Back towards the beginning of the year, we were able to score this incredible bar piece for our downstairs. You have heard me say before that we want to transform this area into a vintage inspired game room. This was actually one of my visions that I mentioned in my 2021 goals post. So when we stumbled across this bar while out antique hunting, we knew we had to have it for that area. Our mission is to keep things as vintage and authentic as we can for that space. This piece checked off all the things on our list so it was a great purchase for us. The only thing we had to do to it was restore the old bar top. I thought it would be fun to share with y’all just how easy restoring an old bar top can be!
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Background on the Bar
We ended up finding this beauty at one of our local antique stores, Antique Tobacco Barn. We frequently visit this place and have found some great pieces from it.
However, I will say that some of their pieces can be a little pricey, but they sure are unique! Just like this bar.
We haven’t ever seen anything quite like it so we thought it would definitely be worth our money for sure.
The cool thing was that this bar came directly out of an old seafood restaurant near the beach. It isn’t a reproduction or anything like that.
So when you know more background on a piece like that, it does make it more valuable. And you can actually justify spending the money on it since you know no one else will have anything like that!
I do like to find good deals and not splurge too often, but when you see something like this, sometimes you just have to!
Sand the Bar Top Down
After lugging this big ol piece home (we did have to enlist my brother’s help for this part), we were ready to start fixing it up!
Thankfully, the bar was in such great shape and didn’t need too many things for improvement. This project ended up just taking us a couple of hours from start to finish.
The first thing we did was to take our electric sander and sand the bar top down a little.
It didn’t need too much sanding here, just a little bit. We wanted to get the surface of it nice and smooth before we applied the wood sealer.
If you aren’t planning on actually using the bar to set drinks down on, then you don’t necessarily have to do all this.
If it is just mainly for decoration, then it wouldn’t be worth all your time to fix up the bar top.
But like I stated earlier, our plan is to create a huge game room downstairs eventually. We would like to be able to have pool table and/or foosball table down there.
So it would be beneficial to have another place to set your drinks down on besides just a small coffee table.
You may also remember our railroad cart coffee table we restored a little while back too. This rustic piece is also located in our downstairs area so the bar goes very well with it too!
Apply the Wood Sealer
After we sanded the top down real good, we cleaned the top off really well. My hubby used his air compressor and blew off any extra debris and/or dust hanging around on it.
We wanted to have a nice, clean surface before applying the wood sealer on it.
Already, it was looking so good and new again! It’s amazing how just a little TLC can really fix up an old piece of furniture like this.
After it was all clean, we applied the wood sealer. We used the same product that we did for the railroad cart table too.
That way we didn’t have to spend any extra money on another product. It really brought out the shine and luster to the bar top.
Using a good wood sealer is definitely the way to go when restoring an old bar top!
Conclusion
This was definitely a fun and easy project for us to do. I am so happy with this bar piece and how it turned out. It really fit the vision for our downstairs vintage game room.
I can’t wait to add in more and more pieces and see what we can find next. It’s a slow process for sure because since we want everything to be vintage, it unfortunately costs more.
But I’d rather take our time and have authentic pieces that we love than cheaper, easier to find pieces instead. Plus, as you know, I always love finding an older piece and bringing it new life again!
Learn more about how to turn your builder grade home into something more here too!
Oh my goodness I just love this! You are right, it is a score for you. I’m sure you will enjoy this for years:)
Thank you so much Maria! I am sure we will too!
I love this idea of restoring an old bar top, I’d love to have a bar in my house! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thanks so much! I am so happy you think so as well!
That’s a fun DIY project! We have an outdoor bar in our backyard, and it gets SO much use during the warmer months. I love that we can stay outside and enjoy the sunshine without having to run inside (or have guests run inside) all the time. We also keep a bar fridge under the bar to keep everything cold without having to use the kitchen fridge.
Oh that is a great idea! That would be a perfect outdoor set up!
LookING good! A friend of mine has a beautiful bar top down in his basement, where he serves thoughtfully made drinks at the holiday parties he often hosts. I love that you restored this oyster bar; that you left the rustic lettering gives it such personality! 🙂
I know right?! It’s definitely so unique and beautiful!
This is such a great idea! I just wish I had the space to do this! Definitely will have to save for later!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
I’d love to do something like this! It’s looking amazing, great post xx
Awe thank you. I really appreciate it.
Oh this is so cool, what a great find! Definitely worth every penny, especially since it’s perfect for your vintage game room already.
Thank you so much! I think it was totally worth it too!
What a great find! That sounds like such a fun and simple DIY project too
Thank you so much! I was super happy with this find for sure!
This looks amazing! Would really love to have a bar counter to restore, my dad would love the project for sure! thank you for sharing x
Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed it too!
You are always doing the coolest DIY projects and I’m so envious! Not having my own home definitely limits my ability to take on tasks like this, but in the future, I look forward to discovering ways to elevate items I find at the home I have!
Awe thank you so much! I really appreciate that sweet compliment!
Your DIY projects are always soo cool! I’d love to upcycle something like this for my back garden!
Rosie
Thank you so much! That would be perfect in a back garden space!
Such a great DIY project! I love your skills and how beautiful it turned out. Enjoy! – Jenni
Thank you so much Jenni! I appreciate it
I definitely love how vintage this looks! What a fun and unique DIY project 🙂 x
Thank you so much! I love how vintage it is too!
Wow I love this and the vintage look is gorgeous- I love vintage items in my home 🙂 thank you for sharing x
Thank you! I love all vintage things in my home too!
This is so amazing! I love it! You did a great job restoring it and I love the vintage feel that’s there still. Thanks for sharing
Thank you! I am loving the vintage vibe to it as well!
This is so beautiful and will look perfect in your vintage games room! I love that you have the history of this bar – I think it adds to its character! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing your process.
Thank you so much! We definitely will enjoy it and I love how it has a history to it as well.
I am obsessed with all of your DIY projects! This looks super cool. Thank you for sharing 🙂
xoxo Olivia | https://www.oliviaandbeauty.com
Awe thank you so much girl! I love doing DIY projects like this!
What an awesome find! And a pretty simple project with great results!
Thank you so much! It was so simple but I am so happy with the outcome too!
This is so cool and it looks so good! Happy you were able to repurpose the piece!
Thank you, I am so happy we were able to repurpose it too!
What a great project! I love the look of this bar top and am glad to hear it wasn’t too tough of a project.
Thank you! I am glad it was an easy project too!
Such a cool remodel ❤️ Congratulations
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you. So glad you thought so too
Wow it’s such a fun DIY project!
Thank you so much
You did it up beautifully, I love how you retained the character of the bar. It’s going to look excellent in place 🙂
Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Thank you! I think it will too!
Wow! What an amazing find! It looks incredible. I can’t wait to see the finished game room. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I can’t wait to finish the game room either. It may take several years though! It’s a working process lol
That’s a lovely looking piece, can’t wait to see how the whole room turns out.
Thank you! I can’t wait for the whole room to be finished too!
This is so cool! I love the look of it and that it’s authentic. Those pieces can be hard to find and are definitely worth spending a little extra for their uniqueness. I love how just adding the sealer made such a big difference. I can’t wait to see your game room when it’s all done!
Yes! I totally agree! And I can’t wait to finish the game room either!
Oh wow this was an awesome find & it’s great that it didn’t need much work! I also like that it isn’t a reproduction & you know it came from an old seafood restaurant!
Thank you so much! Yes, I love that too! It’s much more special to know its not a reproduction!
Thanks for sharing, the bar top is a great find, good luck with your project 🙂
Thank you. I think it was a great find too!