OK what do people use for cabinet fabrication?

[Big_ern_101]

I am going to redo some of my interior in my van this spring and do a little more building. What wood materials are folks having the most success with?

Is everyone just using 7 ply or 13 ply prefinished birch?

Is there a source of prelaminated ply with formica or similar to give a nicer finish that is more durable than paint?

https://www.formica.com/en-us/products/lamtrade/06942

Saw a few vans with some awesome topographic map looking plywood, really dug that.

 

[Cummins_Expo]

Depending where you are located you might be able to source directly from the local importer/wholesale house. Many have advanced offerings such as formica glue up and surface finishes. You can also do your own layup with core of your choice couple of good diy videos on youtube.

 

[Big_ern_101]

I am not opposed to doing my own layup of Formica over a 1/2 or 3/4 ply, looking for a source of good formica options if thats the best way to go.

 

[N147JK]

High pressure laminate is good, but real hardwood plywood looks better and creates a warmer interior. Your senses know it's real wood when you're inside. Side note.. lighter colors (and unblocked windows) will produce the affect of a larger, roomier interior.

 

[Steve C]

I second N147JK’s opinion on using wood, but sounds like you’ve already decided on laminate over a woodlike substrate. If going with wood, I like a hardwood ply for the cabinet carcass with solid hardwood for the drawer/door fronts. For a finish, consider not staining the cabinets and just going with a finish such as polyurethane. Any damage can then be fixed with spot application of the same finish. Best to check with your local lumberyards to see what plywood they can source - mine seems to use different suppliers based on availability at the time…

 

[aarcaris]

I think getting a nice unfinished birch ply and laminating it yourself with an HPL you like is the best way to go. That’s what I did for my full interior build, and it worked out great—it honestly wasn’t too hard to do.

I ordered my HPL from Cabinetparts.com.

It’s been very durable and allowed for better customization since we could ensure that the grain pattern of the HPL was in the correct orientation, rather than being locked into a grain direction already on pre-laminated sheet goods. This gave us better yield from the plywood. Additionally, we were able to laminate the interior of our cabinets a different color than the exterior, which added a nice touch.

Here are a few pictures of the cabinets:

Link to my build where I did the cabinets:

Build thread post #87-#90 about Cabinets​

Build Thread:

"Vandit" A Build Thread​

 

[doublevan2]

Is that a butane stove on the drop down - nice - what brand ?

 

[aarcaris]

Is that a butane stove on the drop down - nice - what brand ?

It is a Snowpeak Home & Camp Butane Stove. It is kinda pricey for a butane stove, but it works well and the biggest selling point to me was the fact that it collapses down small enough to fit in my door pocket behind my fold-up table.

 

[1der]

It is a Snowpeak Home & Camp Butane Stove. It is kinda pricey for a butane stove, but it works well and the biggest selling point to me was the fact that it collapses down small enough to fit in my door pocket behind my fold-up table.

Very cool stove. But the way our cooking goes we would have to have something underneath to catch the mess! :n5:

 

[doublevan2]

A dog - you gotta get a dog for clean up -

 

[N147JK]

A dog - you gotta get a dog for clean up -

Or a goat. Goats will eat anything, even your trash.

 

[bidgoodr]

I used 3/4" baltic birch plywood which I connected with pocket screws from Kreig. For trim is used 1"x2" poplar. You can check out my blogger post for more pix. https://2017tvc.blogspot.com/2024/06/modifications.html

 

[vandiesel]

I used 3/4" baltic birch plywood which I connected with pocket screws from Kreig. For trim is used 1"x2" poplar. You can check out my blogger post for more pix. https://2017tvc.blogspot.com/2024/06/modifications.html

I did the same thing.

 

[IanF-SMB]

A combination of 3/4" and 1/2" ply. along with all of the thinner variants where they can be used. It's always a challenge between strength vs. weight. And usually furniture-grade to reduce the amount of unfortunately located voids in the plywood.

 

[joeaeti]

I am not great on the finish so our next interior re-do I am goign to use aluminum extrusion for framing and ply with peel and stick laminates and edge banding. Southco hardware. That should end up looking a little better and be strong enough to hold together in an accident

 

[1der]

I am not great on the finish so our next interior re-do I am goign to use aluminum extrusion for framing and ply with peel and stick laminates and edge banding. Southco hardware. That should end up looking a little better and be strong enough to hold together in an accident

If using the AL extrusion, strongly consider the Schedule 10 - 1" material. The Sched 15 is overkill and very heavy.

If you are sliding the panels into the extrusion slots then your edge banding will be minimal.

 

[dbhost]

I am coming to the party of this thread a little late, just saw it so here goes nothing.

So I have been going through and measuring where I can, the thickness of the orginal materials. Everything I can get a caliper on measures ~.75" thickness, and it is almost all factory Sportsmobile stuff.

I am a BIG fan of natural wood look. If I were custom building a camper van from a bare metal cargo van I would use simulated beadboard plywood stained "Golden Pecan" and given a couple of good coats of urethane... For me that is a VERY comfortable space. Kind of my cabin in the woods as it were.

If light weight is critical say in an E150 build, then seriously consider using Poor Mans Fiberglass. Basically fabric over rigid foam with a stiffening / adhesive like Titebond II or Glidden Gripper. (Check out the foamie / Teardrop trailer builders) . You can laminate over that to get the look you want.

Birch is nice and stable, and can be laminated against fairly well if that is the look you are going for. It is lighter than say pine or oak, but not by a lot...

Whatever you use, steer clear of Melamine / MDF / Particleboard. The stuff cuts easily sure, and is cheap, for a reason... It soaks up moisture so if you ever have a leak, it's done for.

 

[bidgoodr]

I am going to redo some of my interior in my van this spring and do a little more building. What wood materials are folks having the most success with?

Is everyone just using 7 ply or 13 ply prefinished birch?

Is there a source of prelaminated ply with formica or similar to give a nicer finish that is more durable than paint?

6942 Charcoal Boomerang - Formica® Laminate - Commercial

Saw a few vans with some awesome topographic map looking plywood, really dug that.

I used 3/4" baltic birch plywood which I connected with pocket screws from Kreig. For trim is used 1"x2" poplar. You can check out my blogger post for more pix. Blogger Modifications

 

[larrie-SMB]

I used 1/2” Baltic birch with a simple screw connection at the corners and all cabinets screwed together. This made for lighter cabinets and a bit more storage space. The cabinets are frameless. This became a problem as I could not find hardware to for the thinner panels.

 

[vandiesel]

I did the same as larrie and bidgoodr. Baltic and kreig and wood countertops.