Building and Staining a Poolside Swim-up Bar
Susan and her husband were getting a new pool put in, and they wanted a swim-up bar area. Instead of paying somebody else to do it, they decided to do it themselves.
Together, they created two fantastic concrete acid stain projects: a swim-up fish bar, and a poolside banana bar.
Susan wrote to us to tell us how they did it. Here’s her story:
“My husband and I had a pool installed in 2008. We knew we wanted a swim-up bar included in the pool design, so we had the pool company leave a portion of the pool coping off the pool. This area would later be where we would set our concrete swim-up bar top. We also planned to install a concrete countertop under a roof area for entertaining. For each countertop, my husband created the mold, we poured the concrete together, and I acid stained them. 
“After researching acid stains on the web, I found Direct Colors, Inc. Being a novice at acid staining, Frank Turner, with Direct Colors, Inc., was very helpful and offered advice on how to get the mottled look I was trying to achieve for the fish bar.
“To complete the fish bar, I used 1311 Sunray color pigment for gray-based concrete. I found that I didn’t use enough of the concrete pigment to get the color I wanted, so I then followed up with Malayan Buff acid stain.
“Once I had achieved the concrete color I wanted, I then started to work on the fish with the Delco Gel Stains. I used a small paintbrush, normally used for painting with acrylics, when I applied the Delco Gel Stains. First, I outlined the fish with Coffee Brown. I then shaded the fish spikes and markings with Cola and Coffee Brown. Thirdly, I completed the inside of the fish body with Cola.
“I mixed the Delco Gel Stains with a little water when needed to aid in shading process. When applying the Cola stain to the body of the fish, I used a swirling motion with the paint brush to produce a fish scale effect.
“After completing the fish, I used English Red acid stain in a small spray bottle around the outside of the fish. To obtain a mottled look around the outside of the fish, I dropped clumps of sand on the countertop and sprayed the English Red directly onto the sand and the areas without the sand. I protected the fish with old towels from the spray as I did not want the English Red to touch the fish. I then neutralized the countertop and applied a several light coats of Krystal Koat Cross-Linking Water Based sealer.
“When I poured the concrete for the banana bar, I used enough of the 1311 Sunray color pigment to get the color I wanted. I then used a small spray bottle and applied an even coat of English Red acid stain over the entire countertop. I then used a foam brush to apply the Delco Gel Stains for the banana leaves. I used Cola and Coffee Brown and a bit of water to shade and fill in the banana leaves. For the final step, I used the Black Delco Gel Stain mixed with a small amount of English Red acid stain to outline the banana leaves and to accentuate the stem. I then neutralized the countertop and applied a several light coats of Krystal Koat Cross-Linking Water Based sealer.
“Having never worked with acid stains prior to these two projects, I was a bit unsure as to the outcome. Overall, the process was simple and the Delco Gel Stains were quite easy to work with. I am pleased with the final appearance of the projects and look forward to many years of enjoyment using the countertops.”
-Susan Turfle, Maryland
Thank you, Susan! Your bars look beautiful. Great job!
If you have a concrete acid stain project that you’re particularly proud of, write in and tell us about it! Send your stories to direct.colors@gmail.com. We’d love to hear about them!
Susan’s Shopping List:
Fish Countertop:
English Red – 1 Quart
Krystal Kote – 1 Quart
Integral Color – 1311 – 5 Lbs.
Deco Gel Custom Sample Kit (Cola-2, English Red – 1, Coffee Brown-4)
Banana Countertop:
English Red – 1 Quart
Krystal Kote – 1 Quart (Water-Based)
Integral Color – 1311 – 10 Lbs.
Samples – 4oz Black Deco Gel
Very cool! Can we get some photos of the forms/molds used?
Thanks for your comment. I’ll have to ask the homeowner if they have any pictures of their molds/forms. She’ll get back to you by email.
Good luck with your project and please feel free to phone us with questions, 877-255-2656
Shawna,
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the concrete in the molds or photos of the molds. I have a couple of photos of the concrete just out of the forms before any acid staining was done, let me know if they would be helpful and I’ll forward them to you. However, I can tell you how we made the molds/forms.
Using a form, we had to keep in mind that the countertop would be flipped over and finished with acid stain. Therefore in the form, the contertop is upside down (like baking a cake in the cake pan). We used
some cardboard to draw the pattern for the form. Then we cut the pattern out of melamine and used pvc trim for the sides of the form. We simply screwed the pvc trim to the sides of the melamine. It worked great because the pvc trim will bend easily, so if you have a curve in
the melamine, it follows it nicely. We wanted a rounded edge (not a 90 degree edge) on each finished countertop, so we used silicone caulk in the corners and where the pvc trim met the melamine form as needed.
For additional strength, we used 3/8″ rebar tied to 6×6 welded wire mesh and formed this rebar and 6×6 wire mesh to fit inside the melamine form. When we poured the concrete, we inserted the rebar and wire mesh
in the middle of the form with 1/2 the concrete on the bottom and 1/2 on the top (rebar and wire mesh in the middle for strength). I hope this helps!
-Susan
Oh my God the design is so amazing, I want something like this too like a coconut tree or a Hawaiian girl. I love this one for my pool.