How to make a bar counter in the kitchen with your own hands

Barstools were once used in a drinking establishment to sit down and have a drink. But over time, they migrated to the kitchen and took root there. It has undergone changes and a modern bar counter for the kitchen can have a variety of designs. Variants of racks can vary greatly in design and style, and the functional purpose of them can also be different.

Purpose and types

If the area of the kitchen allows, bar counter in the kitchen is put on the direct purpose: to sit down to drink a cup of coffee or something stronger, something to eat. Then its “equipment” is corresponding: holders for glasses, flutes, shot glasses, next to the shelf/holders for juices, bottles, etc. It is placed with one edge resting on the wall or the edge of the kitchen set, sometimes placed in the form of a pillar – in the middle of the free zone.

In small kitchens, it is often multifunctional. It can be used as a divider into zones – dining room and kitchen, in very small areas is often used as a dining table. And it can be located non-standard – at the wall.

In medium-sized kitchens – 10-12 meters – is often performed in the form of a peninsula – a small protrusion on the side. In order to make more rational use of space, the place under the countertop is occupied by shelves or a cabinet. This design is very simple – the countertop of the bar is often supported by several pieces of straight or inclined pipes, fixed on the cabinet table.

Such multi-stage kitchens have recently become popular: different operations in the kitchen are more convenient to perform on surfaces with different heights.

But still, more often a bar counter for the kitchen is present in studio apartments to delimit two zones: the kitchen from the living room or from the hallway – who has what is combined. And it is often a continuation of the desk-island or peninsula.

Do more in the form of a partition. In this case, the base is most often made of plasterboard, and to it is “attached” – from above or from the side – the surface.

In general, there are many options, variations and different types. Adapt the idea that you liked under your conditions, and you can proceed to realization.

Dimensions and dimensions

There are no strict norms on this subject. There are some recommendations, which are violated in about half of the cases. Recommendations concern only the height and width of the countertop:

• On the height of the bar counter it is customary to make 1,1-1,2 meters. Then special high chairs are placed near it.
• In width – minimum – 30 cm, optimally 50-60 cm. Less than 30 cm should not be made: even a small plate already on such a tabletop will be in danger. And it is just uncomfortable: neither elbows to put, nor to lean on.

Length, shape, number and form of legs – it’s all at your discretion. Speaking of legs. Traditional racks, which were in drinking establishments – it is a table top on a pedestal. But for kitchen “classic” for some reason is considered a countertop on a single tube from floor to ceiling.

By the way, in this form it is practically not used anymore. More functional analogs with cabinets and drawers prevail.

Bar counter for the kitchen: stages, methods of manufacturing, photo reports

The easiest option in execution is exactly the classic one: a tabletop, attached with one edge to the wall or furniture, and the second leaning on the pipe. With the tabletop there are options:

• Make from a wide board, preferably not softwood – their wood is too soft.
• Order from the same company where the kitchen set was made. If you bought a ready-made one, you will have to look for a similar material from the photo or carry a small spare part around the workshops to demonstrate what you need.
• Make of thick plywood, then something to decorate – glue plastic, tiles, mosaics.

Everything else is better to choose in a store selling furniture fittings. The choice is very wide, and the range of prices in general amazes. For example, a pipe of the same diameter can cost three times more. But such a difference is not without reason. With cheap Chinese pipes/nets/baskets chrome plating begins to fall off in flakes after a while. German fittings have a very high price tag, but lifetime warranty, Poles are in the middle both in price and quality. The choice is up to you.

In the photo above is a homemade bar counter, which was made from a thick board. It rests on one side on a shelf attached to the wall (also made of inch boards). The second support is a traditional pipe. A hole of suitable diameter is drilled in the body of the table top for the pipe. Under the tabletop on the pipe is installed on the attachment-support “ring fixing”, the hole is closed with a decorative ring on top. There is also a “pedestal” or universal fixing of the pipe to the floor and ceiling, as well as various holders and shelves on it.

If the countertop will be attached directly to the wall, for these purposes, corners are usually used. You can take reinforced, and choose the color based on the finish. But this type of fastener is installed so that it is not visible – set back from the edge a few centimeters. You can put several small corners, or one solid.

If it is decided to make a bar counter in the kitchen along the wall, you can use decorative brackets for shelves. Their carrying capacity should be enough for the countertop, especially since you can put several pieces. An example of assembling a bar counter of a simple design with a pipe in the photo below.

Photo report No. 1: homemade counter from a tabletop and a pipe

The countertop was cut from a window sill (solid), the edge rounded, sanded, tinted and varnished. Spare parts – bar leg, brackets and fixing to the floor – bought in the department of furniture accessories.

To the table top we screw the stop, to the edge – corners. Everything sits on self-tapping screws with a flat head. The work takes about 7 minutes.

Having put the assembled rack to the wall, mark on the wall the places where it is necessary to install dowels. Mark the pipe on the floor with a marker: this mark will be used to position the footrest. According to the marks, we mount the stop for the rack and put dowels in the wall.

Put the stand in place, fasten it with screws. That’s it. Done.

Bar racks with shelves

If the design with a pipe does not like it, you can do without it, but you will have to remove the upper part, which is under the ceiling. Instead of a leg, for example, you can make the same shelf as near the wall. The view will immediately become more dynamic and modern.

And in general, the whole structure can be assembled from wide boards, joining them at right angles. Looking at the photo below, you will understand what we are talking about.

In modern interiors in general, broken lines fit better. If the kitchen in the style of minimalism or hi-tech, it is hard to fit the classics there, but something consisting of broken lines will look very good (several sketches in the picture below).

A slightly more traditional option is presented in the photo. From this it did not become less interesting. A non-standard approach even in small doses significantly changes the perception.

Bar counter on the base

All this we considered options without a base. But the tabletop can be attached to some kind of a pedestal. If the countertop will be exactly above the surface of the table, we take a pipe and standard fasteners to horizontal surfaces. If, as in this case, the surface of the bar is offset, there is a special inclined fastener.

The cabinet can be mastered independently. Actually, the main thing is to assemble the frame. It can be covered with furniture plywood or any other finishing material – it depends on the style of your kitchen. The frame can be made of wooden (dry) laths, and you can weld and metal angle.

As an option – to collect from profiles for drywall, cover it with the same or GVL. Another option – to build a base of brick. But this, if the load-bearing capacity of the floor allows.

With a base of gypsum board: photo report № 2

Often choose the device of the base of gypsum board. The material is inexpensive, the technology is tested, the mechanics are familiar, the result – at least – good. According to the order of work, no news: collect the frame. In this case, wooden planks are used, but it is also possible to use profiles.

The main thing is to observe the verticality and horizontality of the planes, put the posts exactly at 90 °. Everything is checked with a good construction level, verticality is better monitored with a plumb line: it has no error. When the frame is assembled, on both sides is covered with gypsum board or gypsum board.

Traces from self-tapping screws, corners and joints putty. Further depends on the selected type of finishing: some need puttying (painting with water-emulsion), others do not. In our case, we chose texture paint, it is applied in a thick layer, and you can – directly on the drywall.

It remains to install the countertop on the bar. You choose which one is more suitable for the rest of the furniture in your kitchen.

Photo Report #3: Bar counter with a sink

This was the first experience in creating furniture (and in general something good) with their own hands, as a result of some design flaws. Not the most successful design, although, about tastes do not argue.

Source materials:

• inexpensive countertops bought on sale;
• remnants of a cabinet made of laminated chipboard;
• lumber;
• a couple extra doors;
• plumbing fittings: sink, siphon, faucet and required pipes, hoses and fittings.

Installation and replacement of the mixer in the kitchen is described here.

The countertops are laid out on the floor face down. They are connected in the form of a letter “G” with the help of glue, which is smeared on the ends and a steel strip with perforations, in which self-tapping screws are screwed. The strip, of course, is fixed at the bottom.

The sides were supposed to be decorated (presumably – with laminate), so we used the remnants available in the household – an old door and a piece of cabinet. They are screwed with the help of corners, aligned to the edge of the tabletops. And this is the first mistake. And visually such a cabinet looks heavy, and it is uncomfortable to sit. The sides should be moved from the edge by at least 10 cm.

After the sidewalls are installed, the cabinet was turned over and put on a permanent place. All other work was carried out on site. Sawed out the hole for the sink, installed and connected the plumbing part.

On the floor nailed laths – along the walls and slightly offset from the outer edge (made an offset of 5 cm, you can 10 – more convenient), made shelves. The cupboard on the sink side is closed with a door, the shelves on the left side are left open. The space is partially finished with wooden strips.

At first we thought to put a few different “gimmicks” on the pipe, but there were semi-circular edges left from the worktops. It was decided to use them on the pipe. As an external finish of the cabinet used panels for decorating balconies (bought in Leroy). They almost fit the size, and the remaining gaps were closed with twisted cord. How as a result looks homemade bar counter with a cabinet for the sink look at the photo below.

There are more comments on the finish. First – the cord will soon be soaked in various liquids, will have a pale appearance and a strong “flavor”. To push back the time of the appearance of the odor, it can be covered with something, at least the same PVA glue. The second thing is that the countertops are simply docked. Water will get into the gap, and various small debris will accumulate. Even at the stage of “docking” edges should be smeared with sealant (transparent, silicone, not acrylic). It is also possible and necessary to treat the edges of the cutout under the sink. Then the countertop will not swell. Joints of countertops can be finished with furniture overlays, the same or similar to use and instead of cord. Another budget option – plastic corners and the same T-shaped strips.

Bar counter for the kitchen on the remnants of the wall

If the kitchen is united with the balcony, a piece of wall remains. The place is where the window used to be. If you do not want to destroy it, you can make a bar counter.

There are two options:

• At the height that there is, put a countertop. This will be another work surface or shelf. Above it on the pipes at a height of about 1.1-1.2 meters to fix another plane, which will be the actual bar counter.
• Dostavlyaet/dorosti wall to the desired height and put the table top.

Both options are not bad, but the one on the right is more practical: two surfaces in the kitchen are always better than one. Note that the dimensions of the countertop are larger than the width of the “leg”. This is not accidental: so you can sit more or less comfortably without turning sideways.

And if you are not lazy to remove this wall, you can make something more comfortable – so that you can put your feet. An example is on the photo.

Photo design ideas

Video on the topic

If you want to put a bar counter in an outdoor summer kitchen, you can borrow the idea from this video. The guy from the snags found in the woods and a thick board built an interesting counter.

Most often there are questions about how to make a countertop for a bar counter. You can finish it with mosaic. And how – see in the video. In general, the technology of laying mosaic is not difficult: on a special glue of white color with the subsequent grouting of the joints between the tiles. It is difficult to form an uneven edge. Here’s how to do it – see in the video.

Tabletop glued from bars