appetite for work and budget.

So many things you could do or not do. It might be easier for advice if you give us a picture of what you want it to be, and we can help how to build it/find alternate materials to look like that picture.

Edit: granite doesn't fit "economical" in my eyes, so this ^^ restated.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> Bar Front
> Ooo I like that grey wood much, much more than the light knotty pine for sure, has a lot more "weight" to it as well - which I'm preferential to on cabinetry. You could do a smooth application like the Lowes pics, but I'd put backers/slanted backers on the planks before installing to get more of that "uneven wood" look like in the one pic I posted before. That extra "depth" is interesting.
> 
> Ceiling Tiles
> ...



Will these peel and stick boards stick on paneling?


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> Just look up "wall paneling"
> HD 885 listed hits
> Menards 168 listed hits
> Menards corrugated wainscot
> ...



For price and simplicity would peel and stick planks be able to stick on the wood paneling that I have now?


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> Just look up "wall paneling"
> HD 885 listed hits
> Menards 168 listed hits
> Menards corrugated wainscot
> ...



Granite as supposed to doing all the work(I’m not 100% the handyman you think ( )


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

4rpr said:


> For price and simplicity would peel and stick planks be able to stick on the wood paneling that I have now?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My thought was to make the "boxes" out of thin light trim and magnet them to the existing ceiling tracks.

I suppose you could glue them to the acoustic panels, but you'd have to remake them if there was a leak again and a tile got damaged.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

As for the granite, I suspect it'd be too heavy for whats gotta be light weight construction from the looks of it. 

The painted granite is probs better, the kit I linked is pretty easy, you just paint it, then roll over it with a patterned paint roller to get the details (veins and what not.)


Another option is sticker faux granite/marble. I've had a faux maple birdseye vinyl sticker (made by VViViD from Amazon) on my keyboard drawer and computer desk for probably 8 years (heavy usage) and it's only just got dinged up on one of the wrapped edges. If you were to take off the counter top trim, wrap the vinyl around the top, then put the trim back on - maybe stained to match the grey wood planks - I bet it'd last pretty well.


Another option would be the adhesive faux marble tiles I did over my scratched laminate desktop. I think we'd gotten them at Home Depot though all I'm finding right now is the flooring size - the ones I have are 6x6 square.


Hey, if you want to pour bartop epoxy over it, some SS peel & stick would look wicked; I found this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Instant...inless-Metal-Mosaic-Tile-EKB-03-112/206063175

I did SS hex's on my kitchen backsplash some years ago and everyone just loves it. They probably talk more about the cheap $500 splash than they do about the rest of my $40k DIY kitchen... Except maybe the fridge, it's 4 foot wide and 7 foot tall so it commands a lot of attention :vs_laugh: 

... Eh probs too modern for you.

Maybe look at premade butcher block counter tops - https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen...o+stage+info}+qu:{countertop}:qu#butcherblock


Or laminate sheet in a granite -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/FORMICA...CH=REC-_-plpbrowse_multi-_-NA-_-206025422-_-N 

That's not too hard to install, just gotta get more than one person to help you glue it down - it's one of those "you have one shot" type things. I did a laminate bartop with my father when I was like 8 or 9. Bar's still in perfect condition nearly 40 years later.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> My thought was to make the "boxes" out of thin light trim and magnet them to the existing ceiling tracks.
> 
> I suppose you could glue them to the acoustic panels, but you'd have to remake them if there was a leak again and a tile got damaged.



I’m sorry I’m completely lost on what you mean here (


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> As for the granite, I suspect it'd be too heavy for whats gotta be light weight construction from the looks of it.
> 
> The painted granite is probs better, the kit I linked is pretty easy, you just paint it, then roll over it with a patterned paint roller to get the details (veins and what not.)
> 
> ...



Is the SS Peel and Stick more for counters you mean or should I attempt to place these on my bar front? Will these adhere well to the wooden paneling on the bar front? 

Would you mind if I post close ups of the countertop area by the sink and the back wall? The old owner didn’t separate the counters here. He made the counters and the base as an all in one design unlike the counters towards the front where people sit. 


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

4rpr said:


> I was thinking a white/gray granite look along with the gray front.


I have a friend who built an exact jawdropping replica of a bar in Ireland. Another who DIY'ed stained plywood (cheap CDX, not sanded) but is fully stocked so hides a lot of it, besides most people are drunk there and don't care. So I would say figure out your use, how it intertwines with the rest of the basement, is it a focal point, destination, or sidenote? Do you do a lot of food prep other than garnishes? Is the counter just a transition, or hangout with a tv behind the bar, or serve as a buffet for parties? Figuring this stuff out will help in picking finishe$ and where to concentrate them. You have to be careful though, if you ever watched the old HGTV show 'Trading Spaces' things can look really hokey if shortcuts are taken and you do not have a lot of skills or tools. Also in your other thread you'd said you'd be selling in 5-6 years.

IMO if you go granite counters, the rest of the bar (and ceiling + walls + lighting, and rest of basement) should be brought up to the same level. Heck, even some laminates can get $150/sheet. 



4rpr said:


> Will these adhere well to the wooden paneling on the bar front?


I think it depends on the sheet thickness and size. You'll probably see the panel grooves through small 12x12 stickies, maybe not if full sheets especially with embossed designs on them.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

3onthetree said:


> I have a friend who built an exact jawdropping replica of a bar in Ireland. Another who DIY'ed stained plywood (cheap CDX, not sanded) but is fully stocked so hides a lot of it, besides most people are drunk there and don't care. So I would say figure out your use, how it intertwines with the rest of the basement, is it a focal point, destination, or sidenote? Do you do a lot of food prep other than garnishes? Is the counter just a transition, or hangout with a tv behind the bar, or serve as a buffet for parties? Figuring this stuff out will help in picking finishe$ and where to concentrate them. You have to be careful though, if you ever watched the old HGTV show 'Trading Spaces' things can look really hokey if shortcuts are taken and you do not have a lot of skills or tools. Also in your other thread you'd said you'd be selling in 5-6 years.
> 
> IMO if you go granite counters, the rest of the bar (and ceiling + walls + lighting, and rest of basement) should be brought up to the same level. Heck, even some laminates can get $150/sheet.
> 
> ...



This bar is used many times for gatherings or when there’s no room by the tv. So for example many people sit in the chairs here for hours. Sometimes we will also place food below the main countertop for people to walk behind and grab some food. So I would say the bar is used 60-70% of the time we have guests. 


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

4rpr said:


> Is the SS Peel and Stick more for counters you mean or should I attempt to place these on my bar front? Will these adhere well to the wooden paneling on the bar front?
> 
> Would you mind if I post close ups of the countertop area by the sink and the back wall? The old owner didn’t separate the counters here. He made the counters and the base as an all in one design unlike the counters towards the front where people sit.
> 
> ...


Oh no, I really like the grey wood planks on the bar front.  

I was thinking of the SS on the bartop surface - but it'd come out pretty modern and you'd want to put an epoxy resin over the top of it so the SS didn't dent or get scratched up moving drinks across it.

---

Also, you can post whatever pictures of your project you'd like to. None of us responding are owners of the site or anything. We're just fellow home owners who came here with questions just like you did, we just never left after we got answers 

---

For the ceiling;

It sounds like you're new to DIY stuff (?) so I'm going to suggest that instead of using some kind of decorative molding trim, you use straight stock. Using straight stock means you won't have to do any "coping" to match the trim profiles at the joints, then you can use simple butt joints, and you could even use glue instead of mitering and nailing. Go with polyurethane instead of wood as it's lighter. I'd get something around 1" thick x 1 1/8" wide or so. I believe poly costs about 2 to 3 times as much as wood though so that could be a factor. 

I believe you have 24 inch by 48 inch acoustic tiles yeah? So you'll want to create a roughly 24 by 24 inch grid. Use the tracks on the ceiling to get your final measurements though - center the "width" of your poly boards on the metal track that's surrounding each acoustic tile panel, then you'll add a section across the middle of that rectangle which splits each acoustic tile in half visually. I'd glue up "F", "A", "E", and "8" shaped sections so it's more manageable to install on the ceiling.

Here's some renders of the grid I'm thinking about, 2nd is a pic of the individual sections glued up to create the whole grid, and finally a close up of an "F" section's individual pieces:

























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How about a picture of the track your acoustic tiles are set in? It could be easier and give far better results to entirely replace the track you have with an actual wood frame - basically you'd re-build an acoustic tile grid in thicker beefier wood and fancy trim bits, so that'd all be nailed to the joists, and then you'd just pop in the individual [painted] acoustic tiles. It'd be a far better "coffered" look in the end and I imagine it wouldn't be /that/ much more expensive than buying light weight poly trim bits and a ton of disc magnets heh ... although I suppose you could use double stick tape instead of magnets - there's this stuff called "nanotape" which is gel based and it removes easily and cleanly, but holds well.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

@Mystriss I'm sorry, don't be offended, but those ceiling treatments and shag rug, bulbous light fixture and '50s chairs are just butt ugly.


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> Oh no, I really like the grey wood planks on the bar front.
> 
> I was thinking of the SS on the bartop surface - but it'd come out pretty modern and you'd want to put an epoxy resin over the top of it so the SS didn't dent or get scratched up moving drinks across it.
> 
> ...



Since I don’t understand 1/2 the stuff your referring to. Thanks anyhow. 


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

chandler48 said:


> @Mystriss I'm sorry, don't be offended, but those ceiling treatments and shag rug, bulbous light fixture and '50s chairs are just butt ugly.


I agree on the fixture and furniture, it wasn't about that though.

Either way, I've been "dismissed" from the thread so I'm out :smile:


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

Mystriss said:


> I agree on the fixture and furniture, it wasn't about that though.
> 
> Either way, I've been "dismissed" from the thread so I'm out :smile:



No hard feelings. I’m a novice and although I want to learn .....your recommendations and techniques of remodeling are just something I don’t understand so I wouldn’t want you to waste your time. 

It wasn’t meant to talk down to you or “dismiss” you at all. 


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

4rpr said:


> No hard feelings. I’m a novice and although I want to learn .....your recommendations and techniques of remodeling are just something I don’t understand so I wouldn’t want you to waste your time.
> 
> It wasn’t meant to talk down to you or “dismiss” you at all.
> 
> ...


mmm I wasn't sure what word to put there without offending you heh, which is why I put it in quotes. No offense taken or anything (I'm immune to that.) 

I'm just not sure what us Do It Yourselfer's are going to be able to help you with if you aren't understanding basic carpentry is all. (Like I said I didn't know how to word it without offending ya :/)

If you are really interested I can do pictures of the basic carpentry stuff, but honestly without that kinda understanding (and at least thinking you can do it,) you're likely better off having a carpenter come in and do the project for you because s/he'll have a better handle on what materials s/he can make work with your specific situation (how the bar is made, how the ceiling tile's are installed, what wiring and pipes and HVAC are above said tiles, the electrical and all that.)


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## 4rpr (May 13, 2020)

janicer said:


> Cool!
> 
> I love the wooden furniture and the interior.


Thanks! No changes?

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## Madcam516 (Jul 15, 2020)

I love this room! I would add bar stools to the other side to even it out. I would also add some accent colors - whether that be staining the wood, putting in a new countertop, etc... but overall it's very inviting and I love the wall art!


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