How to Build a Kitchen Bar Top

Adding a countertop to a kitchen bar gives the builder plenty of freedom to choose between building materials, stains and paints to create a high-quality product. Using a better grade of materials is recommended when going for a natural wood look, and these hardwood boards will need to be pegged together to create a seamless bar top. Pegging, gluing and clamping these boards can unify them into one board, which can then be sanded and finished as if it were a single large board.

1 1/2-by-5 1/5 inch boards (4)
Sandpaper
Saw
Drill
Drill bits
Pegs
Wood glue
Clamps
2-inch wood screws

Instructions

- 1
  Set four boards that are 1 1/2-by-5 1/2 inches and cut to the length of the bar down on a work surface, parallel to each other. Place their largest surfaces downward and slide them together. Note any sections where the boards do not smoothly meet and sand these areas down in order to make their sides come together smoothly. Saw off any thin layers of wood, if necessary, to achieve a completely flush arrangement.
- 2
  Slide the boards a foot apart from each other and drill matching holes in each of the sides of the board that were touching. Space these pairs of holes every 12 inches along both faces. Repeat this step for each pair of boards that were pressed against one another, with the middle boards drilled on both sides and the end boards only drilled on the inward-facing side.
- 3
  Set a peg in every other hole on each board so that when the boards are pushed together, each peg will line up with an open hole on the opposite board. Push all of the boards together to judge the quality of the peg fit and the hole spacing. Make any adjustments necessary based on the way the boards fit together. Pull the boards apart again and ensure that each peg is in its original hole.
- 4
  Remove each peg and apply a light coat of wood glue to the end that will be placed inside the board. Replace the pegs. Allow the glue to dry for two hours then apply a thin bead of wood glue along one of the boards in each connecting pair. Apply a light coat of glue to the other end of each peg. Slide the boards together and use clamps to hold them in place overnight.
- 5
  Remove the clamps. Cut the ends of the assembled tabletop, if necessary, for any boards that did not line up properly. Sand each of the ends and round the corners to make a tabletop that is completely smooth.
- 6
  Set the countertop into position on the bar. Drill holes every 12 inches through the interior frame of the bar and into the countertop, being careful not to puncture the countertop surface. Set 2-inch screws in each hole and tighten them to fully attach the countertop in place.

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