DIY: Building A Mud Kitchen

Get out my (mud) kitchen!

Last Friday, my son turned 3.

To compliment his presents, the wife asked me to build a mud kitchen. "Absolutely darling, of course, easy...........no problem".

I always live on the edge, agreeing to things, then figuring it out later. In business, they tell you to "fake it, until you make it". I'm sure it applies to mud kitchens? Yes, no?

In fairness, I welcomed the challenge. After a brief look on Pinterest, I felt confident. I'd give it a go, and see what transpired.

This is a good project, for the aspiring DIY enthusiast. Fathers should embrace these creative opportunities. Flex your DIY muscles, and test your limits.

You aren't a man, until you've attempted the mud kitchen! 😆

What Is A Mud Kitchen?

In a nutshell, mud kitchens are outdoor workstations. They mimic a real kitchen, and are usually built from wood materials.  

Mud kitchens help to stimulate your child's creativity and imagination. Children can spend hours of fun, getting mucky in their mud kitchens. But it keeps them occupied and quiet, which is bliss!

Mud kitchens help to stimulate your child's creativity and imagination. 

You can buy commercial mud kitchens for around £70.00 ($95.00), but don't do that. Where's the fun in buying a mud kitchen? You can definitely build one cheaper.

Build one yourself, build it strong, build it sturdy. The ones I saw, looked poor quality. If a harsh British winter didn't destroy it, my 3 year old would. 

What You Will Need

Painting the pallets.

Wood pallets are a good option for a base, as they are solid and sturdy.

Pallets are readily available at DIY shops (if you ask nicely), and you only need two.

Fortunately, we procured our pallets from a neighbour, who'd completed some building work (cheers Emily!).

Decking board is fairly cheap too, at £3.00 a metre. You'll need several planks, but they can be cut to size. 

Be sure to purchase galvanised woodscrews, as they protect against rust. With these, you can screw the pallets together firmly, knowing they are weather resistant. You don't want to scrimp on these parts, or the kitchen won't last long.

Exterior wood paint will give it a nice finish. It protects the wood from rot, and gives a professional look. If you can hold a paintbrush, you can paint. So I got my wife and eldest son to paint the pallets. We opted for grey, but all colours work. Perhaps pink for girls?

The Finished Product

"Cup of tea and some toast, please pal!"

It took a few days, of juggling construction with my day job. I sacrificed some lunch breaks, to get the project finished. 

I also got fancy, adding things like a wash bowl, utensils, hooks and fake hobs.

I toyed with adding wheels, but soon canned the idea. I may do this eventually, to make the kitchen more mobile. They weigh a tonne!

I reckon the build price was about £50.00 ($70.00) all in. I could have done it cheaper, but I wanted it to look the nuts.

I'm fairly proud of it actually. Most importantly, my son loved it. Job done, nice one dad!

Final Thoughts

Give the 'mud kitchen' challenge a go.

DIY projects give us a sense of achievement and pleasure from life.

It's therapeutic to build something for your kids. Get creative, and build something unique and special for your children.