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Outdoor Cabinet Construction-Building Weather Resistant Kitchens

August 17th, 2009 Leave a comment Go to comments

Number one rule, absolutely NO particleboard allowed in your outdoor kitchen cabinet construction. Building weather resistant storage cupboards and countertops must be done by using professional techniques. Lasting designs are made by using materials such as concrete, durra- rock, tile, pressure treated lumber, stainless steel and marine grade plywood. Some specialized applications for high end designs even require the use of fiberglass.

Materials to Avoid
Although plywood covered with plastic laminate (or, “Formica”) withstands the natural elements for extended periods of time, eventually the heat and moisture will affect the construction of outdoor cabinetry that are built using these types of materials. Even in some extreme cases, I have seen marine plywood begin to discenigrate in areas where the boards were laminate with mica, but exposed to direct sunlight and rain.
One particular countertop was not fabricated with the proper amount of pitch and allowed standing water to collect whenever the rain poured upon it. This eventually caused the supposedly weather resistant kitchen, manufactured using marine grade plywood combined with plastic laminate, to begin to fall apart due to prolonged periods of gradual water absorption. The damage eventually got so bad the entire unit needed to be replaced.

Best Materials to Construct an Outdoor Kitchen With
For the most part, all concrete based materials are highly recommended for fabricating cabinets that will get exposed to the exterior elements of the world.
We have had good results with Cedar wood for fabricating cabinet doors for outside use. There are professional sealers designed specifically for sealing this type of wood that work great outside.

Sliding stainless steal doors work well also. Many custom metal fabricators can build stainless steel cupboards that can be inserted into concrete openings. These cabinets are generally available with swinging doors mounted on stainless steal hinges as well.

Having outdoor kitchen cabinets fabricated that are resistant to the damaging affects of rain heat and even snow should be done by specialized tradesmen.

There are literally thousands of companies all over the United States that specialize in building outdoor kitchens. Don’t waste your time trying to get an indoor kitchen cabinet manufacturer to quote a price for fabricating (or, “constructing”) a weather resistant area for entertaining your guests pool side or in the barbeque (or, “grill”) area. Hire a professional that knows how to construct an outdoor cabinet correctly that will last for years to come. In the long run you will be glad that you did.

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