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Woodworking Design Dilemma Kitchens

Custom copper bar top

2 months ago

As part of a complete kitchen remodel, I want a copper bar top with outer bar rail around my L-shaped island. However, I don't want the bar top to be a simple L-shape, I want a custom curved shape.

Who would I hire for such a thing? A wood-worker? Carpenter? Metal fabricator? A bar top specialist? (I haven't found such a thing locally)

I've found websites where I can send specs and get a custom-shaped bar rail, which sounds like the hardest part. If I had that shipped to me, could I just get any handyman to cut the top out of plywood and afix the copper?

I'm in South Florida, if any one cares to make a specific recommendation.

Kitchen remodel · More Info

Kitchen remodel · More Info

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Comments (7)

millworkman
2 months ago
Most likely a carpenter for the woodworking and an ornamental metal guy for the copper work.
Tab Alleman thanked millworkman
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
2 months ago
I hope moving is not in the futire IMO inappropriate in a kitchen. And I hope you mean the foot rail for sure .
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cork2win- If you like patina and the "aged" look, consider zinc, it's been used in bars and bistros in France for ages and is a low maintenance, non-shiny finish. Pewter is another option, tho it's much pricier than zinc. And copper is an option too. What are your colors? There's also glass for a shinier, more high tech look or concrete, which can take any form or a glass/concrete combo with glass embedded in concrete. Sounds like a fun project. sandyponder Here is a link that might be useful: Handcrafted Metal website
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I have a copper counter on my island. The island is painted black/distressed. I love how it looks. There is little to no upkeep, I just wipe with a wet rag. But you do have to like/love patina. Copper will react to oils in your skin, beverages etc. But for me this is all part of the charm. I love to see the changes. We are currently building a new home and I am planning on bringing the island with me. (KD thinks we may be able to fit a larger island). At minimum I'm taking the counter with me for somthing in the future. I'll try to get pictures over the weekend.
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I don't understand the joinery for the bar top if he used solid wood. There's no room for the boards to move the way he has them mechanically interlocked with the cross-grain pieces. Cross-grain joints are always an area where you have to be careful with woodworking. Solid wood is going to move, that's just a fact. What you design for is how you want to have the wood move. You can fasten/glue in the middle and allow the wood to move toward both ends, or you can fasten one end and allow the wood to move towards the other end. There's joinery that allows for movement without glue, such as pinned sliding tenons, sliding dovetails, wide slots for fasteners, etc. Those techniques allow you have tight joints while allowing the wood to move. If you look at your bar top photo, you can see that the boards in the middle have no way to move due to the way they're interleaved with the boards going the other direction. You get stress cracks like yours when the wood wants to move but can't. If your guy has been in business for 30 years as you say, this should all be second nature for him so perhaps there's something I'm missing from the photos. But the cracks are right there, so maybe not. Plywood is a different story as those are pretty stable and don't move much, particularly mdf core. Anyway bottom line is you have a crack where there shouldn't be. You don't need to be an expert to know that ain't right.
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With a complete custom steel support frame underneath it, concrete or stone could span 8'. But you are really asking the Impossible for most counter materials suitable for exterior use. Even wood would need more attachment points than every 8', and you'd have lots of warpage issues with pressure treated at that span.
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Helen
2 months ago
Contact Havens Metal and ask for Alex Havens. They are located in Florida and do custom copper and stainless steel. Obviously they do mostly sinks and hoods but they have an industrial sector which can theoretically make anything.

Since they are located in Florida presumably you could arrange for installation and/or they would know people who they work with to do the installation.

I have no idea what the cost would be. I got my copper farmhouse sink from them and it wasn't cheap.

Ask for Alex Havens

https://havensmetal.com
Tab Alleman thanked Helen
beesneeds
2 months ago
There's a pro here that has posted some nice projects. They list Florida as one of their states: https://www.houzz.com/pro/grayleaf/grayleaf-studio

If you are able to get the custom bar rail from a maker, why can't you get the copper top as well from them? Do they not offer such a thing, or maybe you don't like their offerings?
Tab Alleman thanked beesneeds
Tab Alleman
Original Author
2 months ago
Thanks, I sent a message to Grayleaf. I'll also try Havens and Rachielle. The company that makes the bar rails seems to make ONLY bar rails. But I guess I could try contacting them to see if they could sub-contract out the rest of the bar and send me the finished piece. It seems to me the bar rail would be the hard part. The rest would be pretty simple fabrication, I would think.
beesneeds
2 months ago
Heh, you might find the folks you like for the copper tops don't do the bar rails you like, so you might still need them. Are you thinking of having wood ones like in the OP pics?
Helen
2 months ago
Have you contacted the company that actually did the counter you like?

https://totalcopper.com

Something to consider is maintenance as these are not living finishes and evidently have epoxy finishes. I have no idea how durable the epoxy coating would be for a counter if the counter received hard use.

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