When you are dreaming big for that luxury outdoor kitchen, don’t forget to look down! Any stylish, long-lasting, comfortable outdoor room must start with an appropriate floor. Here are some factors to consider when selecting the right flooring material for your outdoor kitchen:

As with so many building projects, the adage “safety first” applies. “You should avoid glazed or porous tiles and stone since they can be slippery when wet. Materials that meet the safety criteria include concrete, brick, and natural stone. Ceramic tile is also a popular choice that offers a variety of colors and finishes to choose from and, in most cases, is adequate in terms of slip resistance.

Budget

After safety, consider your design needs and budget. Because of its affordability and durability, concrete is still far and away from the most popular outdoor flooring option. Stamping, coloring, or a rock-salt finish are increasingly popular ways of improving the appearance of concrete to meet today’s design trends.

On a modest budget, my favorite flooring choice is stamped or ‘impressed’ concrete. It can be expertly colored and stained to mimic real stone. One of my favorite options is bar-tile trim stamps mixed with cobblestone or Ashlar Cut patterns.

Concrete tiles are another option. Sold through tile and specialty building material wholesale dealers throughout the United States, Cal-Ga-Crete’s surface styles include variations of traditional mission and chateau pavers and replications of some surprisingly authentic-looking antique pavers. Its color pallet includes saturated, rich colors that can be quite effective in creating Spanish, Mexican, Italian, or French rustic styles, or a Pacific or Caribbean island effect.

Style

Stone texture-stamped concrete from The Green Scene.

When you’ve already used stone or brick in other outdoor rooms or landscaping, it’s also important to choose an outdoor kitchen floor that either matches or complements the style of those features.

Here are some style-flooring material matchups:

Contemporary: Slate or cast-concrete tiles designed to be outdoors, such as Cal-Ga-Crete or clean, washed concrete in integral colors

Tuscan: Tumbled pavers, deep-washed exposed aggregate, or stone-texture stamped concrete

English/Traditional: Brick or darker flagstones, washed concrete, or stamped cobblestone concrete

Tropical: Flagstone or faux rock, texture-stamped concrete

Old World: Repurposed brick, exposed aggregate, Windsor Cobblestone texture stamps, fleur-de-lis, and grapevine borders

Placement and Maintenance

It is also recommended to use stamps such as vintage grapevine detail or fleur-de-lis patterns to create a frame around the outdoor kitchen space. That can really help define the space in the same way an area rug does indoors.

For that matter, you may want to consider one of the many area rugs designed specifically for outdoor use. There are now a great variety of them and a lot of them are great-looking.

Appearance aside, take a couple of practical steps to make sure your outdoor floor lasts a long, long time. Be careful to select a stamp pattern that’s not too deep to drain or to allow you to set outdoor furniture level on top of it and be sure to apply a good-quality penetrating sealer around any floor that’s in the cooking or dining areas to protect your flooring from oil and wine spills.

Are you still questioning flooring for an outdoor kitchen? Look no further than PlumbTile. Our expert employees will be able to help you pick out the perfect flooring!