Weather changes can lead to cracks, damages, or affect the working of outdoor kitchen cabinets. As these appliances are used outside in the yard, It becomes necessary to weatherproof them.
If you’re living in an area where you enjoy many seasons, you should weatherproof or waterproof your outdoor kitchen cabinets. Paying little effort can save your appliances from UV rays and dampness.
Generally, stainless steel-made cabinets don’t require any solution to weatherproof them since they are water and weather-resistant. But you have to cover them in winter. Otherwise, materials like iron, wood, and non-stainless steel must be weatherproof if placed outdoors.
In this guide, we’ve described different methods to weatherproof outdoor kitchen cabinets. You can choose any of one process that you feel is easy for you.
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Here’s How to Weatherproof Outdoor Kitchen Cabinets:
Solutions such as stains, sealant, and waterproof paint are best for waterproofing or weatherproofing something made of wood or metal. We are going to describe the one-by-one method with the use of each solution. Let’s dive into the steps.
Apply Stain on Wood:
- Purchase a Correct Stain Form: Stains can come in different labels, but you should check their properties before purchasing for this DIY project. Get an oil-based semi-transparent stain. Stain is only used for wood-made cabinets or other furniture.
- Prepare cabinets surface: before applying the first coat of stain, making the surface clean and stainable is a necessary task. Get sandpaper and rub it on all surface areas. Verify the wood is scrubbed to every corner. Use fine grit 200 sandpaper to make it easy to prepare wood for staining. Clean away the scrubbed waste by using a piece of cloth.
- Apply stain: before applying the first coat, make sure the surface is clean properly. Dive a paintbrush into the stain container. Start laying the first coat of stain on the wood. Keep the layer thick and even. When applied, leave the outdoor cabinets for at least 4 to 12 hours to dry.
- Sand the surface: Rub a ball of steel wool or thin sandpaper and sand the stained surface from everywhere. Don’t sand too hard.
- Recoat the surface: clean the sanded surface and make sure waste is not on the cabinet body. Reapply the stain with a paintbrush and concentrate on getting an even coat. After applying it to every area, let the wood dry.
- Apply final coat of stain: Keep this coat thin and make sure there is no excessive satin on the surface. The third coat is the final coat, concentrating on the best possible finish can make your cabinets look beautiful. Let the outdoor cabinet dry for at least 5 to 7 days before using it.
Use Sealant for Creating a Protective Layer:
- Purchase a Correct Sealant: Wood Sealant is the best and most used solution for waterproofing or weatherproofing wood-made outdoor furniture. Get a water-based wood sealant. Marine wood sealant is proven to protect outdoor cabinets from moisturizer and UV rays.
- Prepare the Wood surface: make the wood clean and scrubbed before applying the first coat of sealant. Use fine-grit (200) sandpaper and rub it on all cabinet areas. Scrubbing helps the surface to absorb the solution efficiently and fastly. After scrubbing, wood waste will come in on the cabinets. Use a cloth and Clean away the junk.
- Apply the first coat of sealant: water-based sealant is easy to use, you just need a paintbrush for its appliance. Dive a paintbrush into the sealant and make it slightly wet with sealant. Start spreading the first sealant on the surface. After finishing the first appliance, leave the outdoor cabinets for at least 4 to 24 hours to dry. How quickly can a sealant get dry on wood depends on the area temperature and dampness.
- Sand the surface: You can use steel wool or sandpaper and sand the stained surface from everywhere. Don’t sand it too hard.
- Reapply sealant: use a cloth and remove the evasive sealant from the surface. Apply the second stain layer with a paintbrush. Focus on getting an even coat. Let the wood dry after finishing the second sealant coat.
- Apply the third and last coat: this time, you should concentrate on using sealant slowly to get an excellent finish. Follow the same procedure. Let the cabinet dry for at least 4 days to a week before using it.
Coat Surface with Waterproof Paint:
- Choose a quality waterproof paint: Waterproof paints can come in primarily two forms; spray, and liquid. The spray form is easy to use, and we are going to show the next steps with it. Waterproof paint is only best for iron or steel-made cabinets.
- Ready the cabinets: Remove dust and rust from the body of the cabinets. Use sandpaper, thinner, and cloth for this task. Do the process until the cabinets get cleaned.
- Apply the first coat: choose a good quality waterproof spray paint or liquid paint. The first coat should be thin but even. Make sure all areas are covered with paint. If the thinner is used in the dye, it will dry within an hour. However, you should let the cabinet dry for at least 6 hours.
Recoat the surface: No need to apply three coats of waterproof paint. Two coats are enough to provide a secure layer for the outdoor cabinet. Follow the same producer. Make sure there is no excessive paint laid on the surface. Consider applying the best possible paint coat without making any mistakes. Let the cabinet dry for a maximum of 2 days before using it.