Outdoor Cabinetry?

[Eric Puryear]

I'm being asked to provide millwork for an outdoor server station at a restaurant. This cabinet is exposed to the elements. This just screams problem. The carcase of the cabinet is pvc and it will be covered with painted wood to make it look like a wood cabinet. How would you account for movement? I assume mortise and tenon joints without glue and a floating panel for the doors to allow for maximum movement, but one could almost go the opposite direction and use a stable material like mdo and glue it all up tight.

Any experience with this type of exposed condition?

[Mel Fulks]

In my experience this is the kind of thing that just doesn't materialize .Client might just buy some surplus metal thing.Good luck though. I like MDO ,quite durable ,for the record it can last longer than marine plywood ...unless UNDER water.

[Jerry Miner]

Been there. Done that. For a panel door, I think you can go ahead and glue the joints (I would)--there's not that much movement in a narrow stile. MDO is a good choice for the panel. With MDO I would glue the panel in, too.

Another approach I have used is a plank door with T&G boards and cleats on the back (include a diagonal)---leaving room between the boards so they can move independently.

Species will matter. Here in CA where I am, redwood is the default species, but I've used WRC successfully, too. QS or VG will move less (about half) than flat sawn.

[Jamie Buxton]

Will they let you make the exterior board-and-batten? That'd be really long-lived. Wood is okay with occasionally getting wet, as long as it can dry out again. The reason board-and-batten lasts so long on house exteriors is that the water immediately drains off. There's no horizontal surfaces or interior pockets (that is, mortises) where water can stay and rot the wood. Another good thing about board-and-batten is that it lets solid wood expand and contract without stressing the wood, or causing gaps to allow water infiltration.

If you need a door in the station, you can also make it board-and-batten. On the inside, you have horizontal rails to screw the vertical boards to, and you have diagonal rails to stop sagging.

[Andy Pratt]

If it is painted you could use treated wood then you don't have to worry about the exposure part. If you don't want the stigma of using treated wood in a woodworking project pick your choice of species that does ok outdoors, none of them are great until you get into the really pricey stuff (teak, ipe, cumaru). Pick a design style that doesn't accentuate tight joints (i.e. shiplap or board and bat not frame and panel). If they aren't going to at least keep it out of the rain this is probably a bad idea and you should be careful to manage their long term expectations about it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm being asked to provide millwork for an outdoor server station at a restaurant.

The first thing you need to check is - what's going to fly with the health inspector.
Treated may hold up - but - it could also be a violation & the health inspector could delay or even deny the business to open until it was corrected.
It's not worth the risk of going ahead until you know for sure if there will or will not be any issues.

[Anthony Albano]

We use a product for exterior signs called "Extira" looks like MDF, but is made with exterior glue and wood flour. Its a "green" product and can be shaped/carved, etc. Have been using it for signs for at least 10 years, no call backs....

[Curt Harms]

The fact that it's going to be painted should make your life simpler. MDO is used for highway signs and seems pretty durable in that role. White (not Red) oak seems to stand up to exterior use pretty well. Think about drainage as Jamie says. I made a couple trellises from borg 2 X 3 s and sprayed a couple coats of exterior WB enamel. They've been up for 5 years and still look like new but they're protected from direct sun and not really subjected to driving rain.