Is there anything better than enjoying a delicious meal in the open air? Sure – if you can also prepare the food completely outside! This is possible with an outdoor kitchen. We reveal how you can build such a cooking station yourself.
A kitchen in the garden is tempting: After all, you can’t just grill if you want to prepare food outside! And especially when it takes a long time, it’s nice when no one works alone in the house, but when the preparation and cooking takes place together in a friendly atmosphere in the countryside.
A large outdoor kitchen with lots of space and an integrated grill and the like naturally fits best in a correspondingly large garden (with a terrace) or on a really large roof terrace. Nevertheless, every room outside is different – so different that an individualization of almost every manual is necessary. That’s why we’re going to show you step by step how to make a single module or cabinet. You can then repeat this for yourself, enlarge or reduce until it perfectly suits your needs.
You need:
- jigsaw
- multi-sander
- Cordless drill, if necessary with angle attachment, wood drill set, countersink
- Paint spray system, alternatively brush, paint roller etc.
- Pencil, ruler or laser range finder
- screw clamps
- carpenter’s angle
- Douglas fir 70 x 45 mm: 4 x 900 mm, 5 x 460 mm, 1 x 220 mm, 2 x 450 mm
- Birch plywood 18 mm: 2 x 800 x 320, 1 x 460 x 360 mm, 1 x 450 x 730 mm
- countertop
- Outdoor washbasin with faucet
- Appropriate punch, if necessary other suitable accessories such as hinges for doors etc.
- screws
- weatherproof wood paint (glaze, varnish)
- foil, newspaper etc.
Prepare components
In the first step you saw all the wood for the module of the outdoor kitchen with the jigsaw . Measure, mark and cut the appropriate lengths to the dimensions given above. Then grind all cut edges.
build side panels
To do this, connect two long supports (900 mm) at one end with a shorter one (450 mm). Pre-drill two holes on each side, then screw into a “U”. The shorter piece of wood is not placed between the strips, but on top of it!
Connect side panels
Place the two finished side pieces upright on the worktop facing each other, with the side with the connecting wood facing outwards. To connect them to form a body, you need two more pieces of wood with a length of 460 mm. Place these between the two side parts in front of the uprights.Drill and screw holes in all four corners on the inside.
attach supports
To make the module more stable, two more bars are attached. To do this, measure 100 mm from the lower, open end of the supports. Clamp the wood at the marking with screw clamps, pre-drill and screw in such a way that the strips are aligned with the interior of the module.
Insert side walls
For the next step you need multiplex panels measuring 800 x 320 x 18 mm. You can cut these out yourself or buy them already sawn at a hardware store.
Grind the plates. Then place them on one side of the module from the outside between the previously screwed supports and force them into position. Pre-drill and countersink, then connect with the short pieces of wood at all four corners.
Fasten the base plate
Of course, the cabinet module also needs a shelf (460 x 360 x 18 mm). Insert the plate so that it rests on the lower, last installed supports. If necessary, force, then pre-drill, countersink and screw.
Screw on the back panel
Now attach a rear wall to the kitchen module. To do this, turn the body on its side so that the rear side, which is still open, is facing up. Place the plate (450 x 730 x 18 mm), pre-drill holes, countersink and screw. Now sand the wood of the module so that the subsequent application of paint is also perfect.
Apply color
Since the wood is outside, it should be glazed or varnished to protect it from moisture. You can work with a brush and roller, but you can also use a paint spray system with furniture like this. For this, the area outside should also be well covered. Proceed according to the paint manufacturer’s instructions; it is usual to apply paint twice with intermediate sanding.
Option: prepare and assemble the door
Depending on your taste and use of the outdoor kitchen, you can cover the front with doors. For this you need appropriate multiplex panels, which are also painted on both sides, and suitable hinges. For easy opening, you should attach a handle or knob from the outside if necessary.
countertop and sink
As a conclusion, a worktop is now attached from above. Optionally, you can insert a sink . Since a cut-out has to be sawn for this, it is best to decide for (or against) this now.
Mark the outline of the basin on the worktop, then add a parallel line approx. 10 mm inwards – cut here, otherwise the basin will fall through the cut-out later! Start with a plunge cut or drill holes in the corners. Here you can then insert the jigsaw blade and get started.
