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Bespoke Wood Bar Rail.
Bar rail mouldings in solid timber, made to order in any wood and matched to any profile. A bar rail is the shaped moulding that finishes the customer edge of a bar or counter top. It softens the arris, gives drinkers a comfortable place to rest an arm, and protects the top from knocks and spills. You may also know it as a bar top rail, bar moulding, drink rail, arm rail or counter edge moulding, and in American joinery as a Chicago bar rail.
Nothing here is off-the-shelf stock. Every length is machined to order in the species and section you specify, so you are not limited to whatever a merchant happens to carry. Pick one of the five house profiles below, Bar Rail S101 to S105, or send us the shape you actually need and have it made to match.
Popular hardwoods are oak, sapele, walnut, beech and ash. Softwood is available where the rail will be painted or stained. All are solid timber for interior use. We do not supply MDF, PVC, laminate, plastic or foil-wrapped rail.
Renovation and heritage restoration. Most bar rail we quote is replacement work: a Victorian or Edwardian pub counter with a damaged run, an Arts and Crafts club room, a Georgian or Regency hotel bar in a conservation area. Because the section is cut to your drawing rather than picked from a catalogue, a replica can be matched to the surviving original and scarfed in, which is normally what a listed building consent or a conservation officer requires.
One enquiry, several quotes. WoodUChoose is not a merchant. Tell us the profile, the wood and the lengths once, and we put the job in front of UK timber suppliers who machine this kind of moulding, so competing prices come back to you without ringing round.
Bar Rail - Further Reading:
How to match an existing bar rail
Matching an original is the most common request on this category, and it is easier than most people expect. Any one of the following is enough for a supplier to price and cut the profile:
- A physical offcut. Best of all. Around 100mm of the original run lets the profile be traced or scanned exactly.
- A square-on photograph of the cut end, taken straight at the end grain with a steel rule or a coin in shot for scale.
- A card tracing. Press stiff card against the end of the rail, cut it to the shape and scan or post it.
- A drawing or CAD file if you are an architect, shopfitter or surveyor working from a measured survey.
What to measure before you ask for a price
- Width and thickness of the section in millimetres. Our five standard sections run from 76mm to 140mm wide and 60mm to 87mm thick.
- Any rebate or groove where the rail sits over the counter edge. Give its width and depth, and the thickness of the bar top it has to receive.
- Total running length, plus an allowance for mitres, returns and waste. Ten per cent is a sensible margin.
- Curves. Note the radius of any curved bar front. A curve usually means the rail is laminated or cut from the solid on a template, which changes the cost, so flag it at enquiry stage.
- Finish. Say whether you want it sanded and sealed, stained to a sample, or supplied bare for finishing on site.
Choosing the wood
Oak is the usual choice for pub and bar work: hard-wearing, it takes a dark stain well and sits correctly with most Victorian and Edwardian joinery. Sapele and walnut give a deeper red or brown tone and suit a richer scheme. Beech and ash are dense and pale, and work well under paint or a clear finish. If you are matching existing woodwork, tell us the species you believe it is and send a photo; suppliers can usually confirm it or suggest the closest available timber.
How to source it: one enquiry, several quotes
WoodUChoose connects buyers with UK timber suppliers rather than holding stock itself. Submit the profile, species, lengths and finish once, and the mills and moulding manufacturers who make this type of section come back with prices and lead times, so you can compare on cost and delivery without contacting each one yourself. Use the product wizard if you are not certain what to specify, and architects or designers can request CAD drawings of the standard sections for detailing and schedules.