Where to buy RV cabinets

TNGW1500SE wrote:

schl44 wrote:
Does anyone know where I could purchase new or used cupboards?

My wife finds things to buy on Facebook and Craigslist that she didn't even know we needed.

Lol! Mine sells stuff on FB & CL that she didn't even know we had! When she eventually runs out of unneeded stuff she hunts down around the house, I fear one day I'll go into the garage and all my tools will be gone. :E

I have often seen cabinets on CL where someone is doing a reno and wants them gone and you can sometimes get them for a song.

schl44 wrote:
Does anyone know where I could purchase new or used cupboards?

My wife finds things to buy on Facebook and Craigslist that she didn't even know we needed.

I would look around locally for a custom cabinet maker. I used one in the past and found him to be comparable to Home Depot and they were custom.

monkey44 wrote:
If you build it yourself -- HD or Lowe's has half inch plywood too, which is easier to use as it needs no addition face frame except for the door face ... unlike, quarter inch, half inch will glue and nail to itself.

If you build the cabinets yourself, and want some 'regular' cabinet doors, send me a PM and I'll hook you up with a door mfgr ... they will build to exact size and ship direct to you.

While half inch plywood can be used, it IS heavier in weight than framing with 2x2 and 1/4". The OP already is starting out disadvantaged using a HEAVY cargo trailer compared to a RV trailer of same size..

You can even make bunks from 1/4" plywood with proper 2x2 frame that can easily stand 300 lbs laying on it. Don't try that with 1/2" plywood.

Additionally, using plywood only is a recipe for disaster, plywood tends to warp, a lot, if not properly reinforced and braced... Often sheets of plywood already have large warps right from the lumber yard. Making it difficult to make things that are plumb and square.

Been there, done that.

If you are in upstate South Carolina go to Concepts in wood.. Fair play (South of town the road between Youder's and the fire station) He can make 'em for you.

If you want to try and sign up for Thousand Trails while shopping Concepts in wood (Next door) Tell Janet I sent you :).

If you build it yourself -- HD or Lowe's has half inch plywood too, which is easier to use as it needs no addition face frame except for the door face ... unlike, quarter inch, half inch will glue and nail to itself.

If you build the cabinets yourself, and want some 'regular' cabinet doors, send me a PM and I'll hook you up with a door mfgr ... they will build to exact size and ship direct to you.

myredracer wrote:
If you're not fussy about cabinet dimensions and finish, just go to IKEA, Lowes or other big box store and get standard ones. Some of them can be flippin' heavy tho. as they may be made from MDF. You can sometimes find used cabinets at building recycle places or on CL.

The way RV cabinets are put together is pretty straightforward and something any handyman type can do. You'll need a table saw and maybe a chop saw though. Doors are the same as you'd find in a house but the "wood" face frames are lightweight wood sorta like balsa wood with a very thin faux wood paper-ish wrap. Making a clean cut without messing up the faux wood wrap is a challenge and you can't sand the edges or use wood filler.

I ordered some 1x2 faux wood from our dealer to match our interior cabinetry when I made a new recessed storage cabinet from scratch (see below). The wall was originally blank with a large unused space behind it. I also ordered some standard size doors from the TT manufacturer. Some plywood suppliers have a wide range of thing plywood that could be used. You might be able to get standard luan from an RV dealer.

Upper RV cabinets usually have a hollow bottom which is sometimes used for wiring, receptacles & lights which can be helpful.

There's a few ways to put the face frames together - pocket screws, brads or biscuits. The luan plywood for bottoms, sides and interiors is usually stapled together with tiny staples but you can use an air nailer with short nails. Could use some construction adhesive too. If weight isn't much of a concern, you could use any 1x2 lumber like maple, oak, etc.

The inside of RV cabinets isn't always pretty like residential ones and you'll find 1x1 screwed into wall paneling. If you plan to put heavy stuff inside, you might want to fasten to wall studs and maybe even roof joists (I did that in a previous TT). The cabinet boxes are usually assembled with 1x1 (3/4"x3/4" actual) wood that looks like pine.

One nice thing about building your own is besides a custom size, is custom features you wouldn't normally get in an RV.

X2
With the exception of doors, most cabinet face frames are made of worse than particle board, it is like sawdust board covered with printed paper or vinyl with a wood like pattern. I have a frame I am rebuilding due to a case of Mermutts, using 1x oak, and a pocket screwing jig, it will likely weigh less the the sawdust boards it is replacing.

If you're not fussy about cabinet dimensions and finish, just go to IKEA, Lowes or other big box store and get standard ones. Some of them can be flippin' heavy tho. as they may be made from MDF. You can sometimes find used cabinets at building recycle places or on CL.

The way RV cabinets are put together is pretty straightforward and something any handyman type can do. You'll need a table saw and maybe a chop saw though. Doors are the same as you'd find in a house but the "wood" face frames are lightweight wood sorta like balsa wood with a very thin faux wood paper-ish wrap. Making a clean cut without messing up the faux wood wrap is a challenge and you can't sand the edges or use wood filler.

I ordered some 1x2 faux wood from our dealer to match our interior cabinetry when I made a new recessed storage cabinet from scratch (see below). The wall was originally blank with a large unused space behind it. I also ordered some standard size doors from the TT manufacturer. Some plywood suppliers have a wide range of thing plywood that could be used. You might be able to get standard luan from an RV dealer.

Upper RV cabinets usually have a hollow bottom which is sometimes used for wiring, receptacles & lights which can be helpful.

There's a few ways to put the face frames together - pocket screws, brads or biscuits. The luan plywood for bottoms, sides and interiors is usually stapled together with tiny staples but you can use an air nailer with short nails. Could use some construction adhesive too. If weight isn't much of a concern, you could use any 1x2 lumber like maple, oak, etc.

The inside of RV cabinets isn't always pretty like residential ones and you'll find 1x1 screwed into wall paneling. If you plan to put heavy stuff inside, you might want to fasten to wall studs and maybe even roof joists (I did that in a previous TT). The cabinet boxes are usually assembled with 1x1 (3/4"x3/4" actual) wood that looks like pine.

One nice thing about building your own is besides a custom size, is custom features you wouldn't normally get in an RV.

I might look at Ikea--not so much at their kitchen cabinets, but at some of their other miscellaneous wall-hung storage units. Possibly looking online would be easier than navigating the maze of an Ikea store.

Maybe also look at garage storage stuff/systems in Lowes, Home Depot, etc. I think some of them have metal and/or resin cabinets and boxes that look pretty sturdy and not super heavy.

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Do be careful of what you use.

Prefab cabinets from big box stores are nearly always made from particle board.

Aside from the weight issue, these cabinets are totally unsuitable for anything that moves down the road. They will break apart and wind up in pile of firewood on the floor. They are designed for in place use only, not moving.

RV cabinets are made from small dimensional lumber, and paneling or luan glued and stapled to it. They are much stronger and will withstand the bouncing around and flexing as you travel down the road.


They are very easy to fabricate, except the doors take a little more effort. But the cabinet boxes are amazingly simple. A small tablesaw, some KD spruce and off the shelf 1/8" paneling, wood glue and an 18 or 20 ga stapler and you're in business.

Fabricating your own is good advice and also can be very cost effective.

Build a simple wood frame from 2x2s, then glue and nail 1/4" paneling or luan to the frame. Doors can be 1/2" plywood or 1/2" plywood with oak or maple veneer.

You control the quality, you control the fit and finish and you make the cabinets fit to the space you have.

Prefab knock down stuff often is difficult to fit into your space, takes much more effort to assemble and the results is cheap looking junk in a couple of years.. And that is in a home that isn't moving constantly.