In this video, This Old House carpenter Nathan Gilbert heads to Portland, Oregon to help a homeowner build an outdoor mud kitchen for her home daycare play area.

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Carpenter Nathan Gilbert helps a homeowner and daycare provider update her outdoor play space with a mud kitchen. Nathan has all the materials they’ll need, including pressure-treated framing, cedar paneling, and composite decking. The pair work together to build the frame and shelf before installing a sink, creating knobs from scrap lumber, and installing hooks for organization.

When a homeowner realized that her home daycare’s outdoor play space could use an upgrade, she knew a mud kitchen project was on the horizon. She called the Ask This Old House team for help building this feature. Carpenter Nathan Gilbert is fresh off building his own daughter’s daycare a mud kitchen, so he knew just what to do.

Difficulty: ⅖
Time: One day
Cost: Around $400

However, when that’s not possible, Heath’s suggestion is to find a breaker identification template online. These templates can be adjusted to fit any space, allowing users to stick them above the breakers, below, or even on the door (as long as they don’t hide the panel's identification label). Heath suggests having these labels printed on adhesive-backed paper and adhering them to the panel.

Where to find it?
Nathan will be building the frame using pressure treated 2x4’s [https://homedepot.sjv.io/4PKJZr] and 1x6 cedar [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zNk016]. Nathan starts by making the cuts for the frame using a miter saw [https://homedepot.sjv.io/AWAyVj]. He then secures the frame using GRK 3-1/4 inch framing screws [https://homedepot.sjv.io/VmWQLE].

For the counter top, Nathan is using composite decking [https://homedepot.sjv.io/nLzjkX]. He’ll be using a miter saw to make these cuts as well. Once the counters are secured with GRK 2-1/2 inch screws [https://homedepot.sjv.io/oqWGjm], Nathan fills in the screw holes using Cortex fasteners [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Y9x4Dj] that match the decking cortex.

Nathan uses a jig saw [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zNORYm] to cut out the circles of PVC board [https://homedepot.sjv.io/q4qkDL] for the stove top “burners.” To cut out the knobs for the stove, Nathan uses a hole saw [https://homedepot.sjv.io/LXGoaM]. The homeowner painted the “burners” with a matte black spray paint [https://homedepot.sjv.io/k0XQgL].

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Materials:
Pressure treated 2x4s [https://homedepot.sjv.io/4PKJZr]
Cedar tongue and groove paneling [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zNk016]
Composite decking [https://homedepot.sjv.io/nLzjkX]
Wood screws [https://homedepot.sjv.io/oqWGjm]
Composite decking screws [https://homedepot.sjv.io/VmWQLE]
Cortex fasteners [https://homedepot.sjv.io/Y9x4Dj]
Wood glue [https://homedepot.sjv.io/KjPqLn]
Hooks [https://homedepot.sjv.io/DKrgzb]
Black spray paint [https://homedepot.sjv.io/k0XQgL]
Small utility sink [https://homedepot.sjv.io/q4q3XN]
PVC boards [https://homedepot.sjv.io/q4qkDLb]

Tools:
Tape measure [https://homedepot.sjv.io/rQEBXy]
Miter saw [https://homedepot.sjv.io/AWAyVj]
Drill [https://homedepot.sjv.io/R50Wna]
Driver bits [https://homedepot.sjv.io/1r3LQx]
Speed square [https://homedepot.sjv.io/ZQD13g]
Nail gun [https://homedepot.sjv.io/B0QJoW]
Jig saw [https://homedepot.sjv.io/zNORYm]

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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.

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How to Build a Mud Kitchen for Kids | Ask This Old House
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