Outdoor Kitchen Cabinet Doors: A Breakdown of Materials and Colours.

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Choose the right Cabinet Doors for your Outdoor Kitchen.

Cabinets can be a pretty time-consuming part of designing an outdoor kitchen. Especially colours, colours can end up being the thing that causes the most delays to your entire kitchen. And for good reason. The overall aesthetic is heavily influenced by what your most prominent colour is. Besides your bench top, your cabinets are the most significant source of shade. Outdoor Kitchen with Oven Hampton

In this blog, we’re going to talk about the different options available for your cabinet doors, some inspiration and information.
A quick tip when reading this post: in the industry, when you hear someone talking about an insert in regards to a cabinet, they’re referring to the material you see on the door. The material that makes up the door (minus the frame) is called an insert. 

Aluminum Composite Panel

One of the more popular choices we experience, Aluminum composite panels are an extremely versatile rigid substrate that can be utilised in several ways.

Some of their key features include:


  • three year UV warranty. This means your cabinets can be outside without a cover and without losing the vibrancy of their colours.
  • Water resistant. This is especially important within an outdoor kitchen. Along with UV resistance, your kitchen needs to withstand all weather conditions in your area. This water resistance will protect your cabinets from more than just the weather; slips and spills within your cooking will be easily wiped away without leaving any permanent damage.
  • 10-year colour warranty on their matte colours.
  • Available in approximately 50 colours. One of the most comprehensive ranges in Australia.
  • Available in various finishes. Including matte, gloss, metallic and a pearl finish.

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Perspex

“Offers designer appeal, the confidence of a 10-year guarantee, applicable on all genuine Perspex grade inserts and numerous practical advantages.”
Taken from the Perspex’s brochure, here are some of the key features you should expect:

  • High gloss finish: When supplied with Perspex acrylic inserts, they offer an ultra-high (glass-like) gloss appearance
  • Practical: These inserts are easy to look after and will not chip like paint. These doors have a unique “anti-finger mark” finish which reduces the need for continuous cleaning.
  • Hygienic: When your doors are installed with Perspex, your doors are guaranteed to be ultra-hygienic, making them ideal for food preparation. They are also compliant with EU food contact regulations.
  • Safety: These doors offer superior impact resistance over the glass and will not shatter.
  • Longevity: These doors are half the weight of glass doors, making them much more accessible. Their lightweight puts less stress on hardware components and makes oversized doors more practical.
  • Quality: Caring for the environment is essential. In all parts of its operations, they take seriously responsible for the environment. The two main components of one of their doors, aluminium and Perspex, are both fully recyclable.

Insert Options1

Insert Option 2

Perspex

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DecoWood

"The two-step photo imaging process used to create DecoWood distinguishes it from the rest. First, the aluminium is covered in a luxuriously textured super durable powder coating. Then images of timber grain are sublimated into the powder coating, ensuring absolute photographic precision." - DecoWood's website. 

Taken from DecoWood's website, here are some key features you should expect: 

  • Durable: 50% more durable than standard powder coating and will never peel or rub off. Aluminium is resistant to termite attacks and will never warp or rot.
  • Sustainable: No logging or harmful greenhouse gases from paints and stains. After the material has reached the end of its life, it is recycled.
  • Effortless: Once installed, no sanding, painting, staining, or oiling is required. Lightweight aluminium is quick and easy to install.
  • Australian: Decorative Imaging (the company behind DecoWood) is entirely Australian-owned and operated. 
  • Quality: Made from the highest quality materials available, DecoWood withstands harsh environmental conditions and fully complies with Australian and international standards for quality. 
  • Wide range of choices: Choose from 23 DecoWood timber grains. 

Decowood 1Decowood 2

Decowood 3

Decowood 4LimeTree Alfresco-doors

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Corten Steel 

A key feature of Corten steel is its weather resistance. As their website explains, "Under the influence of weather conditions, a dense protective patina layer composed of corrosion products is formed on the surface of the Corten Steel. The protective layer develops in approximately 18 months." 
The protective layer, or patina, is reddish-brown at first but gains a darker hue with time. A slight downside of Corten Steel is that as the patina develops, you will experience some runoff.

Their website assures that this will "slow down and eventually stop entirely; however, (their) calling specialists will suggest the inclusion of a small gutter in the cladding detailing to take the runoff or the installation of non-porous materials. Below."  Looking for some more outdoor kitchen cabinets in Melbourne? If you'd like to see some more examples of how your cabinets impact your overall space, we have two previous blog posts that detail some of our favourite projects.

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