A huge part of a good Orlando Outdoor Kitchen is the cabinetry. Every outdoor kitchen is different. You might not need an ice machine, or you choose not to get a pizza oven. However, when you’re designing an outdoor kitchen, cabinets are a must. With cabinets, you can take your outdoor kitchen to the next level. Instead of a backyard grill, you’ll have a fixed, luxurious outdoor cooking area.
Our team at Outdoor Kitchen Guy always recommends adding cabinets to your outdoor kitchen. But you don’t have to install them yourself. In fact, it’s a great idea to have the cabinets installed at the same time as the outdoor refrigerator, grill, and other appliances. That way, you can adjust the measurements if you need to. So what are some of the benefits of outdoor cabinets? Let’s go over a few of them now.
Benefits of Outdoor Cabinetry
As you can probably guess, Orlando Outdoor Kitchen cabinets offer the same benefits as indoor cabinets. They give you some extra storage space for plates, bowls, and utensils. Plus, you can use them to stash dry foods like chips and crackers. But in addition to storage space, outdoor cabinets offer an even better benefit: protection from the elements.
Weatherproof Cabinets
If you buy cabinets from a high quality cabinet manufacturer, the cabinets should be weatherproof. Of course, you want to double check this before you buy them. Most companies will tell you on their website if the cabinets are weatherproof or not. Weatherproof outdoor cabinets can withstand hot summers, frozen winters, and everything in between. They won’t fade, bend, warp, or crack over time. Even the harshest weather conditions can’t make these cabinets crack.
This also includes salt. When you’re located within a mile of the ocean, the salt in the air can corrode your outdoor kitchen. Since we’re based in Orlando, Florida, we make it a priority to ensure that your outdoor kitchen is completely weatherproof. We don’t want the salty ocean air to corrode your Orlando Outdoor Kitchen space. The best weatherproof cabinets will keep your dishes, utensils, and snacks dry for years to come.
How Weatherproof Should the Cabinets Be?
One of our favorite cabinet brands, NatureKast, has a fish tank full of water in their showroom. They keep one of their cabinet doors in there, fully submerged in water, 24/7. That cabinet door is still there, with no expansion or warping, over two years later. That’s the kind of weatherproof cabinets you want to install for your outdoor kitchen. You want to find something that’s going to last, so you can continue having quality time with friends and family, instead of constantly replacing your outdoor cabinets.
Durable Storage Space
Another important benefit of outdoor cabinets is the storage space. Some build-it-yourself outdoor kitchen packs come with a handful of drawers. They advertise this as storage space. However, if your Orlando Outdoor Kitchen is going to work like a fully functional kitchen, you’ll want to have plenty of space to keep your things.
It’s always better to keep some serving plates, bowls, and utensils outside, as well as plenty of paper plates for your guests. Outdoor cabinets are a good investment because they give you that extra storage space. You don’t have to clutter the countertops with all the napkins and forks and plates. Just put them away in the cabinet.
Convenient for You and Your Guests
The third benefit we like to point out to our customers is the convenience of outdoor cabinets. When you don’t have enough outdoor cabinet space, you won’t be able to store serving plates, bowls, and utensils outside. This means that every time you want to cook something on the grill, you’ll have to go inside, grab all the bowls, pots, and pans, and drag them back outside. Then, once you’re done using them, you’ll need to stack up all the dirty dishes and take them back inside to wash them.
That’s why outdoor cabinets are a great choice for any outdoor kitchen– they’re so convenient. You can keep a set of outdoor dishes, and cut out the extra hassle. Plus, cabinets are a great way to keep your kitchen organized. You don’t want to keep dishes on the counter by the grill, unless you’re using them.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Indoor Cabinets for Your Outdoor Living Space
Sounds pretty great so far, right? You want to add cabinets to your Orlando Outdoor Kitchen, so you can have extra storage space and keep your cooking space organized. But outdoor cabinets can be expensive. Can’t you just cut the corners a little bit and use indoor cabinet covers? Actually, there are good reasons why you should stick with outdoor cabinets. Indoor kitchens aren’t designed to withstand the harshest outdoor conditions. If you put an indoor stove outside, it wouldn’t last very long. Indoor cabinets are not built for the outdoor elements. They will fade in the sun, warp in the rain, and expand when it rains.
If you live within a few miles of the coast, like we do, don’t forget about the salt in the air. This can corrode even the strongest indoor cabinets. So while you can use indoor cabinets, after a couple months, they will start looking terrible. You’ll have to replace the doors and drawer fronts within a year, because they’ll warp and crack so badly that you won’t be able to use them. In the long run, even if you save money at the start, you’ll end up wasting money on all the repairs and replacements when you use indoor cabinets.
What About Wood Cabinets?
Maybe you want real, authentic wood cabinets, because you like how they look. Unfortunately, when you put it outdoors, this wood cabinetry has very poor durability. Wood expands in the humidity. When it dries, it shrinks, cracks, and warps. Even if you put a coating over it, the wood is not weatherproof or waterproof. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the wood cabinets indoors.
Thankfully, Orlando Outdoor Kitchen options like NatureKast are made 100% weatherproof. You never have to worry about replacing them because of rain or high temperatures. They also last for a lifetime!
Outdoor Cabinet Materials
When it comes to outdoor cabinets, there are a few materials to choose from. These four materials are used to make the highest quality cabinets on the market. Of course, be wary of a company that’s selling real wood cabinets as weatherproof or outdoor safe.
The four cabinet materials you want to look for are stainless steel, resin, PVC, and HDPE. Let’s go into a little more detail on each of these, and their pros and cons.
#1: Stainless Steel
If you’re familiar with outdoor kitchen appliances, you know that stainless steel is a pretty universal material. It’s used to make outdoor grills, refrigerators, sinks, ice machines, and so much more. It’s also very weather resistant. That’s why you’ll see a lot of stainless steel cabinets for sale.
Powder Coat Finishes
Usually, if an outdoor cabinet is made from stainless steel, the manufacturer will also add a powder coat finish. This powder coat finish lets you customize the color and look of the cabinets. You can choose a simple color, such as black, or a more complex powder coat that resembles a wood texture.
These cabinets can be durable, especially if they’re made from 304 stainless steel. However, these cabinets won’t have the same texture as wood. They won’t feel like real wood. That’s where resin comes in.
#2: Resin
Resin is a favorite material for manufacturers like NatureKast, and for good reason. It’s one of the most weather-resistant materials on the market. Resin can be made to look and feel like real wood, with a realistic texture, but it’s still safe for Orlando Outdoor Kitchen use.
When you’re looking for a natural wood look, resin cabinets are a good choice. In fact, if they’re made well, you won’t be able to tell the difference between wood and resin!
#3: PVC
Some manufacturers, like NatureKast, use PVC for the cabinet interior. It’s a strong and reliable option. In most cases, PVC isn’t very fancy, so you won’t be able to find realistic wood textured PVC cabinets. But it is weatherproof, and it lasts for a long time.
#4: HDPE
HDPE is short for high density polyethylene. This is a weatherproof outdoor plastic, that’s strong enough to keep from melting or fading, even on the hottest days. NatureKast uses high-density polyethylene sheet to make the outside of their Metro and Contempo style cabinet doors. This makes the cabinet and drawer doors practically indestructible.
HDPE is the most expensive material on this list. Of course, in this case, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for a realistic wood finish, the best option is resin. In every other case, we recommend cabinets made with HDPE.
Best Outdoor Cabinets to Buy in 2022
We’ve worked with a variety of kitchen brands over the last few years, and we always strive to recommend the highest quality brands. Some of the brands on the market today include Trex outdoor kitchens, WeatherStrong cabinets and Brown Jordan outdoor kitchens. However, in our opinion, the best brand of outdoor cabinets is NatureKast. They offer 100% weatherproof cabinets, with lifetime guarantee, and you know they aren’t going to get damaged by sun, humidity, or salt.
Custom products are also very important to us. The other brands may be good, but we haven’t found any other brand that can beat the NatureKast custom-arranged products. These cabinets are not the cheapest option. You get what you pay for, so we believe the price is worth the durability. Plus, you only have to buy these cabinets once, because you won’t need to replace them for several years at least!
Outdoor Cabinet Design Ideas
NatureKast has an extensive product line, with dozens of cabinet styles. They offer standard cabinets, but you can also order some custom-arranged products, including:
- Wall cabinets for a covered outdoor kitchen
- Base cabinets under your outdoor sink
- Space for your Big Green Egg (Kamado all-in-one grill)
- Outdoor TV boxes and stands
- Customized ventilation hoods
- Evo cooktop cabinets
We work with NatureKast products to bring your outdoor kitchen to life.
Many of the products at NatureKast are custom-arranged. Once you pick a color and style of cabinet, we can turn that cabinet into almost any outdoor kitchen layout. If you’re looking for more outdoor cabinetry ideas, get in touch with one of our team members. We specialize in designing and building luxury outdoor kitchens, and we can help you design the best options and layout for your outdoor space.
Do I Need to Paint My Outdoor Cabinets?
When you buy cabinet covers from a good manufacturer, you don’t need to paint the cabinets. Companies like NatureKast offer a wide variety of styles, colors, and textures to choose from. So no matter what door styles or colors you’re looking for, there is an option out there that fits your vision.
How Many Cabinets Should I Have in My Outdoor Kitchen?
There is no limit on how many outdoor cabinets you can have. When you work with a team of professionals, you can build your own custom outdoor kitchen, with as much cabinet space as you want! We always recommend adding more outdoor storage space than you think you’ll need. You might get a new set of salad bowls and need a space to store them. Or you find some paper cups on sale and buy way too many of them. It’s always better to have more cabinets than not enough.
Are You Looking to Build Your Outdoor Kitchen?
At Outdoor Kitchen Guy, we work closely with professional kitchen designers. We talk about your goals and dreams, what you’re looking for, and what colors/textures you prefer. Then our design team comes up with a concept, and we create a 3D render file, so you can see what your outdoor kitchen will actually look like.
Once you approve the final design, we order the cabinets for you, as well as the appliances like outdoor grills and pizza ovens. As soon as the materials arrive, we’ll come to your house and start building! Are you ready to start planning your outdoor kitchen? If you’re in the Orlando, Florida area, give us a call at (407) 330-6850. We look forward to hearing about your Orlando Outdoor Kitchen project!