Making a Tiki Bar Inside with Fresh Bamboo

[gcargal]

I Need to Know How to Treat, or preserve Bamboo for Indoor Use?? Fresh Cut, from 1 to 4 inch's in Diamater...

[Mark Meckes]

Hi gcargal,
I wonder what kind of bamboo you've got. Do you have any pics?

When using green bamboo, there is no way to retain the green color, so you can expect the color to change as it dries.
This image of Phyllostachys aurea show the transition of color change.
Dried indoors out of sunlight, it will dry a different shade.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/503/thumbs/1040605-065F.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2292)

The other thing, when harvesting green bamboo, greener, fresher looking bamboo is younger, immature bamboo, which is not so suitable for building.
Older duller looking bamboo is more mature.
Bamboo that has a coating or grim and dirt can be initially washed, using a scrubbing brush or scouring pad. You can also wash/scrub using very finely sifted sand, (to avoid scratches), as an abrasive if the bamboo has algae growth etc on it.
During the drying process, a light waxy coating can flake off.
This can be brushed off as it dries.
One method to treat your bamboo is to heat temper the surface using a heat gun or propane torch, or over a charcoal grill.
After the bamboo heats up, the surface first become sticky, then slick, and the excess exudate can then be wiped off with the help of some furniture/floor paste wax on a rag, or by rubbing bees wax on the heated bamboo and wiping off the excess.
It's a lot of work but it produces a very nice finish.
This process only partially dries the bamboo. It is more of a tempering procedure. It will then take several months, depending on the drying conditions to further dry out.

Often when someone mentions building a tiki bar they are also suggesting something built of 'rustic' proportions.
As such, a tiki bar, like any furniture or fixture, can be simply, quickly and attractively but rather crudely made, or it can be elaborately constructed using fine joinery techniques, while putting in lots of time and effort to prepare and finish each piece of bamboo.

Regardless, if you haven't worked much with bamboo, this will give you an opportunity to get some hands-on experience and have some fun while your at it!
Explore the possibilities.

Cheers
Mark

[gcargal]

I Don't Know the Species, It's Growing in a field in Alabama, the old growth looks to be 3-4 inch and around 30' tall. I think it'll work fine; as long as my inexperience doesn't ruin it. I'm Thinking of soaking it in Lime and salt. I Don't care so much about the color.