Wet kitchens are a must-have in many Malaysian homes. Anyone who cooks regularly at home knows that it’s better to have separate wet and dry kitchens; where the wet is for proper cooking, and the dry is for ready meal prep, snacks or entertaining.
Wet kitchens are great if you love frying sambal or simmering kari ikan, because you have a dedicated space to handle the smoke, grease and steam. But when you are doing your wet kitchen renovation, without careful, integrated planning for airflow, drainage, and materials, it can quickly turn into a mouldy, smelly, and greasy area that will never feel clean.
The Overlooked Challenge in Wet Kitchen Renovations
One mistake that homeowners make is over-focusing on the aesthetics, but without a well-thought-out system for ventilation, drainage, and durability, all the steam, smoke, and potent cooking smells simply hang in the air, spreading throughout the house. Your walls will turn black with grease, and your cabinets will start to fall apart.
Here are the nine essential things to plan and discuss with your renovation contractor for the kitchen:
1. Drainage
A wet kitchen needs to handle water effortlessly. After cooking, you want to be able to use a water scoop and splash it straight on the floor. Add a bit of detergent to cut the grease, and your floor will be clean and grease-free.
But, where does all that water go? Poor drainage leads to stagnant puddles, moisture buildup, bad smells, and rats. Here are essential items to improve drainage:
- A Sloped Floor: The floor must have a slight, carefully constructed slope towards the drain. A 1-degree slope is the common recommended amount.
- Modern Floor Traps: Avoid using the simple white plastic drain covers, as rats can easily enter through it. Use a modern floor trap made of SUS 304 stainless steel. You can even ask your renovation contractor to dig a long drainage trench and put in a steel drainage channel.
2. Ventilation
The next problem is how to quickly move smoke and smells outside, and prevent it from stinking up your living room. For that, you need to separate the wet kitchen from the rest of the house, and also use ventilation or filtration, or both.
- Doors: An aluminium-framed glass sliding or bi-fold door to block off your kitchen will be ideal. It effectively contains the cooking odours while allowing light to pass through, preventing the kitchen from feeling like a dark cave. Or if you want even more access, you can create a kitchen serving window.
- A Powerful Hood is Essential: Underestimating this is the most common mistake. It’s preferable to have a ducted kitchen hood (not recirculating) with high suction power. Look for a hood with suction power of at least 1,400 m³/hr. Some brands include Fotile, Rinnai, or Elba. If you don’t want a hood, then you should invest in a 25cm ventilation fan installed high up the wall. This helps to exhaust the fumes to the outside. Reliable brands include KDK or Panasonic.
3. Cabinets and Countertops
Your wet kitchen will be exposed to constant water, oil, and heat. So your material choices need to be durable
- Countertops: Choose non-porous and durable worktops. For wet kitchen, the classic choice is a solid concrete countertop base topped with large-format porcelain tiles. This is almost indestructible and handles hot woks directly. If you want a modern look, you can go for an engineered quartz countertop. It’s non-porous and highly resistant to stains from turmeric and curry.
- Cabinets & Shelving: While you can get away with wooden cabinets, make sure they have a layer of laminate and plastic edging to keep water out. For an even more waterproof solution, a recommended choice is a full aluminium cabinet system. The entire structure is 100% waterproof, rust-proof, and termite-proof. Or if you don’t want full aluminium, you can also build a concrete base with aluminium doors only. Avoid melamine chipboard or particleboard as they will absorb moisture, swell, and disintegrate quickly.
4. Layout & Electrical Points
A poor layout creates inefficiency and frustration.
- Layout by Zones: Plan your workflow in zones: Wet Zone (sink) -> Prep Zone (counter) -> Hot Zone (stove). Ensure there is at least 60-90cm of clear counter space in the Prep Zone between the sink and stove.
- Safe Electrical Points: All sockets must be placed high up and away from the sink. If you like, you can also use weatherproof sockets with integrated waterproof covers (rated IP44 or higher). The entire kitchen circuit must be protected by a sensitive 10mA or 30mA RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breaker) for safety against electric shock and power trips.
- Plan for Appliances: Map out where your rice cooker, blender, kettle, and air fryer will live. Place multiple sockets at these workstations to avoid using unsafe extension cords. It may not be a good idea to use electrical power tracks here, as the grease may clog up the tracks and get into the brushes (yuck!).
5. Sink & Taps
The sink area is the centre of wet kitchen activity. So it needs to be large and functional.
- Go for a Large, Deep, Single-Bowl Sink. This is far more practical for washing a large kuali or big pots than a shallow or double-bowl sink. An undermount SUS 304 Stainless Steel sink is the professional’s choice.
- A Flexible Faucet: Invest in a high-arc, pull-out spray faucet. The height accommodates large pots, and the spray makes rinsing the entire sink and bulky vegetables effortless. If you can pull it out, it can even work as a hose to clean the countertops and floor.
6. Wall Finish
Walls get splattered daily. Standard paint will peel, stain, and grow mould. Instead of paint, go for:
- Full-Height Wall Tiling: Tile the walls from floor to ceiling using large-format porcelain tiles to minimise grout lines.
- Use Epoxy Grout: This is a crucial upgrade. Ask your contractor to use epoxy grout instead of standard cement grout. It is waterproof, stain-proof, and will not grow black mould, saving you countless hours of scrubbing.
7. Gas Tong Storage
Your LPG gas cylinder must be stored correctly for safety.
- The Vented Cabinet: The cabinet housing the cylinder must have ventilation louvres or holes in the door to allow any potential gas leaks to dissipate safely. A sealed cabinet is a serious safety hazard.
- External Enclosure: Another method is to place the cylinder in a small, secure enclosure outside the kitchen, with a pipe running through the wall to the stove.
8. Lighting for Safety and Cleanliness
A dim kitchen is dangerous and hides dirt. You should have two layers of lighting for your wet kitchen:
- General Lighting: Use a bright, ceiling-mounted LED light in a “Daylight” colour temperature (6000K-6500K) for clear, white light.
- Task Lighting: Install LED strip lights under your overhead cabinets. This illuminates your countertop directly, eliminating shadows cast by your body while you work.
9. Design for Ergonomics and Comfort
A kitchen built to the wrong dimensions can cause physical strain.
- Custom Countertop Height: The standard countertop is 85-90cm height. If you want to adjust it, a good rule of thumb is that the counter should be about 10-15cm below your bent elbow.
- Lowered Stove Area: Consider making the stove section of the counter slightly lower (e.g., 80cm). This provides better leverage and visibility for stirring large, deep pots, reducing shoulder strain.
Your Pre-Renovation Checklist: Questions for Your Contractor
Use this checklist to ensure you and your contractor are aligned on the critical details.
- Drainage: Is the floor sloped correctly towards the drain? Are we using a floor trap with a built-in pest and odour seal?
- Ventilation: What is the suction power of the proposed cooker hood, and will it be ducted outside? Where is the best place for an additional exhaust fan for cross-ventilation?
- Electrical: Have we mapped out all appliance locations for socket placement? Is the circuit protected by a sensitive RCCB?
- Materials: Can you confirm we are using 100% waterproof materials (Aluminium/Concrete/Quartz) for all cabinets and countertops? Will you be using epoxy grout for the walls and floor?
- Layout: Is there sufficient counter space between the sink and stove for food preparation?
Create a wet kitchen that looks great and lasts a long time
Let our renovation contractors plan your kitchen ventilation, drainage, layout, and pick the right materials as your start your construction. Get quotes from trusted and verified renovation contractors in Malaysia within 24 hours at Recommend.my.
