Cabinets for my Bus

BlueScarecrow · March 03, 2015, 01:27:50 PM

Went to Home Depot and got a quote for 6 standard under the counter cabinets by Kraft Made. 6 cabinets... $6,000; and 3 didn't even have drawers.

Are you kidding me? What wooden box costs $1,000. All of these cabinets were standard, meaning nothing special. All of the parts are fabricated with CNC machines.

Anybody know where I can get a good deal on cabinets?

Thanks!!!

LowTide · March 03, 2015, 02:07:48 PM

Quote from: BlueScarecrow on March 03, 2015, 01:27:50 PM
Went to Home Depot and got a quote for 6 standard under the counter cabinets by Kraft Made. 6 cabinets... $6,000; and 3 didn't even have drawers.

Are you kidding me? What wooden box costs $1,000. All of these cabinets were standard, meaning nothing special. All of the parts are fabricated with CNC machines.

Anybody know where I can get a good deal on cabinets?

Thanks!!!

I would try a cabinet maker in your town, maybe even look for a finish carpenter on craigslist.

georgemci102a2 · March 03, 2015, 02:34:58 PM

I tried the home Depot route as your thinking.Dont wast your time and money,mine fell apart on the way home,made a nice bonfire though.Finally found a guy that made cabinets etc out of his home(no overhead) I framed everything up,he came over and took measurements for the face boards,cabinet doors and drawers.He charged me material x 2 for the job.Im very happy with the job....George

Cary and Don · March 03, 2015, 02:49:05 PM

Build your own cabinets and buy the doors. Very few cabinet makers make their own doors anymore. It isn't cost effective. If there is a hardwood lumber wholesaler in your area, they sell drawer stock. Long boards already routed for the bottom board and rounded over on the top edge. Sometimes, it's even prefinished.

You could have a cabinet maker do the cabinet boxes and drawer boxes. You buy the doors, hang them, install the drawer runners and drawers. Don't let anybody talk you into MDF. It's heavy and falls apart.

A good Cabinet person will have a lot better ideas than those one size fits all things. This is one are that will make or break your conversion.

Don and Cary

BlueScarecrow · March 03, 2015, 03:31:00 PM

Thanks all for writing.

Yeah I don't like that MDF.

A guy made me a table out of that stuff... it looks and feels like cardboard.

Thanks again!!!

Mike

daddyoften · March 03, 2015, 04:13:10 PM

My wife took me to IKEA and we found some awesome options there. I know there isn't may of those stores around but I'm sure about 90 percent of the furniture for our bus is coming from IKEA. They have really cool convertible couches, custom and pre-built cabinets, a ton of little storage units, and they also have a large selection of 12v and 24V led lights, some recessed and some under counter lights. The LED lights use a power invertor but it's sold seprately so you don't have to buy it, just buy the light and wire it in

BlueScarecrow · March 03, 2015, 04:18:21 PM

Thanks so much... I'll take a look at Ikea.

lou432 · March 03, 2015, 06:17:51 PM

Another thought , try your local(if you have one) Habitat for Humanity. I donate there often and I buy things there occasionally ann often see good quality cabinets that have been taken out of a perfectly good kitchens and the contractor takes them to habitat and gets a tax deduction slip. I think I have several thousand dollars in tax deductions slips 2014.

peenhead · March 03, 2015, 07:57:06 PM

Ever come to Austin? I build cabinets, among other things, and would be happy to build what you need. We are in the process of completely rebuilding the interior of our '80 Silver Eagle. I have thought of taking my business on the road while we are out on a "Roadschooling adventure." It would be nice to line up 2 or 3 jobs and hit the road for a few months. Maybe when the time is right. I know it's ridiculously far, but check my website and feel free to contact me. www.danddworkshop.com
Thanks,
Dennis

Dave5Cs · March 03, 2015, 10:11:58 PM

We got our for free. The wife watched CL when people were remodeling the kitchens and baths. We got ones from the 90's with arch top raised panel doors that were close to golden oak. We cut them to fit the bus and sanded and re stained to match what was there. Total cost one can of stain and some clear.

Dave5Cs

BlueScarecrow · March 04, 2015, 09:40:32 AM

All great ideas.

I do have to panel-up the windows on that side of the bus. The passenger side is done, looks great and no leaks!

Then I can finish the inside wall on the drivers side and it's ready for the cabinets.

The Suburban SHD-2542 2-stage furnace is installed on the drivers side (mid-bus) with duct-work to the front and back.

That section of the floor will be on top of the duct-work in the front and back, so there is no need for a "Kick" on the bottom of the cabinets as the depth is 21".

The irritating thing is that the floor of the bus loses 2 3/8" from the front (step/datum) to 24 feet back; and that had to be dealt with. Grrrrrr.

Thanks all for writing!!!

Mike

TomC · March 04, 2015, 11:40:03 AM

It's relatively easy to make the framed in cabinets. I made all my cabinets out of 1x2 red oak held together with 1" L brackets. Then, all my kitchen cabinets are pass through for maximum storage area.
For my surface mounted doors (this covers a multitude of sins) I used barkercabinets.com out of Tualitan, Or. I ordered solid red oak shaker doors. You order on line (never talked to anyone), specify how wide the shoulders are, the measurements of each door within 1/16" increment, whether you want it stained, or hinges installed, etc. I ordered my doors unfinished, but sanded ready to finish, no hinges, no latches that I installed myself. They cost on average $35.00 apiece! I couldn't make them for that little. And to top it off, each door had a printed label telling the dimensions so you didn't have to remeasure each door. The doors came out perfect, measured correctly, and the workmanship was top notch. I highly recommend Barker Cabinets. They also make drawers. Look them up. Good Luck, TomC

Gordie Allen · March 04, 2015, 06:35:09 PM

If you just want excellent dovetailed drawers, with state of the art sliders already installed (cushioned closures). Check out www.barkerdoors.com It must be a sister company.

Geoff · March 05, 2015, 04:30:58 PM

Back in the day (12 years) when I was building my conversion everyone raved about the "Kreg Tool". Available at Lowes if not HD, it is the simple way to make frames and cabinets. You use screws so the cabinets won't fall apart. I used oak frames and oak plywood. Looks good.

--Geoff

Zephod · March 05, 2015, 07:41:01 PM

What's so hard about building cabinets? This is 2x2, a few brackets and some OSB. Not much skill involved unless measuring, marking, cutting, drilling and screwing is beyond you.