When life hands you lemons… you completely gut your bar and renovate it!
We just couldn’t resist another before and after.
None of us could have imagined what 2020 would bring. For Josh and Ashley Hagens, the owners of The Castle Pub, this year dealt them an unexpected blow. When COVID-19 hit Pennsylvania, the bar was ordered into temporary closure by the Governor. Guessing that the closure might only last a few weeks, Josh came to us asking the have the top of the bar refinished. That was a project that, during normal operation, they would have to close for a few days to complete, so why not take advantage of the shutdown.
The bar top was stripped, repaired, sanded, refinished and then epoxied to achieve a fresh and durable finish! While refinishing the top, the owners also asked that we modify the back left portion of the bar to give the bartenders a flip top speed bar to not only allow them to have an area to serve drinks to the dance floor, but also provide a partition to keep patrons from accessing the kitchen entrance. We were happy to oblige!
We also replaced the dated bead board under the bar with corrugated tin. The broken tiles on the toe kick were removed and a durable rubber replaced it. The icing on the cake was the LED lights under the bar!
Unfortunately for the bar industry, the COVID-19 closures were extended, which meant the Castle Pub chose to continue renovations. With some planning, Josh and Ashley were able to order new under counter beer refrigerators to update the back bar.
We began by demoing the old oak builtins. Once it was cleared out, the electrician came in to run all new wiring, outlets and CAT6 cabling. We then built the framing for the two 90″ refrigerators and got them into place, which allowed us to build the bar top. The bar top was sanded, gel stained, polyurethaned, then waxed to provide a strong finish for the POS systems and drinks.
We worked with the owners to select a faux stone siding for above the bar to accent the live edge shelving and TV. The live edge shelves were made from 2″ thick hemlock that was stained and waxed for showcasing the liquors and decor. We upgraded the TV from an older plasma to a brand new Samsung 4K that was perfect for watching the game. Last but not least, the back bar was finished off with a sweet tribute to the owners’ father (and previous owner) who had passed away a few years ago.
Other aspects of the project
I know we mentioned icing on the cake before, but there’s more!
With what felt like the never-ending extension of bar closures in PA, we threw in a few more projects to complete the renovation at The Castle. Each of the table tops were stripped, sanded, the logo carved into them, colored epoxy, then clear epoxy coated. We also removed the old hand rail for the ramp that led to the pool tables, one was already missing. Then we constructed two new hand rails with metal spindles that were sturdy and ready to handle anything!
The under side of the main bar was also in need a some love since we removed the old coolers. We constructed matching cabinets with dual barn doors for each side of the bar which gave the bartenders plenty of storage for the glasses, extra liquors, napkins, straws, etc.
While our main focus is custom furniture and home goods, we’re always up for an interesting project. If you’d like to speak with us regarding a project you have in mind, email us! info@lifelovelumber.com
