Outdoor Kitchen Countertops

Upgrade your outdoor space with custom countertops designed to impress. Elite Stone Countertop Design fabricates and installs countertops for outdoor kitchens and BBQ areas in Dallas, TX and across Dallas-Fort Worth. We have done outdoor kitchen upgrades before and after, from concept to installation. You or your builder put up the base; we measure it, fabricate the top and set it. Call (469) 478-0220 for a free estimate.

Outdoor Kitchen Countertops in Dallas, TX

Dallas is hard on anything left outside. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Dallas-Fort Worth airport count 106.2 days a year with a high of 90°F or more, and 20.3 days at 100°F or more. The same normals count 29.2 days a year when the low drops to 32°F or below, and 37.01 inches of rain. So an outdoor top here takes months of direct sun and heat, heavy rain and storms, and a few freezes each winter.

Sun fades some materials and heats dark stone until it is too hot to lean on. Rain soaks into porous stone, and water that freezes inside it can open small cracks over the years. A top for a Dallas patio has to take UV, heat, water and the odd freeze, with a finish that does not turn slick when wet.

Which Stones Work Outdoors

• Granite. The usual choice. It is a dense natural stone that takes sun and the heat around a grill well, and a sealed granite top sheds rain. Lighter colors stay cooler in afternoon sun than black or deep brown. Some granite slabs are filled with resin at the factory, and that resin can dull in strong sun. More on the stone on our granite countertops page.
• Quartzite. A hard natural stone that handles sun and heat well. Like granite it absorbs some water, so it is sealed outdoors.
• Porcelain. A fired material, so UV does not fade it and heat does not hurt it, and it absorbs almost no water. Its slabs are thin, so they need a solid, flat base, and the edges chip more easily than stone. Our porcelain countertops page covers it.
• Quartz: generally not in direct sun. Quartz is ground quartz bound with resin, and that resin can yellow or discolor in long direct sun and does not like direct high heat. Under a deep, fully covered patio it can work; on an open patio, pick a natural stone or porcelain. Our quartz countertops page explains the material.
• Marble: only in shade, with care. Marble is softer and more porous, and it etches from acids such as citrus, marinades and wine. In a shaded, covered spot and kept sealed it can work, and it will weather over time.

How Tall, How Deep: Size, Thickness and Edges

A typical outdoor working counter is about 36 inches tall, the same as an indoor kitchen, and a bar top for stools usually sits higher, around 42 inches. Depth commonly runs about 24 to 26 inches with the overhang, and deeper, around 30 inches, where a built-in grill drops in. The grill maker's guide sets the final numbers.

Most outdoor tops are 3 cm stone, stiff enough to span the base without a plywood layer underneath, which matters outside, where plywood would rot. Keep the edge simple: an eased or slightly rounded edge chips less than a sharp one. A drip edge, a shallow groove cut under the front overhang, stops rain from running back along the underside onto the base. A honed or leathered finish shows less glare and water spotting in full sun than a polished one.

Grill Cutouts, Sinks and Heat

A built-in grill drops into an opening cut in the top to the grill maker's cutout size, so the exact grill model is needed before we measure. Stone takes the heat around a grill well, but the grill's installation guide sets the clearances and says whether the base needs an insulated jacket. That jacket is part of the base, built by others.

A sink outdoors works like one inside: we cut the opening and set the sink, and a licensed plumber runs and connects the water and drain. A gas line to the grill or a side burner is work for a licensed plumber or gas fitter, and moving a gas line may need a permit from your city.

Sealing, Shade and Drainage

Natural stone outdoors is usually sealed, and sun and rain wear the sealer down faster than indoor use does. A simple test tells you when: water that beads up means the sealer is working; water that darkens the stone within a few minutes means it is time. Porcelain needs no sealing.

Shade helps every material. A covered patio or pergola keeps the top cooler to the touch and slows weathering, and it is the only place to consider marble. An outdoor top is often set with a very slight slope away from the house so rain does not pool, and the base should let water out rather than trap it.

How an Outdoor Countertop Job Goes

The base comes first. Masonry, block or a framed island is built by your builder or a contractor, or it is already there; we fabricate and install the top. Once the base and appliances are set, we come to you for measurements, you choose the slab, and we cut it with its grill and sink openings. On install day the pieces are set, leveled and seamed, and the plumber connects the sink after. It is the same fabrication and installation process as indoors.

We serve Dallas, Rockwall and towns across Dallas-Fort Worth. Call (469) 478-0220 for a free estimate.

Planning an Outdoor Kitchen?

Call (469) 478-0220 for a free estimate.

Get a Free Estimate

Get a Free Estimate