Hello World! Welcome Friends! Homeowners of today love spending time outdoors, and specifically in their backyard, and many of those homeowners see value in investing in an outdoor kitchen. Not only can an outdoor kitchen increase the value of a home, it also creates a prime opportunity for creating new memories and for entertaining relatives and friends for barbecues and outdoor dining experiences.
Of course, if you are going to build an outdoor kitchen, you are going to need to choose a countertop. Since this countertop is going to be outside, it is vitally important that the countertop be durable enough to resist the outdoor elements over the long term. This drastically limits the different kinds of countertop materials that you can use. There are many kinds of countertop that would be useful for indoor kitchens, but not for outdoors because they simply would not resist the elements.
Outdoor Countertop Materials to Avoid
There are several outdoor countertop materials that you will want to avoid. Specifically, you will want to avoid any kind of countertop material that is highly porous with gaps in the stone. This is because if it rains outside, the stone will naturally degrade overtime, and you will lose out on your investment money.
Examples of materials that fit this bill include marble and limestone. Both of these kinds of materials will absorb moisture and rain quite easily, and you may even run into problems with organic materials that are commonly used for outdoor kitchen. The latter reason is exactly why you should reconsider using marble and limestone for an indoor kitchen as well.
Granite is usually a good option for an outdoor kitchen countertop, but there are some restrictions you will want to keep in mind. For example, any granite slab that has been infused with resin should be avoided because the ultraviolet rays of the sun will cause the color of the resin to fade away. While you may not think that the color of your countertop really matters, the truth is that even if the structural integrity of the countertop is not damaged or harmed in any way, the overall value of your home can decrease (and remember that one of the biggest reasons to have an outdoor kitchen in the first place is specifically to increase the value of your home).
Another example of a countertop material that can fade under ultraviolet rays is quartz, so you will want to drastically reconsider using it for an outdoor countertop as well.
Outdoor Countertop Materials to Consider
By way and large, the best choice for an outdoor kitchen countertop will be granite, although again make sure that the granite slab you choose has not been filled with resin for the reasons we just went over.
The reason why granite is a good choice for an outdoor countertop is because it is very durable and will resist moisture, rain, and the UV rays of the sun very well. There are several different granite colors and patterns that will not fade under continuous exposure to UV rays, because granite in and of itself is not damaged by heat.
Another good choice for an outdoor countertop will be soapstone, and you can visit website for options. Soapstone is resistant to both stains and heat, and as with granite the colors will not fade under UV exposure. However, soapstone will be higher maintenance than granite and will require specialized mineral oils to be applied consistently in order to maintain the darkening color of the stone.
One more countertop material that you can consider for an outdoor kitchen is tile, but only if you live in an environment that will be warm consistently throughout the year. Tile is very vulnerable to colder climates because it can crack after being frozen and thawed. But if you live in a continuously warm climate, such as Hawaii or the southwestern United States, tile can be a great choice.
Maintenance
Regardless of which countertop material you choose, you will need to carefully maintain it more so than you would an indoor countertop.
Plan on polishing your outdoor countertops at least once every two to three weeks so they can keep their shiny look. In contrast to this, indoor countertops would only need to be polished around once every six months.
As with indoor countertops, you should also apply sealant to your outdoor countertops at least once every year, in order to provide an extra layer of protection against the elements.
Conclusion
Granite, soapstone, and tile represent your best choice for an outdoor kitchen countertop because of their ability to resist moisture, water, and the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Granite that has been filed with resin, quartz, limestone, and marble should be avoided.
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Toodles,
If we talk about outdoor kitchen then safety comes first with the design.Along with a built-in gas grill, the most popular items customers are building into their outdoor kitchens are access doors, followed by a side burner, a refrigerator and a trash bin. Access doors are a must for access to gas plumbing connections.For this concept space is most important factor to deal with .Thank you for sharing .