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Outdoor Kitchen Flooring

2023 Guide To Outdoor Kitchen Flooring

While many install their outdoor kitchen on an existing deck or patio, you may opt to build your new outdoor dining space on a foundation of concrete, stone, tile, or wood. Like your indoor kitchen's floor, your outdoor space will take a lot of abuse, foot traffic, dropped pots, and food splatters, in addition, to wear from the elements (heavy UV exposure in sunny climates, as well as rain, wind, snow, and ice in colder climates). So, toughness will be just as important as looks. Choosing the right outdoor kitchen flooring material for your outdoor kitchen will be the foundation upon which you build all the other elements of your outdoor kitchen: grill, sink, BBQ, fireplace, countertops, furniture, and roof.

 

Outdoor Kitchen Flooring: What To Consider
  • Style

  • Safety
  • Budget
  • Materials

 

Here are some factors to consider when selecting the right flooring material for your outdoor kitchen:

  • Choose materials and finishes that are not slippery when wet.
  • Concrete finishes, like stamped concrete, washed aggregate, or salt-finished concrete are often my first choices in outdoor kitchen flooring because of their affordability, durability, and endless versatility.

 

Outdoor Kitchen Flooring Styles - Outdoor Kitchen Flooring Ideas

Nowadays, there are lots of outdoor flooring options to suit each individual style. Whichever material you choose, you'll set the tone for the rest of the kitchen that rests upon it. The most typical flooring materials are concrete, stone, tile, and wood. Each offers its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

 

Because of its affordability and durability, concrete remains the far and away most popular outdoor flooring option. For modest budgets, stamped or "impressed" concrete is a great option. For budgets with a little more flexibility, tumbled pavers or authentic flagstones offer a variety of colors and textures on top of what you can achieve with standard concrete applications.

 

Outdoor Flooring Styles

 

Outdoor flooring styles can be broken down into 5 popular categories: contemporary, Tuscan, English/traditional, tropical, and Old World. What are the differences between these styles, you might ask?

 

Contemporary: Known for its use of late or cast-concrete tiles specifically designed to be outdoors, most commonly coming in clean, washed concrete in integral colors

Tuscan: Defined by tumbled pavers, unhoned textures, exposed aggregate, or stamped concrete

English/Traditional: This style employs brick or darker flagstones, washed concrete, or stamped cobblestone concrete

Tropical: Features flagstone or faux rock, as well as texture-stamped concrete

Old World: Most commonly featuring repurposed brick, exposed aggregate, cobblestone texture stamps, fleur-de-lis & grapevine borders

 

Concrete

Concrete flooring is the most popular choice for outdoor kitchens. Options include stamped concrete, exposed aggregate finishes, concrete tiles, and pre-cast pavers.

 

It's durable and versatile. Concrete can be colored, imprinted, and finished for a wide range of looks, including that of natural stone. If you live in a cold climate, consider a formula with a base additive that will help the concrete withstand the freeze-thaw cycle without cracking.

 

Stone

Another very common choice for outdoor flooring, stone can give your kitchen an elegant and natural personality. Coordinating your flooring material with other stone that appears on your landscape can create an integrated effect. Good choices for a stone patio include sandstone, limestone, and slate because it is durable and you can create some wonderful patterns with it.

 

It's important to note that while the stone is one of the best-looking outdoor flooring options, it can absorb oily stains and it is expensive. With proper prevention and care, though, this shouldn't be an issue.

 

Stamped Concrete

Another cool option, going with stamped concrete for your outdoor kitchen gives you the durability of concrete with the elegance of stone. You have the option of adding color or texture to mimic the look of stone or tile, along with similar elegance, to the durability of concrete.

 

Pavers

Another outdoor patio classic. Pavers are natural-looking and have enough durability to withstand the outdoor elements. They are low maintenance, as they don't need to be sealed again in the future.

 

Tile

Affordable and available in many different styles, tile can be an attractive choice for an outdoor kitchen floor. Choose between ceramic and porcelain tile, pick a frost-proof, unglazed product, and have your installer coat it with a penetrating sealer.

 

Deck

For homes that already have a deck in place, you may already have an ideal foundation for your outdoor dining area. Use it to build your outdoor kitchen. If you have a second-floor deck and want to get really fancy, you can create an under-deck patio underneath your second-floor deck utilizing that space to effectively and efficiently add an outdoor kitchen. 

 

The size and shape of your outdoor kitchen are determined by what and where you make your outdoor kitchen flooring. The flooring sets the stage for the kitchen space as the foundation and guide for all the elements of your outdoor kitchen. Choose your flooring wisely so you can enjoy it as much as possible!

 

Outdoor Flooring Maintenance

Be careful to select a stamp pattern that's not too deep to drain or to allow you to set outdoor furniture level on top of it," he says. "And be sure to apply a good-quality penetrating sealer around any floor that's in the cooking or dining areas to protect your flooring from oil and wine spills.