in the dark and stormy winter that is ours in the Pacific NorthWet, a girls thoughts of course turn towards summer camping and daydreams of a new trailer.

part of the daydreaming involves looking at all the neato weekender packages out there, both commercially installed and DIY.

I do wonder though, why does pretty much EVERYONE (with one notable DIY I saw) go with stained wood for cabinets, etc? It reminds me of dads rec room from the '70s (just missing the plaid fabric on the furniture) and is all dark and makes a wee dressing room look even smaller IMO.

is there a financial/structural/weight/durability reason to go with wood cabinets over metal or HIGH QUALITY laminates (ie bathroom ones tend to be made of materials that can stand up to humidty)? or even if wood is the lightest/cheapest best option, any reason not to just paint the wood vs staining it?

secondly, has anyone had any experience with adding cabinetry by putting in aftermarket hutches, kitchen islands, vanities, whatever? do you bolt them down, or just let them stand (figuring that if the trailer is moving enough to make them fall over you have bigger problems on your hands)? if you're adding aftermarket overhead cabinets, can you bolt them to the spars of the trailer or do you invite waterproofing problems since you've punctured the stock insulation/panelling, or worst yet, structural failures of the steel trailer frame?

like I said, day dreaming is fun :)

--Anne-Marie

Choosing cabinetry for a LQ is just like decorating your kitchen. Everyone has a particular choice that best suits his tastes. All of the cabinets you mentioned can be used.

In all wood cabinets, there are many choices of woods available, depending on the geographic location of the conversion companies. They tend to use the wood species more readily available to keep the costs down. It's expensive to ship wood, and the more rare it is, the more expensive the pricing.

Stains can change the looks of a common species, mimicking some that are more expensive. Many owners enjoy a darker stained wood, for the rich, expensive aura it affords. In a small area, it will make the space look smaller unless it is well lighted.

There are lighter woods as well, that are commonly used in the East. They would include species like Oak, Ash, Hickory, Maple etc. If these are finished naturally, they add a rich look without visually reducing the apparent living space size.

Cost is one reason why an all wood cabinet is rarely painted. If an expensive species like Cherry or Maple is used in the cabinet's construction, and these species are noted for their natural beauty, it would be foolish to paint them when a less expensive wood could be substituted. Painted cabinets are often made of man made materials like medium density fiberboard, which are commonly sold as "all wood products".

Anything added to the inside of a trailer has to be firmly affixed. Braking, vibration and turning will quickly displace any item not secured. Most cabinets are fastened to furring strips added to a bare trailer's interior.

If you wait until after Xmas, MY3HORSES'S husband is being presented with some nail guns. With your cabinets held into place, it would be an easy matter to drive a concrete nail through the cabinet's back and the trailer's walls. To finish the job, you would only have to bend the nail ends down on the outside so no one gets pricked. Maybe for a couple of beers, he would come over and do the job for you.

erm, I assume you're joking? hopefully? (tho I'm sure any guy with a new shiney nail gun would LUV to put holes in anything I wanted, beers or not. they're funny that way.)

I would suggest you totally go with Gard's suggestion of cabinet installation, sounds very classy and entertaining to watch as it's installed!

When we did our DIY weekend package last winter, I wanted my husband to build cabinets and he totally refused, he figured they'd look cheap and tacky. So we shopped around at the local box stores and after lots of measuring and hemming and hawing ended up ordering our cabinets from them. There was lots of options in size, shelves, etc and the price was reasonable. We ordered our cabinets in the white smooth exterior finish, this was the cheapest option and in my opinon, the light colour was better in our small area than a darker colour. I think the store said the plain white was one of their biggest sellers in kitchen cabinets, so obviously lots of people like it. We ordered base cabinets, countertop, wall cabinets and microwave shelf for over the counter and a small wall cabinet for over top of the bed. The cabinets were the most expensive part of our project, but they look really good and hold an awful lot of stuff!

We then mounted the cabinets to the wall with aluminum screws (held off on the air gun until next time!). We had already insulated our walls, and we used plywood instead of framing/paneling the walls. The plywood allowed us to then install cabinets anywhere we wanted. We wallpapered the plywood after priming it, and it looks very good. I had some concerns on how well the wallpaper would last in a moving trailer, but after one year everything is still great, so hopefully it will continue to last. With my white cabinets, and my light blue wallpaper the small space is bright and cheery. The one disadvantage of white cabinets is they show dust and fingerprints more than darker cabinets. Also, since our cabinets were press-board type material with a finish laminated on, they will get damaged easier. I drove a horrid wash-board road this summer and bounced my microwave off the shelf (we hadn't had problems before then with the microwave - it wasn't screwed into the shelf but had a railing to secure it) and when the microwave hit the cupboard below it some of the finish was dented and scrapped. not a big area, only the size of a quarter, but if it had been real wood it would have been easier to fix. I'd guess that cabinets in small trailer take a fair amount of abuse, so wood probably is tougher in the long run.

If I had to do it again, I'd stick with the same cabinets we used, but I would have put paneling overtop of the plywood. I'm still a bit anxious on how well it will last. But the price was decent, and I've had one year of great use so far, so all is well.

I think it was YOUR photos of your lovely DIY with the white cupboards that made me go "hey! why does everyone else use regular wood? look how nice that looks!"

of course I also realise that COLORS frighten some folks :)

I wonder if I can find old steel cupboards like I had in my first apartment? those things RAWKED...

still need to ask the nice trailer people if its cheaper to get a few custom cupboards and a counter installed at the factory (it might be, we're not talking full weekender, just storage and a place to put a campstove) but I'm feeling better about maybe doing it after market :)

Another source of cabinets are homeowners that are remoldeling their kitchens. Often times you can purchase the whole used set for a few hundred dollars. Not all the boxes will fit or be the exact size. Usually these can be cut down and modified to work. Sometimes building a specific box and just using the premade doors will work. The doors are generally the most difficult part of cabinet making, requiring some specialised tools.

Sometimes kitchen sales companies have to dispose of cabinets when new ones are sold and installed. Offering a "finders fee" to them will sometime lead to a phone call, when you can pick up the cabinets before they are put into a dumpster. The installers will also be more particular and gentle in their removal techniques and handling. It might be worth a few phone calls to your local dealers, to see if they would agree to this process.

Do not mess with the used, inexpensive MFD constructions. This material does poorly in holding screws in place, and you'll find many hinges torn out, corners chipped or broken etc. Only consider the face frames and doors of solid hardwood, and if the boxes are plywood, you'll have some good materials from which to use.

good advice, Gard, thank you :)

it helps that I have a high end cabinetmaker in the family. I bet for the right bribe of baked goods I could get him to get off his hand rubbed, fumed quarter sawn oak, arts and crafts style pedestal to help me install 'em... ;)

With lots of advice from Gard I did my weekender 2 summers ago.  I ordered some custom hickory cabinets, I figured the cabinets are at eye level so everyone will look at them and I wanted them nice.  Get the nicest ones your budget will allow, you will be glad you did. 

sporty AND functional, since you could use 'em to hang bridles and stuff. oo!! and they could act like bumpers on boats when you try to squish your rig into a too narrow spot!

neat ideas!

ok, just to clarify please?

say the trailer I want to install cabinets in has already been insulated and panelled. I presume there are strips in the walls to keep condensation from ruining the panelling (its a quality trailer) as well as the steel ribs of the shell itself. of course I dont have access to the strips since they're under panelling.

can I affix things to those ribs (like studs in the walls of your home) or will it negatively impact the structural integrity of the frame? (physics say an eggshell is one of the strongest walls there is. but if you punch a hole in it, the whole thing will collapse)

and I presume there is a moisture barrier in there (factory installed installation)? by running screws through it, am I going to be getting condensation inside my dressing room? (here in the PacNW moisture control is really really important! fighting mold is a year round battle...)

or am I, as usual, overthinking the whole thing and worrying about things that dont really matter? ;)

When hubby and I added DYI living quarters to my 3 1/2 ft. short wall DR, he insisted on them being all wood.  His reasoning was that it would hold up better under the "stress" of movement than particle board ready mades.  I argued that motor homes use particle board, but he countered that motor homes usually have much better suspension than a horse trailer. 

I also found it difficult to find the size I needed in ready made cabinets, even the "custom" order type from the big box stores.  I wanted the bottom cabinet to be taller than the standard, and not as deep so as to give me a bit more floor space.  We happened to find some tongue & groove pine boards in the barn left from some repairs.  It made nice cabinet doors. The frames were custom built to fit the wall/floor space. 

Hubby installed electric so I can plug into an available outlet or run off two deep cycle batteries.  I have a pass thru door to the horse area, so that gets cleaned out and becomes the bathroom and shower area once we land. 

It's a small set-up but suffices well for me and an occasional guest.  I've tried to post pics in the past, but have not been successful.

thanks for the info!

interestingly I'm finding that real wood is actually lighter in weight than particle board, in addition to its ability to flex (where particle board, being impregnated with plastic doesnt spring back like real wood)

this matters for ability to withstand jiggling, bouncing and having stuff fall on the corner, but it also matters in terms of the boards ability to respond to changing ambient moisture and temperature. wood can flex, expand and contract. particle board absorbs water and doesnt really go back.

You can get particle board like substances (IKEA sells cabinets, vanities and sink cupboards, for example) that are specifically made for high humidity areas like bathrooms but they're relative expensive.

interesting stuff!