Operation Outdoor Kitchen is COMPLETE! (PICTURE HEAVY)

Wanting to do something similar to include a bar with 3 handle tap brew system for my home brewed beer. We are going to be completely redoing the backyard with plans for a pool and hot tub, outdoor living space and kitchen.

 

I can fit 3 corney kegs in my kegerator, but can only have 2 on tap. I had to cut the handle off of one side of a keg to fit it in the back, and clear the top hump. Might be tough to have 3 without going keezer route.

 

That’s what I was thinking I’d likely have to do (keezer). My buddy did this for his in home bar and it turned out really nice. Just not sure how it will work for an outdoor setup in the Las Vegas heat.

 

Thats what i was thinking.

Having anything "outdoor rated" or "Under Counter" makes everything substantially more expensive. You may want to go cheap and just replace as they die.

Thats what i did for the fridge in my outdoor kitchen.....sams club glass door fridge for $175.

 

We have a $80k budget to do the pool/spa and outdoor living setup. Gonna get some quotes and designs from some reputable builders who “do it all” and see what they can come up with. Likely, to get everything I want I’ll have to go over budget or do some work myself. You have a lot of good info in your post that I’ll have to reference for later. Thanks

 

Updated post #5

 

I'm ready for this project to be over!
This last weekend i set out to polish the countertops and hopefully expose the aggregate and glass i placed in it. I went back and forth on whether to try to score a deal on a wet stone polisher ($200-$300) or just go the harbor freight route and run the hose on it. I ended up going the cheap route and picked up a $30 7" variable speed polisher: I went on Amazon and bought a pack of 4" diamond pads:


I started out on one side and left to right and front to back passes with the 50 grit pad. I probably did about 10 passes and this was the result:

I started to worry a bit. The aggregate and glass was starting to show, but not as much as i wanted. I headed over to Spec-West (local concrete supplier) to get some sealer and talk to them about how to get more material off faster (i already had the idea of a diamond cup, but more on this later).
I ended up grabbing a gallon of lacquer high gloss sealer to give it that wet look (the color lightens up quite a bit after you polish it).

I talked with the guys there about getting more material off faster and they agreed that a diamond cup would do the trick, but the ones they had were around $150 and would last a lifetime. I had already did some online shopping and saw a Rigid brand one at Home Depot for $40. Off to HD i went.


I threw it on the polisher and laid the hose down on a section and did about 5 passes....now we're cookin' with gas.

Its really starting to expose the glass and aggregate, but not quite as much as i wanted, so i went over to the back side of one of the corners and went to town on grinding the living piss out of the slab. Holy hell, this diamond cup wanted to jump all around and vibrated like a mofo (i see why the more expensive diamond cups said "improves stability and reduces vibration").

After i did the entire slab with the diamond cup, there were some scratches, but nothing crazy. The surface finish was super smooth. I decided to go back to the pads and try to get some of the big scratches out. I started off with the 50 grit, and then the 100. I started to get worried because with each progressive pad it was eliminating the previous pads scratches like i thought it would. I kept going and went all the way up to 400 grit (the guys at spec west didn't recommend going too high on the grit because it will hinder the sealer from bonding). After the 400grit pass, i wasn't happy with the finish. I almost wish i would have just left it with the diamond cup finish and called it a day.

When i got the scratched area wet, I couldn't really see the scratches, so i hoped that the high gloss sealer would hide them. I did a test pass, and was happy with the results.

I'm happy with the outcome. I need to put another coat on the entire surface and call the countertop DONE!

 

I've been working on this sombitch every weekend for the last couple months.
The next step was to tile all the vertical faces. I found some good distressed wood looking floor tiles on clearance at Lowes, so i bought everything they had (was waaaaay too much, returned half of it after i was done). I borred a buddys small tile saw and tried to cut these 6"x36" planks, and it wasn't working. Had to call in a couple favors to borrow a professional saw (i think he said it was around $750, yikes). The big bastard saw worked much better than the little guy, and was able to rip cut the planks as needed.


the two back faces went pretty quickly.


The front sides took about two full weekends:


I had never done grout before, and i thought a nice dark charcoal would look nice. After watching about a dozen youtube videos......i was ready:



There were some spots where i missed cleaning up some thinset from the tiles, and the grout just stuck to it really bad. I need to go back through and chip it off. I may just leave it. maybe it'll enhance the "distressed" look.

Once the grout was all done, i put a thick sealer on the tile and grout to hopefully keep it lookin good for a long time.

Now....the moment i've been waiting for......(drumroll please.....)......ITS DONE!


I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Its exactly how i wanted it.

Thanks for coming along for the ride

 

Dude, that looks amazing! Great job!

 

Thatlooks awesome!!

 

Looks awesome!!!

 

Thanks Angel

 

Very welcome