Bar Foot Rails
When it comes to bar add-ons, installing a foot rail should be at the top of your list. Foot rails, or bar rails as some call them, are available in various styles and finishes, to fit your bar’s style. Plus, they’re customizable so you can make them work with a bar of any shape or size.

There are three main components in a foot rail system:

• Tubing
• Brackets
• End Caps

Tubing
The tubing is the actual metal rail that you will rest your feet on. Choose from finishes like polished brass, polished stainless steel, satin stainless steel and unstained wood, to match the unique look and feel of your bar. Brass foot rails seem to be the most popular choice but for outdoor use, stainless steel rails are your best bet, as they have increased durability. Once you’ve decided on the finish you’d like, you’ll have to take some basic measurements to determine how much tubing you’ll need for your bar.

Measure for Your Bar Rails
First, measure each side of the bar that will have a foot railing and make a simple sketch of your foot rail.

It’s helpful to make a virtual rail on the floor around your bar, with string or painters tape; doing this will help you to visualize how much space you’ll need for your foot rail.

Once you have laid out your design on the floor, measure each section to calculate how much tubing you will need. Tubing comes in lengths from 2-feet to 8-feet, in one-foot increments. So if your bar is longer than 8-feet, you may have to join two pieces of tubing together to make a rail that fits your bar perfectly. Connecting the pieces is easy with a splicer, an internal connector that you insert into the end of each tube.

When you’re determining the length of a tube that will be connected to an elbow and joined with another tube (to round a corner), remember to include the dimensions of your bracket in your measurements.

When ordering tubing, it’s always wise to round up to the nearest foot. It’s much easier (and cheaper) to cut off excess tubing than it is to connect more.

Next you’ll want to determine the number of brackets that you will need to order.

Brackets
To support your foot rail you’ll need to install brackets that hold the tubing in place and provide stability for the tubing. Select your brackets from a variety of styles and finishes, so they too will match the look and feel of your bar. There are bracket styles that mount right to the bar face, floor mounting brackets and combination style brackets to choose from, all available in an assortment of finishes.

You’ll want to make sure your foot rail has the right amount of support, so you’ll need a bracket 6-inches from the end of your tubing or elbow and an additional bracket for every 4-feet of tubing to ensure that your foot rail is nice and sturdy. For example, if you have 8-feet of tubing, you’ll need 1 bracket on each end and 1 in the center, for a total of 3 brackets.

Measuring for brackets and fittings is especially important when your foot rail turns corners. For example, if you select a bracket that holds the rail 6-inches from the face of the bar, that bracket will add nearly 6-inches to the overall length of rail you will need. So, add the length of the bracket, minus the dimensions of the elbow you will be using.

There are elbows with 90- and 135-degree bends, so you can choose which works best with the layout of your bar.

Once you’ve determined how many brackets, splicers and elbows you’ll need for your project, make a detailed list of those parts, including sizes and quantities. A written list will be a huge help when ordering.

End Caps
Adding end caps to your foot rail adds style and a finished look. Who wants to leave their bar rail tubing open on the end, anyway? You can choose from rounded, flat or decorative end caps that all come in a variety of finishes. Whether your end caps are sleek and simple or detailed and ornate, either way they’re super easy to install!

If you’re looking to use metal end caps with a wooden rail, just make sure to select end caps that are marked as "external fittings". External fittings are components that fit around the outer diameter of the tubing and, since our wooden rails are solid, your end caps need to fit around the wood.

Arm Rests
Arm rests add comfort and a professional touch to your bar. You can get them in metal or unstained wood to keep your look and feel consistent.

Wooden Arm Rests
If you go with wooden arm rails, the first thing you’ll want to do is stain or paint the arm rests to match your bar and give them plenty of time to dry completely.

Installing wooden arm rests is a fairly simple process. It is most common to glue the lip of the arm rest to the front corner of the bar and then use finishing nails to secure it. Then, you can brace the underside of the arm rest with a 1-inch by 4-inch (or appropriate sized) piece of wood, depending on how far the top of the bar overhangs the front.

Metal Arm Rests
Metal arm rests are also easy to install and they’re available in several finishes. Just like foot rails, metal arm rests have 3 components: the rail, the bracket, and the end caps. First, the rail extends the length of the bar and gives people something to lean on. The brackets are used to connect the rails to the bar and hold the rail up. The brackets should be installed at least every 4-feet to make sure the rails don’t bend. To make your bar look swanky and polished, the end caps go on both ends of the rail.

Refrigeration, Part 2: Wine Refrigerators, Beverage Centers and Ice Machines

• Wine Refrigeration
• Beverage Centers
• Ice Machines

If you’re a wine connoisseur or someone who does a lot of entertaining, you might want to consider including refrigeration that’s specifically for wine. There are different styles and sizes of wine chillers, so you’ll want to have an idea of how many bottles you’ll be chilling, as well as what kinds of wines you’re likely to have. Smaller wine chillers hold approximately 16 bottles and large wine refrigerators can hold over 100 bottles! The smaller models fit right on your back bar or counter top easily, so they’re often ideal for home bars.

Use the following chart to help you decide which type of wine refrigerator might be best for you:

Wine Serving Temperature Chart

Notes	Temp °F	Temp °C
Vintage Port	66°	19°
Bordeaux, Shiraz	64°	18°
Red Burgundy, Cabernet	63°	17°
Pinot Noir, Rioja	61°	16°
Chinti, Zinfandel	59°	15°
Tawny/NV Port, Maderia	57°	14°
Ideal storage for all wines	55°	13°
Beaujolais, Rose	54°	12°
Viognier, Sauternes	52°	11°
Chardonnay	48°	9°
Riesling	47°	8°
Champagne	45°	7°
Ice Wines	43°	6°
Asti Spumanti	41°	5°
Standard Fridge Temperature	35°	2°

Beverage Centers
If you’re planning on serving canned or bottled beer, wine, malt beverages, soda and/or juice, you’ll probably want to consider a beverage center. Beverage centers come in various sizes and are often built into the cabinet system of your back bar. Most of these guys have a glass door so you can proudly display your extensive selection. Great for keeping mixers cold, too.

Ice Machines
Most people don’t really think much about installing an ice maker, until their 16th trip up the stairs to refill an ice bucket. Small, portable, under-the-counter ice makers are available for home use and some of them don’t even require a drain line. If you buy a lot of bagged ice, one of these super convenient ice machines will pay for itself in no time.