Countertop material for outdoor kitchen?

[RamaJama]

Going this week to look at stone countertops for a new home we are building. Figured I would go ahead and price options for an outdoor kitchen as well. What material would you recommend for a covered outdoor kitchen? Granite, concrete, something else? I'm thinking something that's going to be easy to clean grease splatters etc

[DavidNorcross]

Granite is easier, but more expensive. I would recommend concrete.

[Donw]

I looked at concrete but went with granite since it was easier to find someone to install it.

[barelfly]

I went with granite for the durability and the look. If you look around, you can find some decent deals. Some places have onsie twosie slabs that are discounted and may discount even more to get rid of them. Just go and look at as many places as you can. Some shops have to pass on charges to the customer, but other shops are able to get buy with cheaper prices because they import the granite themselves. That’s how I was able to get a lower cost on what I had installed.

[JakeT]

Concrete is great but...as a concrete contractor I must say this...

There are two things in life that are certain. Death and cracks in concrete. (Yes I left out taxes on purpose because you never know if a tax free trade society may resurface.)

[Old Glory]

If you are in a freeze thaw area cracks will happen.

[jfmorris]

I'm planning to do this myself this summer, and my son in law has talked me into doing concrete. We can finish it smooth, polish it and seal it. You can even add colorant if desired.

[boftx]

Look at quartz. Better than granite and a bit less expensive. We have it in our kitchen and love it! I would avoid concrete unless you can be damn sure it is sealed properly.

[prepperjack]

I second this and would only add that upkeep on quartz is also much easier than granite.

[smokin fool]

Have you looked into Corian?
Not as expensive as granite, quartz or marble as its man made.
Has most of the properties of natural stone and holds up well outside in the weather.

[Old Glory]

I like Corian but cooking outside I am always burning my tables with hot grills. I'd be afraid I'd burn Corian as well.

[Spinaker]

I used Cedar planks for my table. With a concrete paver insert to place hot stuff on. It works great. I sanded down the surface of the wood and stained it. It cleans up really nice. That being said, mine is just a table for my kamado and not a full on outdoor kitchen.

I did reclaim a chunk of granite from my friend's basement this winter when she was redoing her basement bar. I need to have it cut to fit my table and kamado. The only reason I am replacing my cedar top is because the granite was free. I have a friend that can cut the slab for me, so I won't have much $$$ in getting this done.

Let us know what you come up with.

[ssandy_561]

I went with stainless steel over hardi-backer because mine is outside not covered. I figured this was the best option for me. Somewhat pricey but in the end I thought worth it. You can see my top in this thread if you want to.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...nally-complete

[PaynTrain]

So I went with concrete, and could not be happier. I reverse molded them, and used some super high tensile fast setting concrete. No rebar (though I should have for the sink hole and BGE hole, as they cracked, but I glued!). No staining, no cracking with hot stuff, no issues with me standing on them, no issues with Northeast Ohio winter. Check some pics, let me know if you have any questions!

[jfmorris]

Looks good! So reverse mold means you molded it upside down on some type of smooth surface, then flipped it and installed it? Do you have a way to cover the kamado when not in use? If not, do you have issues with rain getting into the top vent?

[PaynTrain]

Yes jfmorris I used a sheet of melamine on a flat table. 2" foamular for the molds, rapid set mortar mix and flow control to make it thin for a short time. The rapid set literally was done in a couple hours, but I gave it 24 hours before installing. I ripped 2" strips from the melamine to whatever dimensions I was needing. Hot glue gun was perfect to glue the strips down, as well as the foam. Then when I went to make the next section, I just hammered the sides off the melamine, and re-used.

[PaynTrain]

jfmorris I think we had maybe $500 all in? The premium mortar was the main cost, but that stuff works so well it is worth it. I even tried making one out of the cheap portland, and it looked like crap compared to the rest. for reference, we have 19' feet of concrete counter out there. I use the ceramic egg topper (when I remember to!) to keep the weather out. We put in a HVAC duct in front of the egg to direct the ash to the bucket, and it works AMAZING!!!

[jfmorris]

For an outdoor kitchen I'll for sure be doing something cheap myself, and most likely the concrete. For sure won't be anything fancy like granite or quartz, as we don't even have that inside the house in the kitchen, haha. I would have to LIVE out in the yard if I put premium materials out there before putting them in the house...

[latenight71]

A buddy of mine used Quickrite and did it himself using the reverse mold like PaynTrain shows above. here's how-to from the Quickrite web site -

[smarks112]

Check out GFRC concrete - that’s what we used. It allows you to go thinner , it weighs less , and wider range of colors. We had never done concrete before so it has a few imperfections but turned out great

[bten]

I just built an outdoor island, and I used porcelan tile. It can take the heat, and is non-porus. I used 24" x 36" tiles. I only needed 7. This minimized my grout lines. I only have 1 grout line on the working area, next to my sink where I have a larger area. Between the grill, burner and sink, 1 tile covered the area. I did trim it around the edges with 2 1/2" strips of the same tile.

[Donw]

Great idea.

[barelfly]

I really like the larger tile and less grout lines! Looks great!

[Mister C]

That looks awesome. Did you end up treating the corner with something, like bullnose tile or metal strip, or did you just leave the tile edge exposed?