How to Make a Tiki Hut for a Luau

Building a tiki hut or tiki bar is not very difficult if you have some tools and an imagination! With some very basic carpentry skills you can make a pretty convincing tiki structure for your outdoor party!

Things You'll Need

• wood
• thatched material
• palm fronds
• fake coconut
• fake or fresh flowers
• basic tools

Instructions

1. 

   The first thing you'll need to do is build the structure. I'm going to say that this will probably be a bar so you'll want a nice size rectangle. There are a couple of ways to go about this. Then you will want the roof and decorations. This whole project shouldn't take you more than an hour or two once you have your materials gathered together!

2. HOMEMADE BAR: To start from scratch you should have plywood cut into about 5 pieces. The two sides will be around 36" long x 48" tall. The front will be around 60" long x 48" tall. The top and the shelf will be around 60" long x 36" wide. You can use wood glue and nails to assemble the casing (top, front, and sides) and then buy four L-shaped brackets to insert the shelf. Just attach the brackets to the sides and then put the shelf onto them. If you want it extra secure, attach four more brackets to the inside of the bar where the top and sides meet. Once you have the base done, you can add the top. For the roof, Just get light plywood and cut it so it is large enough to cover the bar. You can nail them together to make a "v" shape by putting the edge of one piece to the bottom of the other piece and nailing them. You could also use a piano hinge (very long) so this is collapsable and easy to store! Just attach two wooden beams, almost any will do, to the bar and then to the roof with wood screws. Decorate the top with straw, straw mats, vines or bamboo. Almost anything will do.

3. PREMADE BAR: If you can't build it all from scratch, you can use a cheap bar or table. If you use an old table just nail some plywood to the front of it and decorate it with ivory or sage green paint and use gorrilla glue or fast drying glue to apply grass mats (place mats) or fake or real palms to it. Most fabric stores have cool fabric or fake plants that will work great!

Tips & Warnings

• An alternative to making the roof structure is to buy a tropical market umbrella with a stand. Fill it with sand or water so it stands up sturdy!

• Another way to make this very realistic is to buy those tiki torches, cut them to fit the front of your bar and glue them or nail them on. They are cheap and realistic!

• Add a string of lights around the top of your bar or around the roof for a tropical, romantic look.

• Add plenty of fake coconuts and fruit for an authentic look!

• Every dollar store I've every been to sells tiki stuff...buy plenty of it for decorations and don't forget the flower leis!

Resources

• my website