Explore Surfaces Suitable for Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens are a growing trend as people continue to invest in their homes and expand their living areas to the great outdoors. At Boston Granite Exchange, we offer a large inventory of beautiful surfaces to choose from as you plan and design your outdoor kitchen.

As you design your outdoor kitchen, there are important factors to consider when selecting key elements, including the surfaces.

Like any project, budget is an important consideration as is your design style and lifestyle.

Design style considerations include factors such as color – do you want the surfaces to be neutral or are you interested in a design that pops with color to be the focal point? Will there be a waterfall effect where you want to match veining?

Important lifestyle considerations include assessing if the look you desire is casual or formal; will this outdoor kitchen be integrated into an active backyard for children’s play? Ease of maintenance may be an important consideration as well as sunlight exposure.

It is our goal to provide you with information to help guide you to surface types that may work best to achieve the outdoor kitchen of your dreams.

Below is an overview of surfaces suitable for outdoor kitchens

Granite slab

Granite

A long-time popular choice for countertops due to its natural beauty and hard surface. Granite is a natural stone and is suitable for countertops, wall cladding and flooring, making granite a viable consideration for outdoor kitchens.

Advantages

High heat and scratch resistance

Low maintenance

Natural material with classic appeal available in a very wide range of colors and patterns

Considerations

Porous; requires periodic sealing

Appearance may change if improperly sealed

Marble

A luxurious natural stone highly prized for its timeless beauty. Suitable for outdoor kitchens and many additional applications. Marble is known to ‘age’ so a consideration when selecting marble is that the natural stone appearance will change over time. For many, this can be a beautiful effect of marble.

Granite slab

Advantages

Medium UV resistance

Medium heat resistance

Unique veining

Considerations

Porous; requires periodic sealing

Low stain and etching resistance

May scratch

Porcelain slab

Porcelain

Laminam is a state-of-the-art beautiful and durable surface imported from Italy. Boston Granite Exchange is the exclusive distributor of Laminam in New England. Laminam is suitable for outdoor kitchens as well as pool decking and other exterior flooring applications.

Advantages

Water resistant

High stain, etching and abrasion resistance

Easy maintenance

Book-matching for beautiful, consistent designs

Considerations

None

Quartzite

A beautiful and durable natural stone. Suitable for exterior countertops, bar tops, wall covering and flooring.

Quartzite slab

Advantages

Unique natural designs

High stain, etching and abrasion resistance

Medium heat resistance

Considerations

Bi-annual sealing recommended

Soapstone slab

Soapstone

A classic natural stone for countertops with an antique, historic look. Suitable alternative for an outdoor kitchen as the surface can be used for countertops, bar tops and fireplace surrounds.

Advantages

Natural, rich color

Absorbs and distributes heat

Easy to maintain

High stain, etching and UV resistance

Considerations

Low abrasion resistance – scratches may require sanding

May darken/weather over time

Terrazzo

A manufactured stone from COMPAC, a quality provider of beautiful quartz from Portugal. This product line offers a classic look from Venice, Italy, now modernized.  Suitable for outdoor kitchens as this surface can be used for countertops, bar tops, wall cladding and flooring.

Terrazzo surface

Advantages

Water resistant

Easy maintenance

High UV resistance

High stain, etching and abrasion resistance

Considerations

Limited design choices

For inspiration, visit our Imagine Gallery or start planning your project

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