Atomic Bar Quick Restoration

This bar didn’t need a lot of work.  All I needed to do was repaint all the metal, redo the Formica, recover the seats and replace the bumper strip on the top.

Mel and I drove out to Clovis to grab this really cool bar.  As you can see, the bar stool cushions needed to be recovered.  The bar top was warped and curled upwards on the ends.   The metal feet on the bar and the stools had to be repainted as well.

To fix the top of the bar, I flipped it and screwed it down which helped flatten out the top.  Once that was done, I sanded the surface to prep it for new white Formica.

The Fabric matches the bar really well!

I added simple little details like gold tips to the bar and the bar stool feet.

I had to recover the stools because the fabric was so old that it was brittle and cracked.  I used some of the cool aqua colored frieze fabric that Bill from B&T Upholstery gave me from a couch he stripped (THANKS BILL!!!!).  The frames of the stools just needed a quick repaint.

I think the fabric really goes well with the bar!

 After a long search at Lowes, Home Depot and local cabinetry shops, I was unable to find a replacement bumper strip (t-molding) that goes around the bar top.  I had to jump on eBay and order a strip of it to replace the worn old strip.  After a few days it arrived and I popped it on and BANG! The bar is done.

This quick little freshen up brings this bar back to its former glory.  This will end up in our booth at Midway Antique Mall in Sacramento.

As you can see, the top is as good as new.

On a side note, we finally found a total of four super atomic “Old Forester” decanters.  These will stay in our collection.

Mel and I hope whomever ends up with this bar will enjoy it!  On to the next resto.