How to Create a DIY Dry Bar & Chill Lounge For a Man Cave

A DIY dry bar is the perfect Father’s Day gift! I’ll show you the step-by-step journey of creating a DIY dry bar and chill lounge that took four weeks to complete.

I transformed an ordinary room into a stylish and comfortable space for my husband. It’s packed full of DIY man cave ideas. I’ll show you the details but stay tuned for the reveal at the end!

Disclaimer: I may receive a small affiliate commission from purchases made via links in this article but at no cost to you.

Before

The room was a drop-off for junk and unfinished projects. I found the inspiration for this room for a YouTube channel by Jeremy Siers. He is all about beards, whiskey, and cigars and I loved his whiskey room. I wanted to do something similar.

Paint

I went with a darker paint to create that really moody and rich look. The paint is by Behr and it’s called Chimney.

Trim

Then I added in trim. I decided to try foam trim. If you are trying to do crown molding by yourself, this is a great idea–it’s easy to install and affordable. I was quoted around $800 to install regular crown molding for this 12-foot by 11-foot room because of the rising cost of lumber. This was a great alternative and it only cost about $150 as a comparison.

Picture frame molding

I tried miterless edges because I didn’t want to make cuts but it didn’t work very well. This part was not easy so I advise having the cuts made for you.

Floors

I did not lay the flooring myself–I hired a great small company to do it.

Dry bar

I installed a 24-inch built-in dual-zone beverage fridge with French doors from Newair. I anchored 12-inch kitchen cabinets to each side of the fridge. I painted the cabinets to match the walls. For the top, I put on a beautiful piece of butcher block and stained it.

Shelving

I installed this iron and wood shelving for my husband’s growing whiskey collection, cocktail accessories, and glasses. The wood pieces came from Home Depot and I stained them. I added LED strip lighting to the back pieces to reflect a little bit of light off the walls to give the room that super cool edge. There’s also recessed lighting with a dinner.

Wall art

I had custom maps framed. The maps are different parts of Martha’s Vineyard where my husband’s family is from. I added a framed vintage shot of his grandfather’s old building on the island. I added an African skull, and his grandfather’s bow.