5 Cabinet Finishes for Your Outdoor Kitchen

Only a handful of people know how they want their outdoor kitchen to look when we first meet them. It's generally stucco to match the outside of the house or weather-proof wood-look cabinets to match the inside of the house. Either one can be a good choice, but 45% end up going with stone, 40% end up choosing tile, 5% choose stucco, 5% wood-look cabinets, and the rest either stainless steel, Hardie plank or granite.

Two short years ago, 75% were stone, 15% NatureKast or Polymer cabinets, and 10% for the rest. At HL Posey Builders, we are fortunate to have access to every outdoor kitchen finish possible, and the artists and artisans to install them perfectly. 

1. Stone outdoor kitchen cabinets.

There are several styles and types of stone available. Most are rough and tough, made for our environment, and require little to no maintenance.

Natural stack stone panels are the most popular. They come in 6"x24" panels, usually with coordinating premade corner panels. Of all the stone types, they will give you the best finish for working around all the appliances and inserts. The natural stone is the same color throughout, so cuts don't show raw edges.

Cultured ledgestone panels are human-made by pouring pre-cast concrete material into forms that are pre-lined with dyes and colorants. For an outdoor kitchen, they stain reasonably easily, and the cuts expose raw aggregate and generally look like crap. There are several varieties, dry stack in multiple sizes that make it easy to offset joints and 6"x24" or 12"x24" panels. Depending on the stone, cuts will conceal for the best finish.

Individual natural fieldstone is the most difficult to install on an outdoor kitchen and the hardest to look good around corners, appliances, and inserts. The stones are all different sizes, shapes, and thicknesses. 

Individual cultured stone is also human-made and will have between 4 and 12 different sizes and shapes as well as pre-formed corner pieces. Some can be dry-stacked with no grout joints, but most do require some grouting to look good on an outdoor kitchen.

It would be best to have someone guide you through the unique color and style selections to make sure you end up with what's best for you.

2. Tile for your outdoor kitchen cabinets?

The choices are endless, but bigger is better. Tile is the lowest-maintenance and easiest to keep clean. 

Natural travertine tile is the easiest to get the best finish look. Cuts where corners meet always match up nicely due to color being through-and-through. You can have minimal grout joints or 1/4" grout joints depending on your style. With travertine, any size will do.

Large-format porcelain tile includes anything larger than 12"x24". The edges are always a different color than the face, so at corners and visible openings, we apply an aluminum or stainless steel Schluter strip to hide the raw edge. Sleek, modern, or contemporary is the style.

Wood plank-look porcelain tile is the style of the day. The color choices are becoming more and more endless. These types of outdoor kitchen tiles will fit in modern, contemporary, farmhouse, or plantation styles.

3. Stucco outdoor kitchen finishes are the highest maintenance of all outdoor kitchen finish choices. Your toes will continuously hit at the bottom and grease, and sauce drippings will always be sticking and staining. It's not like having it on the outside of your house where you are just looking at it. You will be using it. I always feel like I'm doing something terrible to you when you want stucco. However, you can have any color you want, and we will make it look perfect.

4. Weatherproof and wood-look outdoor kitchen cabinets are the most expensive outdoor cabinets you can choose. They require a bit more maintenance, dirt and dust will show easily, and you will wipe them down regularly to keep them looking their best.

NatureKast is a popular choice and is made of a high-density foam injected into a mold made from real wood grains. The cabinet boxes, built with PVC panels and all the screws and hardware are stainless steel. Tons of colors and styles are available. Exposed to direct sunlight, they may fade and warp a bit.

Polymer outdoor cabinets made with marine grade Starboard plastic are beyond durable to our environment. They come in 10 colors, and there are several manufacturers - we even build custom ones ourselves.

Nautilus outdoor cabinetry made with a marine-grade PVC and has a lifetime warranty. It's made in nine different colors and has eight door style choices. Nautilus is the most conventional-looking cabinet in the outdoor cabinetry line-up. It is made in Naples, FL.

Picture courtesy of Nautilus Outdoor Cabinetry & Chadwick Outdoor Kitchens

5. John Michael stainless steel outdoor cabinetry is made in South Carolina, with marine-grade stainless steel doors and exterior, and 304 stainless steel on the inside. They have superb design and customer service. If the hassle of keeping stainless steel clean drives you crazy, this is not the finish for you. They are beautiful, easy to install, and pricey.

Your outdoor kitchen cabinetry is the backbone structure and has the biggest impact on determining your style. It is a forever choice, and we know you want to get it right. That's what we're here for, to guide you to the perfect outdoor kitchen cabinet finish.

The outdoor experts at

HL Posey Builders  have taken the worry out and put the fun back in choosing the right materials, cabinets, and outdoor appliances for hundreds of people since 2007. Call Now at 239.893.3700 or email Elena at elena@hlposeybuilders.com  and get your perfect backyard hangout with an outdoor kitchen.