Custom Grill Island Instructions

Determine where you want to place your grill island. Check the area with a carpenter’s level to make sure the area is even and level the ground if it needs it. Ideally, you should place the patio on a solid surface, such as a deck or concrete patio.

Measure the width and depth of your grill with a measuring tape. Use these measurements to determine the width and depth of your grill island. You will want enough additional room on either side of the grill on which to set plates, utensils, marinades and grilling trays.

Measure and cut eight 2-by-6-inch sections of pretreated pine lumber with a circular saw -- four sections for the width and four for the depth. Miter the ends at 45-degree angles with a miter saw.

Assemble the grill frame top and bottom. Form the frames by placing two width sections and two depth sections into a rectangle -- the mitered ends should fit together. Drill pilot holes through the corners and fasten the corners together with 3-inch wood screws using a screwdriver. Repeat with the remaining width and depth sections.

Measure and cut two sections of 2-by-6-inch lumber equal to the interior depth of the island frame top. Place the sections inside the frame top far enough apart to support the grill. Drill pilot holes through the frame top into the ends of these sections and secure them with 3-inch wood screws.

Measure cement backer board sheets for the front, back and sides of your grill island. Score the sheets with a scoring tool and snap away the excess, using a metal straightedge as a guide. Bend the backer board toward the scored line to make a clean break. Measure, score and snap two additional sheets for the top of the island -- these sheets will fit on either side of the grill supports.

Set the cement backer sheets in place against the front, back and sides of the frames. Drill pilot holes through the sheets into the wood of the frames at 4-inch intervals and secure the sheets to the frame with 3-inch screws. The grill island should now resemble a large box with the cement backer sheets on the outside.

Attach stone or ceramic tiles to the cement backer sheets with thinset mortar. You may need to cut some of the tiles to fit with a wetsaw. Apply grout between the tiles with a grout float and wipe away the excess with a damp sponge as the grout begins to dry.

Set the grill into place on the grill supports.