Tiki Bars: DIY Project for Summer

I just love Tiki thatch bars. I think they are great for a recreation room or backyard. I don't have the recreation room right now, but when I do, I'm building a tiki bar. I already have tiki platters, bamboo serving plates, party lights and Caribbean tea towels. What's great about the huts, besides the atmosphere they create, is it's not a problem if you have a budget. Every spring I scour websites looking at tiki huts while I daydream. This spring I found more sites than in previous years with a variety of options for building your own diy tiki bar.

Tiki Bars DIY Project: Week-end Caribbean Party

This website has an interesting idea. They suggest putting the four legs of the thatch roof in painted gallon jugs filled with sand for a week-end Caribbean themed party. They offer diy invitations, recipes, how to decorate the food platters and how to set up the decorations. What I'm thinking is why not set the legs permanently and use chicken wire instead of foam for the roof? This would be an inexpensive Tiki Bar to build that is more permanent than one for a week-end party.

As I was thinking about this, I looked around on the Internet and I found a site for DIY Tiki Bars. They sell thatch panels and umbrellas where you build your own frame and then place their roof on it. They also have a page for working with bamboo if you cut it down yourself. The Building Ideas page is fun to read because of the projects people ask about for their homes. Some of the projects involved Tiki themed bedrooms, headboards, light fixtures and Tiki bars. I liked the Mash type directional sign they talked about on this page with arrows pointing every direction.

Tiki Bars DIY Project: Plans for Sale

The next thing I got to thinking about were the plans to build a Tiki Bar and I found this website. They sell plans and materials for DIY projects. They also offer the fireproofing for a thatched roof. What I am really impressed with is their FAQ. I learned how to take care of a thatch Tiki Bar in all kinds of weather from snow and ice to wind. Tiki Bars are suitable for all climates if you know how to care for them.

Tiki Bars DIY Project: DIY Thatched Roof

I have also heard of using grass skirts for the roof of the hut. Some sites suggest using nylon skirts but I prefer natural materials. I can see how the nylon is functional though. If I were to use nylon, I would learn how to make it from recycled materials like the recycled flip flop rugs Target is selling. I found this site for making nylon rugs from recycled plastic bags. I also found this site for making your own floor rugs from husks of coconuts or PLA, a derivative of corn. You purchase the number of "tiles" needed for your rug and put them together with 'glue dots' that are included in the rug kit.

I decided to look around and find out about diy thatching a roof and found this site. This is from a "master thatcher" who lives in a thatched roof home. It looks to me as if he lives in England where these type roofs have been in existence for hundreds of years. It is probably a good place to learn more about it if you build your own.

I found this website that sells the roll-out roof thatching that can be cut to size without any unraveling. They also offer a large selection of bamboo furniture. They are the supplier for Sea World, Disney and Universal Pictures. Right now they have a page under construction for movie props for Tiki Bars which is fun. I visualize Polynesian Gods and volcanoes.

So this is my yearly excursion of Tiki bar dreams and Caribbean breezes. I may have to settle for one of the thatched roof birdhouses I saw advertised. I could hang it on the patio and squint every time I look at it. That way, I can pretend it's a full size Tiki Bar. I'll just add my party lights and pull out my frond leaf platters and I have the ambiance I look for each spring.

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Sources:
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