Hello all,
Thank yall for reading my post. I need all the input I can get.
I am building an outdoor kitchen. It will be completely exposed, no roof or cover. They want something nicer than the usual ceadar board doors. I am looking at making the boxes out of MDO (Medium Density Overlay). The face frame and door rail/styles out of Teak and the panels out of spanish ceadar or 1/4″ marine grade mahogany ply. For hardware I plan to use solid brass leaf hinges. I plan to use steel feet to elevate the boxes off the ground to protect the boxes as much as possible. I am not sure how I should attatch the face frame to the box. I am thinking it may be a good idea to use mechanical fasteners as I suspect the Teak will outlast the MDO.
My lumber supplier is recomending 3/4″ marine grade mahogany ply for the boxes, but that goes for $100 per sheet! MDO is $60. I wonder which will last longer? I love the look of the teak and would like to keep its colour, is that reasonable? I am also considering Ipe but have reservations because it looks like a bi#$% to machine. I have many other questions but hopefully yall can get me started from here.
Thank you,
Mike
Replies
"which will last longer?"
3/4 marine ply w/mahogany will outlast MDO which is not rated for outdoor use. It comes down to the APA classification exposure rating stamped on the ply(softwood plywood).
Teak will always fade to grey except when regularly oiled or protected by a finsh with UV protection.
Since your profile is not filled out, I can't tell where you live and whether steel feet with standard 4" ht is enough to stand above snow.
Solid brass hinges are a good choice, but even these will tarnish and need lacquer coated protection.
In essence, the elements can ruin even the best work, and your clients should be made aware of how corrosive nature is on outdoor cabinetry.
I'd suggest to them to instead use solid surface material like Corian or Wilsonart;it's basically indestructible.
Edited 3/17/2005 11:54 am ET by JACKPLANE
Mike,
Sounds like a cool project.
My guess is that marine grade ply would be more durable than MDO. However, my understanding is that MDO (or at least certain grades of it) are used to make signs for outdoor use, so it may work for your application. My lumber yard sells marine ply in douglas fir. That would be my cost saving suggestion to you (for any of the panels which will not be seen.)
BTW, Ipe would work (and would be less costly than teak) but it is hard and heavy. However, it may not be any harder on cutters than teak, which is notoriously bad. I have not worked with teak, but I have worked with Ipe and it is very slow. Plan on extra time for cutting/drilling/fastening it. Again, I haven't worked with teak, but compared to anything else you would want to revise your man hours upward if using Ipe. Check the archives.
Cheers
Kyle
mike,
I would post this question over in BT.
I wouldn't use MDO. It won't survive. I would look into the types of wood that boat builders are using. You might want to consider using West Systems epoxy to seal the inside and outside of doors and the boxes.
I hope your using stainless steel for the legs. Or at least painted steel.
FWIW. I have a built in bbq in my yard. It's made out of steel studs, tile board, stucco, stone and tile. What's killing it is the moisture building up inside during the cold weather. So make sure all you cabinets are well ventilated.
Hope this helps.
Mike, as I recall you live in Texas -- and if that's the case, I assume you won't have to worry about snow accumulation, which creates all sorts of problems for outdoor furniture/cabinets. I think you're on the right track as far as wood selection is concerned. These folks who are warning you off MDO are just plain wrong. It is at the top of the heap when it comes to durability through any kind of weather. You can buy it with the overlay (the "O" in MDO) on either one or both sides -- and if you haven't actually seen it, the overlay looks a little like a plain brown paper bag. It is intended for paint, and if that's what you have in mind for a finish, you couldn't go wrong with this stuff. As an alternative to paint, I really like the solid stains often used for houses. My particular favorite is Cabot's OVT line --a solid stain (as opposed to semi-transparent) that is available in either latex or oil. If you haven't used it, this kind of stuff is great, since unlike paint, the finish just kind of wears away. When you recoat, you just have to give it a quick, light sanding, and glop it on.You mentioned Ipe too. As you may know, along with Ipe, there are a variety of other species now being imported -- mostly for upscale decks. There is a large wholesale yard in my area that is selling stuff they call Brazilian Cherry, and Brazilian mahogany. I built a bunch of outdoor furniture out of the former, which was surprising cheap -- at least when compared to more typical furniture grade hardwoods. So before you make your final wood decisions, you might want to call a few yards in your area that cater to deck builders, and see what they have -- or could get for you.
Edited 3/18/2005 12:59 am ET by nikkiwood
Hi everyone
Thanks. Nikki, Ive heard a lot about MDO on breaktime and the JLC site. It sounds very durable. I planned to faux finish the interior to give a wood look. Now that I have a board of teak in the shop I am in love. That is really a beautifull wood. However I know that the tones will quickly fade to a silver-grey. You are correct I'm in the Dallas area, winters are easy, the summers are brutal. Rapid humidity swings, 105 plus days. Heck we have 100 degree nights! I will check out the other options for woods.
Thanks for all the input,
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
I made a error on the MDO, as nikkiwood pointed out, it is rated for outdoor use.
MDO is often confused with MDF --- maybe that was the problem. MDF is decidedly not appropriate for an outdoor applications.
I am planning on using stainless levelers, however I can't find them. Woodworkers supply has a set that are 6" tall, but that is too tall and they are like $24 each! I've searched around to no avail. Any recomendations for a supplier?
Thanks for the advice,
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
You might try Mcmaster-Carr.
http://www.mcmaster.com
Hope this helps.Hi, I'm Len and I'm a Toolaholic...
I've used MDO (exterior rated) on outdoor projects with good success. I made some playground furniture for a pre-school at Cornell several years ago and they still look like new with the beating the kids give them. The one caveat I'd recommend: always seal the edges with epoxy. I also recommend you use an oil based primer and acrylic top coat.
Norse
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