DIY cabinet approaches

[larrie]

The idea of making T&G panels could work. You will need to glue them to a back board like 1/8" plywood so they would stay together as they get cut and assembled. Another thought is to attach them to 1x2 strips at the top center and bottom to make the panels.

Installing the finished floor after the cabinets is what we are doing. That way if the floor gets damaged it is easy to replace without removing the cabinets. Just make sure that the top of the finish floor is below the floor of the cabinets. Otherwise you could have problem with your cabinet doors.

[86Scotty]

I have put flooring down before and after cabinets. If done before you better make sure you like it because it's a lot of work to change!


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[mrsa1]

Hmm yeah tough call. It would make attaching the cabinetry to the floor easier so i dont have to drill through the finished floor. especially because I built my subfloor as a furring strip frame with only an 1/8" plywood top. so i HAVE to hit those furring strips.

Might make my idea of using threaded inserts in the subfloor to attach the cabinetry a little easier to do as well since I should be able to easily get the inserts in a stud, then I can build all my cabinetry with a say, 1/2" plywood bottom, that i bolt through wherever the insert happens to be.

might make my slide out "bench to bed" a little trickier since now the slide out part will be sitting a little higher when resting on the finished floor.

Ill have to think about this one a bit

[mrsa1]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

I have put flooring down before and after cabinets. If done before you better make sure you like it because it's a lot of work to change!


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do you have a preference one way or the other? my biggest priority is strength, for that reason im leaning towards securing cabinets first. im trying to start securing stuff down tomorrow, hopefully.

[boywonder]

The inserts in the floor sound like a fine idea.....and putting studs in them will make servicing the cabinets easier since you won't be searching for the holes since you would be sliding the cabinets over the studs just takes a little work to install the inserts....and you will have nuts on the bottom shelf/floor of the cabinet

If your biggest concern is cabinet strength dadoing, gluing and screwing is going to be significantly more robust than using L brackets, although again it's more labor.

[johnolden]

I found the L brackets SMB used to connect the cabinets to the floor interfered with sliding things into and out of the cabinets. I replaced the L brackets with Kreg Pocket Hole Screws. I had to shorten the Kreg jig to accomplish the drilling. Now there is nothing on the floor to hinder sliding things in & out.

[TomH]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

For simplicity I have always mimicked Sportsmobile's idea of putting plywood cabinets together with lots and lots of angle brackets (L brackets).

I have used angle iron or angle aluminum with regularly spaced holes on several cabinets and one storage bed. All were solid as a boulder, couldn't force movement anywhere. Where possible, I've used small bolts, washers, and locknuts rather than wood screws. That makes the joinery stronger than the attached wood. If you try to demolish it with a maul, the wood breaks, but the joints don't fail. Washers are needed to gain tightness/high compression without the nut and bolt heads countersinking from high torque.

High quality wall anchors are important for an off road vehicle and I really liked the rotating push button cabinet latches that were on my Tiger. They do not vibrate open.

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Repla.../dp/B00N3HT7GK

Scroll down to see others.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by mrsa1

do you have a preference one way or the other? my biggest priority is strength, for that reason im leaning towards securing cabinets first. im trying to start securing stuff down tomorrow, hopefully.

I do not have a preference personally. If you're putting down carpet it's certainly easier to lay it first, then you have some cushioning for your cabinets and for the storage areas under a bed or whatever, so things don't slide around and rattle. As for me, I don't think I would ever put carpet down in a van again. I prefer insulation, then plywood, then cabinets and rubber flooring cut to fit around the cabinets. If you're doing a solid flooring like the dot stuff I would definitely lay it before cabinets.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by TomH

I have used angle iron or angle aluminum with regularly spaced holes on several cabinets and one storage bed. All were solid as a boulder, couldn't force movement anywhere. Where possible, I've used small bolts, washers, and locknuts rather than wood screws. That makes the joinery stronger than the attached wood. If you try to demolish it with a maul, the wood breaks, but the joints don't fail. Washers are needed to gain tightness/high compression without the nut and bolt heads countersinking from high torque.

High quality wall anchors are important for an off road vehicle and I really liked the rotating push button cabinet latches that were on my Tiger. They do not vibrate open.

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Repla.../dp/B00N3HT7GK

Scroll down to see others.

The latches that TomH has linked to above (and many other RV/Marine latches) are available as "Southco" the original brand name and various knock-offs these days...some of the knock-offs are better than others, and the Southco products are, as expected a little pricier than the knockoffs.

The Southco catalog/website shows all of the relevant mounting dimensions, hole size, panel thickness, setback, etc. for lots of these latches. Finding the exact correct P/N can sometimes be tricky.