Drawer Fix
I don't know if a repair counts as a mod, but here goes:
After a month-long trip of over 3,000 miles, the drawer under our refrigerator broke. We have a 2011 Starcraft 235fb and we use the big, deep drawer under the frig for pots and pans, including a cast iron skillet. So that drawer holds a lot of weight. It has never been a problem for us, but during the 2nd to the last day of our month long journey, I guess the bumpy roads were just too much.
The chipboard wood on either side of the drawer (where the drawer slides attach) simply broke out. I was able to glue them back in place so the fake-wood paper veneer looks good again. But looking at how that drawer and the slides were anchored convinced me to re-do the entire guts. The front of the slides were attached to the chipboard with one tiny screw on each side that was about 1/2 inch long. The back of the slides were attached to a thin piece of plywood that was hanging from above (the underside of the frig support) by another thin piece of plywood. They were all attached with staples, including the rear of the drawer slides - one staple on each side.
I ripped all this out, used 3/4 lumber and braced this new backing to the floor. At the front, I screwed and glued more 3/4 inch wood to the back of the chipboard and anchored the drawer glides to this. I used long screws for all the attachments. I'm pretty sure this setup will be strong enough to hold anything we put in the drawer. I'm just surprised that the drawer held up so long with such cheesy carpentry from the factory. Yes, I added a bit of weight with the heavier wood, but it will be well worth it in my opinion.
After a month-long trip of over 3,000 miles, the drawer under our refrigerator broke. We have a 2011 Starcraft 235fb and we use the big, deep drawer under the frig for pots and pans, including a cast iron skillet. So that drawer holds a lot of weight. It has never been a problem for us, but during the 2nd to the last day of our month long journey, I guess the bumpy roads were just too much.
The chipboard wood on either side of the drawer (where the drawer slides attach) simply broke out. I was able to glue them back in place so the fake-wood paper veneer looks good again. But looking at how that drawer and the slides were anchored convinced me to re-do the entire guts. The front of the slides were attached to the chipboard with one tiny screw on each side that was about 1/2 inch long. The back of the slides were attached to a thin piece of plywood that was hanging from above (the underside of the frig support) by another thin piece of plywood. They were all attached with staples, including the rear of the drawer slides - one staple on each side.
I ripped all this out, used 3/4 lumber and braced this new backing to the floor. At the front, I screwed and glued more 3/4 inch wood to the back of the chipboard and anchored the drawer glides to this. I used long screws for all the attachments. I'm pretty sure this setup will be strong enough to hold anything we put in the drawer. I'm just surprised that the drawer held up so long with such cheesy carpentry from the factory. Yes, I added a bit of weight with the heavier wood, but it will be well worth it in my opinion.
