Outdoor Kitchen Frame
A timber frame for an outdoor kitchen — barbecue surround, prep counter and storage. Built to host stainless or stone surfaces, with cladding choices that survive heat, weather and the occasional spill.
What you'll need
Materials
- Frame timber (47×95mm minimum), cladding boards, worktop substrate (cement board or marine ply), worktop surface (stone, stainless or concrete), stainless screws, masonry bolts if anchoring, optional insulation around the BBQ cutout.
Tools
- Impact driver, mitre or circular saw, spirit level, tape measure, square, drill/driver with masonry bit if anchoring to slab, clamps.
Material complexity: High
Allow 12% on cladding boards plus a full spare frame length. Worktop cuts are unforgiving — measure twice.
Main risk: Wrong BBQ cutout, or timber too close to the heat — the frame is then a rebuild, not a tweak.
Cut list
Straight 2400×600×900mm run, from the live 35m frame + 8m² cladding figures. Confirm the BBQ cutout before you cut the top rails.
- Frame stock: about 35m of 47×95mm — typically 10 lengths of 3.6m. Legs at 900mm, rails at 2400 and 600mm, studs at 600mm centres
- Legs ×4–6: 47×95mm × 900mm (six if you have a BBQ cutout that needs extra support)
- Cladding: about 8m² — roughly 50–70 linear metres of 18×144mm feather-edge or matching boards, plus 10–12%
- Battens if you are cladding off the frame: 25×38mm, about 12–16m
- Worktop substrate: cement board for stone or concrete; marine ply is fine under stainless. Not in the timber cost
- Stainless screws throughout: 5.0×80mm frame, 4.5×50mm cladding. Masonry bolts if you anchor to a slab
Step-by-step
Lock the BBQ model and mark the slab
Measure the actual barbecue, including the lip that sits on the worktop. Mark a 2400×600mm footprint on the slab at 900mm working height (1000mm if you are tall). Leave 200mm of fire-resistant clearance around the heat.
Watch out: Do not cut the top rails until the BBQ is in the room or at least in the delivery photo with a tape on it.
Build the 47×95mm frame
Cut legs and rails from the 35m of 47×95mm. Studs at 600mm centres. Assemble square on the slab, two stainless screws per joint. Extra legs beside the BBQ cutout so the worktop has somewhere to sit.
Tip: Sit the whole frame on the slab or on shoes. UC3 timber (kept off the soil) will rot if it stands in a wet puddle — that contact needs UC4, or lift it.
Clad the faces
Fix about 8m² of cladding. One stainless screw per board per batten or stud, 25mm from ends. Keep cladding off the slab by 50–100mm so it cannot wick. Use shorter pieces around the BBQ — heat makes long boards move more.
Fit the substrate, not the stone
Cement board under stone or concrete; marine ply is fine under stainless. Cap the timber where it meets the worktop so wash-down water cannot run into the frame. The stone, steel or concrete top is a separate buy and is not in the timber cost.
Watch out: No timber within 100mm of the heat source on the inside. Cement board only.
Anchor, test the cutout, then finish
Bolt the frame to the slab if it can be nudged. Drop the BBQ in. Check you can still pull it for cleaning. Oil the cladding if you want to keep the colour. Re-check fixings near the heat every spring.
Tips & traps
- Building the hole before you own the BBQ.
- Timber touching a wet patio with only UC3 treatment.
- Plywood next to the heat source — use cement board.
- Zinc screws around a worktop you wash down every weekend.
Planning & timber detail
Why build this?
A timber frame with the right substrate turns a stand-alone barbecue into a permanent outdoor cooking zone. Done well it lasts; done poorly it looks tired within two seasons. Decide the BBQ model before you build — cutouts vary a lot.
Where it works best
Covered or partly sheltered — an open patio works but shortens the life. On a level concrete or stone slab, never directly on grass or soil.
Planning notes
Decide the BBQ model before building. Plan gas or electric if you need them; running services later is much harder. Allow at least 200mm of fire-resistant clearance around any heat source.
Typical sizes
Default: 2400mm long × 600mm deep × 900mm high. Tall users may prefer 1000mm.
About 35m of 47×95mm frame and 8m² of cladding. Worktop stone, stainless or concrete is not in the cost band — buy that separately once the BBQ cutout is known.
Default dimensions
Default run: 2400 × 600mm footprint, 900mm working height.
BBQ cutout: typically 600×500mm — measure your BBQ.
Frame: 47×95mm at 600mm centres.
Heat clearance: at least 200mm of fire-resistant material around the heat source.
Design variants
Straight run (this page) — 2400×600mm, BBQ plus prep.
L-shape — same stock, more corners. Still about 35m of frame if you keep the overall worktop similar.
Cedar vs treated — cedar is the higher cost band and the lower-maintenance face; treated redwood needs regular oiling.
Suitable timber options
Treated redwood for the budget build with regular re-oiling. Cedar for the longest-life finish with minimal upkeep. Thermowood for dimensional stability around the heat-exposed sections.
Fixing and finishing
Stainless throughout. The worktop gets washed with water and detergent — anything that rusts will bleed onto the cladding. Cap exposed timber edges with stainless or aluminium trim where they meet the worktop. Masonry bolts into the slab if the run can be nudged.
Use cement-board substrate under stone or concrete worktops — marine ply is fine under stainless. Cap exposed timber edges with stainless or aluminium trim where they meet the worktop to stop water tracking down into the frame.
Maintenance
Wipe down the worktop after each use. Re-oil cladding annually if you want to maintain colour. Check fixings near the heat source every spring for fatigue.
Re-seal stone or concrete worktops annually. Replace cladding boards individually if they char or stain badly.
Timber behaviour
Durability
UC3 cladding minimum — UC3 means timber kept off the soil (above ground). UC4 if any timber touches the ground or a wet patio — UC4 means timber that sits in soil or stays wet. Sit the frame on a slab or on shoes. Use cement board, not timber, for any internal surface within 100mm of a heat source.
Movement
Heat cycles around BBQ areas cause more movement than weather alone. Use shorter cladding pieces around the BBQ (less length, less to move) and allow generous expansion gaps.
Go deeper
Get the Timber Buying Companion
An 8-page practical guide to choosing better boards, avoiding waste and spotting common timber problems before you buy.