Outdoor Kitchens Guide

When trying to decide on what kind of outdoor kitchen cabinets are best for your outdoor kitchen project, one of the types you should at least consider are outdoor stainless cabinets. This type of cabinetry can be absolutely stunning, and the talk of the neighborhood. It is classy looking, very bright and shiny, and can easily be the center of attention when you have family and friends over to enjoy your outdoor kitchen. That said, there are drawbacks to this kind of cabinetry that you should be aware of in order to make a truly informed decision.

As I have said before, when looking at outdoor kitchen ideas, it is important that you look at as many outdoor kitchens as possible. Talk to as many owners of these kitchens as you can and try to understand from their experiences what all the pros and cons are for the various type of cabinetry they are using in their outdoor kitchen. You may not actually find a lot of outdoor stainless cabinets in your neighborhood, and the biggest reason for that is they have begun rising in popularity only recently.

One of the biggest pros about stainless steel outdoor kitchen cabinets is that they are virtually weatherproof. Well, if they are quality made of 304 stainless steel they are weather proof. If they are made from some other kind of stainless they will certainly rust, and it will not take very long for that to happen. the point is, make sure you are dealing with 304 stainless steel when you are dealing with any stainless that is to be included in your outdoor kitchen. So, if you deal with the right grade of stainless steel, you donot have any worries as far as rust goes.

One of the things you should be aware of is that stainless steel scratches relatively easily. If you have children, or children will be visiting on a regular basis, consider that while this is steel, and it looks strong, it is actualyl pretty easy to damage an outdoor stainless cabinet. Over time those scratches can add up and in a few years your outdoor kitchen might not look as nice as it did, and there is not a whole lot you can do about it. It is possible to buff out scratches, but you have to be aware that the buffing process itself sometimes leaves marks, that although they are less obvious that scratches, are still visible.

Another issue with stainless steel is that it needs to be cleaned on a very regular basis in order to keep it looking nice. Stainless shows every fingerprint and mark very boldly, and again there is nothing you can do about it other than keep stainless cleaner nearby and use it often.

No matter what kind of cabinets you choose, the thing that can make or break the whole prject is the use of a quality contractor. If you buy the most beautiful cabinets in the world, but they are not installed properly they will look bad. I have seen beautiful cabinets simply placed on the patio floor and no attempt made to level the unit. that is NOT the work of a good contractor or installer. Your cabinets should be leveled and some type of skirting used to cover the leveling devices. Ask about the leveling process when you are considering any certain type of cabinets. If you are told the cabinets don’t need to be leveled or it is not an issue, you should not deal with that company, or ask for another representative to confirm what youa re being told. Patios are not built level in order for water to drain away for your house. There is nothing wrong with your patio floor if it is not level, in fact if you have a perfectly level floor you probably have water pooling issues.

Like anything else you will find on my site, I strongly recommend you deal with multiple companies or contractors before making your decision. You might very well find that two different contractors handle the same types of cabinetry in two different ways. The contractor you use is a real difference maker in this project, so do your homework and choose wisely and from an educated standpoint.