How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen Island
An outdoor kitchen island is not only eye catching but is also great for those that like to entertain outdoors. Having an outdoor kitchen island will add style to any yard and maintaining it is just as easy as maintaining a barbecue.
Things You'll Need:
- Stainless steel grill
- Stone veneered plywood
- Countertop
- Cabinets
- Wood
- Circular saw
- Measuring tape
- Drill
- Deck screws
- Metal post standoff
- Plywood
- Construction adhesive
- Builders felt
- Staples
- Staple gun
- Wire lath
- Roofing nails
- Hammer
- Tin snips
- Masonry hoe
- Mixing trough
- Mortar
- Water
- Scrap boards
- Notched trowel
- Stone
- Grinder
- Cut the wood using the circular saw to the height you want the counter to be.
- Screw the wood together using the drill and deck screws.
- Cut a 1 1/2-inch deep by 3 1/2-inches high notch at both the top and bottom of the posts.
- Cut four pieces of wood to the depth of the box you created.
- Line them up and screw them to the top and bottom of the posts to keep the sides together.
- Cut two pieces of wood three inches less than the width of the box.
- Put a piece of wood in the middle of the bottom framing where you will have your cabinets to add support.
- Flip it upside down and screw a metal post standoff to the bottom of each post.
- Cut the plywood to fit the size of the frame.
- Place construction adhesive along the posts.
- Lay the plywood over the adhesive and secure with some deck screws.
- Create boxes out of the plywood to fit within the framing for the cabinets.
- Piece them together with construction adhesive and some deck screws.
- Cover the plywood with builders felt and hold it in place with the staple gun.
- Overlap the felt by several inches to prevent water from getting in.
- Lay the wire lath over the builders felt with the wires facing up.
- Nail the lath to the plywood with the roofing nails and hammer.
- Space the nails out every 12 to 15 inches horizontally and every six inches vertically.
- Overlap the lath at the seams.
- Trim the top of the lath with the tin snips so that it is flush with the top of the frame.
- Mix a bag of mortar with water until desired consistency using the masonry hoe and mixing trough.
- Lay scrap boards against the edge.
- Spread 1 1/2-inch thick layer of mortar over the lath all the way down to the scrap boards.
- Push the mortar into any spaces.
- Let set for about one hour.
- Score the area horizontally using a half-inch notched trowel.
- Keep the lines as straight as possible.
- Let set for 24 hours.
- Place the cabinets into the openings.
- Screw them into place using deck screws.
- Seperate the stone into matching piles based on size.
- Starting with a corner piece, put mortar on the back of the stone.
- Create v-shaped air pockets in the mortar.
- Press the stone firmly onto the surface.
- Continue putting the rest of the stones in place.
- Cut the stones as needed with the grinder.
- Let set for 24 hours.
- Install the countertop.
- Install the grill.