Promoting Freedom for Creative Architecture
Building a home bar requires selecting an attractive yet durable countertop option. There are plenty of choices available, each offering their own advantages and disadvantages.
Quartz is one of the hardest materials on the market, featuring nonporous pores that don't absorb liquids or stain easily. Plus, its wide array of colors provides endless customization opportunities!
Granite is an increasingly popular choice for kitchen countertops, but it can also make an eye-catching statement in a bar setting. Durable enough to withstand glasses clinking together and friendly elbows knocking against it, granite's easy maintenance makes it an attractive addition in busy bar environments. Plus, stain-resistance makes this material an excellent addition.
Select from a range of colors and textures to create the look you desire for your custom bar tops. Altair granite boasts an eye-catching black background dotted with red, orange and gold veins for an eye-catching countertop, while Santa Cecilia granite features unique gold streaks against its brown background - or try Santa Cecilia granite with unique gold streaks between black streaks! Santa Cecilia granite also boasts gold streaks mixed in. Onyx also adds luxurious details, with parallel layers featuring different hues as well as translucency which backlightable for an eye-catching effect!
Quartz counters are constructed from natural minerals bound together with resin binders for durability. Not only are these bar tops stain-proof and require no periodic sealing, they're also great for households with children or pets!
Quartz can be found in many different hues and textures. Some popular colored varieties of quartz include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz and milky quartz. Clear quartz (rock crystal) has long been utilized as hardstone carving material.
Durable material such as quartz is also utilized in oil and gas production. Sand slurries used during hydraulic fracturing create fractures in reservoir rocks which in turn facilitate natural gas to flow into well bores more freely. Quartz then fills these fractures to help facilitate natural gas transport into well bores.
Onyx may not be as commonly found as granite and marble, yet it makes for a striking countertop option. Made of semi-precious stone material, onyx is often utilized in applications like registration counters, bars and fitness centres.
Natural translucent material such as translucent stone allows light to pass through, creating stunning illumination effects through its translucent surface. Backlighting further highlights its unique hues and swirling patterns; although not an ideal material for kitchen environments, translucent stones do make stunning additions in bathrooms and walling environments.
Onyx is a type of chalcedony with small banded parallel layers. Different varieties of onyx come with varying hues and hues, including black onyx, sardonyx onyx and cornelian onyx. There's also the rarer variety known as Nicolo onyx which features black base layers with lighter blue or grey layers on top - perfect for jewelry!
Wood is an elegant material that adds class and a sense of tradition to your bar top. Not only is it naturally antimicrobial, preventing germs and mildew growth from developing; but if left unsealed regularly it may stain easily; making this material better suited for lower traffic areas than high-traffic locations.
Hardwoods like walnut are shock-resistant and come in a range of colors spanning light to dark. Some species boast smooth surfaces with muted grain patterns while others feature distinct textures or knotholes for visual interest. Bubinga is another exotic hardwood which adds visual interest to a bar setting.
Reclaimed wood adds rustic charm, or try this tutorial for creating your own concrete bar top - both projects make great looking results! For added impact, pair with your wooden bar a reclaimed brick countertop for even greater authenticity!
Concrete is one of the strongest materials available, making it an obvious choice for bar tops. Creative DIYers can utilize various concrete formulations -- like Sakrete's Countertop Mix with smaller aggregate pieces and superplasticizer additives designed to facilitate smooth finishes -- to make an elegant and long-term work surface out of it.
This type of mix can be removed from forms within 18 hours, making the project faster for busy homeowners and making customization simple - for instance black, green or pink pigments depending on desired look.
Silvas notes that to prevent cracking, this recipe includes primary reinforcement in the form of rebar and ladder wire reinforcements, with smooth-profiled bars not grabbing concrete as efficiently.
