Oak-ie dokie pokie…

I was bored today and spent some time on the internet looking for tips on seaming formica, etc.  I didn’t find anything super informative and started to talk myself into the fact that the end product would look horrible.

I googled around for images of wood bar tops and came across some ideas that made me go ‘ooo’.  One idea in particular was where people used simple wood flooring planks.  Most stained and poly’d them, one used a thick pour on gloss called Envirotex.  Sold!

So I trotted off to The MadHammers Opium Emporium (Lowe’s) and hit the stain section with a sample of the vinyl I used on the front of the bar.  I found a stain that would bring the oak cabinets pretty darn close to the tone.  Mission #1 completed.

Then I went back to the flooring section and was met with frustration.  This is because the only samples that matched the tone close enough in an Oak wood grain was the cheap ‘printed’ MDF type flooring.  Some of the hardwood samples came close, but were just not quite right, and they approached $100 for between 19 and 24 sq ft, meaning I was going to have to buy two boxes to have enough to cover 22-25 sqft of the main bar top.

I had a light bulb go off.  “Get unfinished and stain it to match you fool!”  Thankfully no one else was in the isle, cause I think I said it out loud.  I found one of the employees and asked if they carry unfinished flooring.  “At the other store across town” they said.

So across town I go, and straight to flooring.  I look… and look… and look… Nothing.  I ask an employee and he said “Yes, we hide it!”

He took me over 3-4 isles away from the main flooring area and there it was on an end cap, nicely stacked and bundled unfinished flooring and as luck would have it, OAK!  $50 a bundle, he had to go check the sq footage.  “19 sq ft” he said.  “Damnit!” I said and picked up two bundles.

I took one downstairs and got the long and middle legs laid out.  I”ll have a good bit left over but that’s fine because I can rip the tongues and grooves off them and use it on the rim of the whole bar.

I think I’m back to tile for the lower portion of the bar as I don’t want oak tops on top of oak cabinets.

Pics of the dry layout.  Here’s hoping I can pull off some descent cuts and get all three sections to meet up perfectly!