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Outdoors > More outdoor > How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen

Take Your Outdoor Living to the Limit with an Outdoor Kitchen Equipped with a Rinsing Sink, Refrigerator, and Gas Grill

Build your outdoor cooking area with outdoor kitchen plans that include an attractive weather-proof cabinet to house a rinsing sink, a mini refrigerator, and a gas grill. This design makes outdoor living convenient and permanent. Put your cumbersome wheeled barbecue into a yard sale and let someone else drag it through the grass every time they want to cook/entertain.

Step by Step Instructions with Video

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Step
1

Choose an Outdoor Kitchen Site and Clear Away Obstacles

Save time and money by planning your project in a convenient site that already has a brick/concrete footing. Enable clear access to your outdoor kitchen, removing nearby shrubbery and obstacles such as the sprinkler manifold that we rerouted.
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Step
2

Build a Joist Assembly and Attach a Plywood Platform

Measure and cut pressure-treated lumber to construct a joist assembly. Nail it together as a single unit with a nail gun. Set the assembly in place, level it, and cover it with a plywood platform for the cabinet and appliances.
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Step
3

Raise the Grill to a Convenient Elevation in the Cabinet

Assemble four supports/frames with butted joints and a platform to lift the heavy grill above obstacles to the correct height for the cabinet. In this project, we trimmed and capped the sprinkler pipes and made sure the supports cleared them.
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Step
4

Measure for and Construct Exterior and Interior Wall Frames

Set the grill housing and supports in place temporarily and measure for exterior and interior wall frames. Cut two-by-fours to measure and assemble the frames. Drive nails through the bottom plate into the base platform to secure.
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Step
5

Attach Finish-grade Exterior Plywood Sheathing to the Wall Frames

Cut panels to dimension from finish-grade exterior plywood sheathing to cover the outside surface of the wall frames. Secure them with rust-proof nails and a nail gun.
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Step
6

Position Exterior Grade Plywood as Underlayment for the Tile Countertop

Position 3/4-inch exterior grade plywood as a substrate for the tile counter top. Secure it to the cabinet with screws. Trace the sink template onto the plywood and cut it out with a hole saw and jig saw.
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Step
7

Score Waterproof Cement Backer Board and Secure to Underlayment

Score along measurements marked on waterproof cement backer board. Break it along the score and cut the mesh reinforcement on both sides. Trace the sink opening and cut it out of the backer board. Screw each section to the underlayment.
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Step
8

Apply Nylon Reinforcing Tape and Thinset Mortar to Joints

Reinforce joints in the backer board with nylon mesh/tape and skim-coat the joints with thinset mortar. Spread mortar on the face of the board, using the notched end of a trowel to furrow the mortar. Position and space the tiles.
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Step
9

Force Grout into Tile Joints with a Float

Force grout into tile joints with a float and drag it diagonally across tiles to remove excess. Let the grout dry to a haze and clean off excess with a damp sponge. Clean the sponge and change the water frequently.
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Step
10

Apply Wood Trim to the Edges of the Tile Countertop

Apply wood trim to the vertical edges of the tile countertop once it is dry. Drop in and plumb the sink and install the necessary connections for the refrigerator and gas grill.
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