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becker's avatar
becker
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013

Tops on Night Stands

I have a 2008 Monaco Dynasty Emperor IV (north south king-size bed). On each side of the bed is a nightstand. We need to do some work on these nightstands so we need to remove the tops.

My question is: does anyone know how, or have experience removing these tops? How are they fastened on? Are they just glued on or are they screwed on? We have to put them back on so we cannot damage them.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

6 Replies

  • Pull out the drawers ,look up inside. There will likely be 4 to 6 wood screws holding the Top to the sides. They are likely Robertson ...square headed screws, but may be Phillips head. take them out and pry the Top off. It is unlikely that they used any glue and they certainly won't be dovetailed !

    It doesn't matter if they are finished with CorIan or Arborite the Top will be a sheet of Plywood or Waferboard ,possibly K2 particleboard with a thin covering.

    It will come off and it can be reinstalled. You may or may not have the skills to do the job.
  • What are the tops made out of? If they are corian or a similar material they are probably glued on with some really good glue. You'll never get them off and be able to reuse them.
  • When you look into the stand with the drawers removed, see if you can remove attachment screws and then remove the whole cabinet. With it removed from the motorhome, it will be much easier to work on the top.

    Fred
  • If it was as well built as manufacturers like to claim, it would be all dovetailed and glued, you would have to remove it as a whole and disassemble like a 3D Chinese puzzle.

    Good chance otherwise that the top was either fastened from underneath, or from on top before the finish surface was laminated. Look inside for angle brackets, wooden gussets, fastening top to sides of cabinet.
  • RV cabinets are generally made and installed as a completed unit. In this case, I would think that the top was fastened when the cabinet was in the cabinet shop. The top was likely fastened from the underside. If it has a door or drawer on the front, look in to see you can see any screws going into the top. If so, remove them and hope the top comes off. Not likely it is glued on. I think you may have a hard time accomplishing your task. Probably very tight space. There is the possibly that you might get it off, but may not be able to get it back on. Good luck.