Outdoor Kitchen Frame : Should You Do Wood or Metal?

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An outdoor kitchen frame makes or break your kitchen’s functionality. While it won’t be visible, choosing the best material determines how well your project holds up to the great outdoors.

Metal and wood are two common materials used for an outdoor kitchen frame. However, they have very different durability, pricing, and user-friendliness.

Metal studs are difficult to work with, but increase longevity and are very resistant to fire and pests. Wood is easier to work with and is inexpensive, but is still flammable and sensitive to mold.

There are plenty of factors that influence outdoor kitchen frame material choice. I’ll break down each material’s financial and health benefits, then share the tools and resources you’ll need to build an outdoor kitchen frame.

Outdoor Kitchen Frame: Wood vs Metal

There are fans of both solutions in the homeowning space. I have a few suggestions of my own so you can get the full picture.

Most DIY projects shown on the web are done with pressure-treated pine. On the other hand, professionals tend to use metal studs. Both groups argue online over which solution is better, but the real answer is: it depends.

The table below has some quick ratings on the construction features of a wooden or metal outdoor kitchen frame.

Parameter	Metal	Wood
Processing	Advanced	Basic
Tools level	Advanced	Basic
Price of material	$$$	$
Fire hazard	No	Yes
Moisture resistance	***	**
Load-bearing	***	**
Insects/ rodent resistance	***	*
Other issues	Rust	Rot/ Mold

Wood is Beginner-Friendly, While Metal Needs Advanced Skills

Wood doesn’t require special tools or advanced skills. This is the main reason DIY homeowners choose it over a metal outdoor kitchen frame. If you already have some tools and a little construction experience, you’ll be able to use them.

On the other hand, metal requires advanced tools, which not everybody has in their workshop. Suppose you haven’t worked with metal before: it’s going to require some hands-on practice and maybe even a few in-person classes to learn properly.

This is why the main people praising metal studs are usually outdoor kitchen professionals or very experienced DIY homeowners.

Wood is More Affordable While Metal Is a Little Pricey

The price of both materials is a factor too. In fact, metal studs can be up to ten times more expensive than wood per sq ft!

Wood is More Flammable Than Metal

Fire hazards are one of the biggest downsides of using wood. Wood can burn, so working with it requires extra insulation and insulation jackets.

For this reason, it’s crucial to use range hoods – in case of an emergency, they redirect fire and prevent it from spreading.

Both Materials Have Issues With Moisture

Sadly, both materials aren’t 100% moisture resistant. No matter what you build your outdoor kitchen frame with, you’ll need to prepare for possible damage.

If water gets to the frame both of the materials will show some issues – wood can rot or get mold, while metal can rust. In fact, furniture experts state high humidity is one of the main ways wooden applications get damaged.

If you live in a very humid and warm environment, you may be better off finding an alternative instead of a wooden or metal frame. Some brands offer outdoor cabinets and outdoor kitchens made out of moisture-resistant HDPE, which can still mimic the texture of wood with a woodgrain finish.

Metal Can Hold More Weight Than Wood

Another big difference between wood and metal is their load-bearing strength. Although this factor doesn’t matter too much, since outdoor kitchen materials aren’t too heavy, it never hurts to be careful.

Heavier parts, like an outdoor grill, need to be well-supported. A wooden outdoor kitchen frame can still splinter or buckle under too much weight, causing a mess and a brand new problem to fix.

A Metal Outdoor Kitchen Frame is More Resistant to Pests

The last factor mentioned in the table is an insect and rodent invasion. Both of these animal groups can chew on or dig into wood, but they can’t harm metal.

If you decide to go with a wooden frame, you must make the construction closed to animals, as they can invade it. Routine inspections are a must — as often as once per month — and you’ll need to apply a pest-resistant varnish or polish.

Outdoor Kitchen Frame: Wood

Pressure-treated wood is an excellent material to build an outdoor kitchen frame. Just a few of the benefits you’ll enjoy are:

• accessibility
• affordability
• user-friendly (only basic tools needed)
• ease-of-use

The most durable types of wood for framing are pressure-treated pine and glulam (glued laminated timber).

You may have seen some people creating wood framing out of wood pallets – I don’t recommend this solution for two reasons.

First of all, the outdoor kitchen is a place you’re going to prepare food, so you have to be sure what you use to build it is healthy. Pallet wood is sometimes sprayed with chemicals substances that could be a health hazard.

Second of all, wood pallets are not always resistant to moisture and temperature. You need to research a brand and see exactly what kind of hardwood or softwood they offer, then look up their wood treatments. A wooden frame that isn’t treated may rot, warp, or become infested.

Eco-Friendliness

Convenience is a great advantage of wood, both for you and the environment. You can buy it just about anywhere and recycle it anytime.

Price

Another important factor is the price. 1 sq ft of a pressure-treated pine can be bought for $5-$10, depending on your location. This is at least eight times less than metal!

If your DIY outdoor kitchen frame project has a tight budget, you can rest easy knowing wood will be more affordable (though maybe not for long).

Tools Needed

Wood-working tools are usually already in the household – they’re as basic as a regular hammer or drill. This also means the work is safer since you already know how to use them.

The greatest advantage of a wooden outdoor kitchen frame is the ease. Wood is very forgiving, malleable, and flexible.

Biggest Hazards

Wood may be beautiful, but it’s prone to all sorts of hazards that can destroy your hard work and cost you a pretty penny. The most common are:

• fire
• moisture exposure
• pests

The first step of care for all of these problems is picking the right type of wood.

Have you noticed there are bridges made out of engineered wood and wooden houses that are 100+ years old? There’s a reason for that – when properly treated, wood can be very long-lasting.

The type of wood and how well it’s treated makes the biggest difference. A regular log will be less resistant to fire and moisture than glulam or pressure-treated pine.

The first step is cutting and drying the wood (either under the sun or in chambers). For glulam, all the imperfections are removed, so planks don’t have any knots.

Rot, mold, and insects are more likely to appear in weak spots. Since these wood types are dried to under 20%, they’re way less likely to rot or get mold.

Wood can still catch fire, though, so there are three things to take care of when making a wooden outdoor kitchen frame:

1. Put insulation on the frame.
2. Use an insulation jacket for the grill.
3. Whenever a grill instruction says it’s a must, install a range hood.

49% of home fires are caused by cooking. If a fire is a big concern for you, several things can be done:

1. Keep the grill, burner, and pizza oven clean and in good repair
2. Never leave the grill unattended while on
3. Keep towels and pot holders away from grill, burner, and oven
4. Purchase a fire blanket and/or a Class K Fire Extinguisher

These rules apply to any type of outdoor kitchen.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to inspect your outdoor kitchen regularly, too. This is crucial not only for your outdoor kitchen frame, but any gas, plumbing, and electricity installed.

So is framing an outdoor kitchen with wood a good idea or not? If the wood is of good quality and proper type: yes!

Outdoor Kitchen Frame: Metal

Professionals most commonly use a metal outdoor kitchen frame. It requires advanced construction skills and tools, but is very resistant to fire and pests.

It can also load a lot of weight, so it’s a perfect choice for a grand, long-living outdoor kitchen with a lot of appliances. This is the reason most luxurious stone outdoor kitchens are done with metal studs.

Plenty of outdoor kitchens are made entirely out of metal. One of the best types of outdoor kitchen metal, a stainless steel 304, copes well with the elements. This is not the only type of stainless steel out there, though. You’ll also find:

• 301 – this grade is most common for welding projects
• 302 – this grade is popular for both kitchen and medical applications
• 303 – you’ll frequently find this grade in nuts, bolts, and screws

Eco-Friendliness

Most metal is recyclable, though stainless steel is famous for being 100% recyclable without losing any quality. Professionals most commonly use stainless steel metal studs since:

• less accessibility (most have to be ordered)
• require special tools and skill
• expensive

Price

Metal studs cost about $80 – $90 per 1 sq ft. Metal working tools are expensive, too, so you’ll need to add a few hundred to your bill if you don’t have them.

If your outdoor kitchen is directly under the sky, paying this much may be a good idea (I would cover an outdoor kitchen while unused anyway).

If an outdoor kitchen is made with metal framing, installing a grill doesn’t require buying an insulation jacket, so you can cross $500+ from your list. Your savings will grow even more if you want to install a burner (additional $300).

Tools Needed

Just a few of the tools you’ll need for a metal outdoor kitchen frame are a welding machine, metal snips, and a metal blade for cutting.

You’ll also need safety gear, such as gloves and goggles.

Biggest Hazards

Metal doesn’t catch fire, so a metal outdoor kitchen frame is safer in an outdoor kitchen with hot stoves or flaming grills. That said, you still need to practice basic safety – don’t leave any appliances on unattended.

Animals also can’t ruin metal construction, so you won’t have birds picking at the wood or insects burrowing inside. It’s worth inspecting the outdoor kitchen with metal frames as well, as they sometimes have wires and tubes inside that can be ruined.

What can happen to a metal outdoor kitchen frame is rust, so humid areas going with metal framing may not be the best idea.

Don’t let all these little details and potential hazards scare you off from building an outdoor kitchen frame. As long as you respect the limitations of each material and put in the work to prepare them for the outdoors, you’ll have a long-lasting outdoor kitchen.

Need more tips to put together your outdoor kitchen? I have more DIY guides and tips below:

• What’s the Best Stone For Outdoor Kitchen Countertops?
• How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen on a Budget? [and save 3k+]
• How Long Does It Take To Build an Outdoor Kitchen [step-by-step]