Hi --
Well, I'm now on "GreyDawg's build, v2" (turns out that it you're small enough to sleep comfortably crosswise in the back of the van, you're too small to reach the contents of a Thule roofbox, even with a 3-step stepladder. So storage needed to be reconfigured and you know what happens when you pull on a thread...
) The new configuration will be very similar to LenS' van, with most of the gear storage on a hitch-hauler platform.
Anyway, the frame of the cabinets and bunk are built of pine 2x2's and 1x2's, and lots of screws and glue. Top of the bunk is 1/2" plywood; the cabinet doors are 1/4" ply with 1/4" thick molding around the perimeter (dresses it up, and makes it thick enough to hold hinge and latch screws well).
Here's the question:
if I leave the wood raw, will it warp? Do I need to paint all of it (essentially encase it in latex) to prevent warping? The van will be in all sorts of climates, from the Gulf Coast to the Colorado Plateau, and north on to Alaska by summer 2012. So that pretty much runs the gamut from dry to humid, hot to freezing.
I like the look of wood -- could I use something like Minwax Polyshades (stain+polyurethane) or would the different woods (soft pine, BC ply, pine molding) all take the stain differently and thus look awful?
Thanks!