Campervan cabinetry - ply & MDF novice Q's

[Samkilby]

Jesus Christ,
You pair want to overreact much ?

We’re not talking planes lads
He’s asking for help.
Before posting a very long response - would you like to think. Am I trying to help, or prove myself superior ?

Just do what you think is right op, you know the options and can easily work out how much it’s all going to weight etc. if you had the attitude of these pair of naysayers you never get owt done !

 

[Lons]

Before posting a very long response - would you like to think. Am I trying to help, or prove myself superior ?

Perhaps you should change that to ANY response and look hard at your own motives as I note you haven't offered any advice or help whatsoever to the OP .

 

[AES]

SamKilby said: QUOTE: We’re not talking planes lads (A): and He’s asking for help. (B) UNQUOTE:

Re your 1st point above (A) - precisely my point!
- NOT relevant at all (but the OP apparently thinks it is)!

And re your 2nd (B)
- And your help is to be found where in this thread exactly?

As a "disinterested" observer of this thread who does not know enough about van conversions to comment (so I didn't!) it seems to me that member Lons DOES know at least something about the subject and did indeed try to offer the OP some help. Sorry if that post by Lons was too long for you Sam, but detailed technical information cannot usually be adequately covered in 3 sentences scribbled on the back of a *** packet. As you're new here that point may well have passed you by so far.

For my part I was simply commenting that one member - Lons - apparently went to a bit of trouble to provide the OP with some potentially important and entirely relevant information, where upon, to paraphrase the OP's response QUOTE: "Yeah, I've done all that. Now what do I make the stuff from and how do I paint it?"

As in the past I have myself spent some time and effort trying to help others on here - as I know Lons has too - I would tell you that not only is it a matter of "common courtesy" to give thanks for being given info free of charge, but it also makes the answerer's life a little more pleasant if he see that the questioner does appreciate the effort the answerer has put in!

 

[Lons]

I appreciate your comments AES, certainly I've never tried to "prove myself superior " and I haven't seen any evidence in your posts that you have either, unfortunately as you observed there sometimes are people who just don't want to hear or indeed never bother to respond as most long term forum members will have noticed.
What is often forgotten is that this is a forum open to all and there are a lot of browsers who never sign up but nevertheless are reading what is posted and we have an responsibility to make sure that information is accurate and not misleading.

Samkilby said: "you never get owt done"

My response to that is that it's far more important IMHO to get things done in a safe and legal manner

Anyway hopefully the OP can get his materials and paint sorted and have many happy trips away

 

[Samkilby]

We can all use quotations or capital letters to try to drive our point home, but the criticism levelled at me, I.e. that I have not responded to the ops questions, could equally be levelled at both of you. Not once did the op ask what the payload of their van was, so I as an individual can only assume that they either aren’t bothered or already have this in hand.
Other labouring on this point is therefore unnecessary. As an example, did the op know that they also need a mot ?
Threatening to tell a police officer that someone may or may not be driving a vehicle that may or may not be over its weight limit is just.. bizarre and the very definition of not helping. Similarly with the idea that putting a few plywood cupboards in a van is best case going to put it overweight and worst case going to kill everyone.
Your opinion may be around safety and legality, but we can’t assume that everyone’s is.
I Googled the Citroen berlingo, and it’s a small 2 seater van, with payloads anywhere between 650 and 1100 kg.
Assuming a generous 250 kg for fuel and two passengers, we can see we have somewhere over 400kg for a few cupboards, and whatever else the op wants to install.

Also a small side note - I have contributed to the forums here before, and will continue to do so when I have time. Just because you have been around here for a long time, it does not make you right, nor does it make your opinion any more valid than any other user. Similarly, what kind of welcome is this for a new user, not very encouraging is it !

I would ask you to think about your intentions, particularly user AES, who despite being great at using capitals, has not provided any advice or help, and strangely just wants to defend their long time forum using buddy, who also seems to have gotten the wrong end of the stick with regards answering the questions being asked, rather than taking an opportunity to belabour the point about their own knowledge on a pretty much side issue, and make lots of rude assumptions about the op.

 

[Lons]

Oh dear
For someone who accuses others of overreacting and posting a very long response it's refreshing to see that you aren't guilty of either otherwise You'll "never get owt done"

 

[MikeK]

Would everyone please calm down before tempers flare and someone loses an eye?

 

[Bob008]

Hi everyone, hope this is the right place to post this!

I've started a campervan conversion project, and am currently considering my options for the kitchen cabinets, upper cabinet and seating. Two main methods that seem to be used are MDF an ply but each have draw backs and i was hoping some more experienced folks than me can help give me some advice.

My first idea was to use laminated ply and keep the edges exposed deliberately like below. I plan to carry a lot of gear in my van and the last thing I want is damage to paint so this seems the most durable option. However there's a huge ply shortage here from what I know, especially for birch ply so there's a waiting game involved. I have a basic MFT table setup with a Makita track saw which should work well for this. My question for this option is birch vs poplar. Poplar seems to be a common choice on campers for it's weight, but I don't know much about it's structure and am aware some plys don't have nice laminate for exposed cross cuts. Would I notice a difference on the edging between these two products?

If I use MDF I need to paint the entire cabinets, and the longevity of the finish bothers me. From what I've read the most durable finish, and what a pro kitchen maker would do, is a proper spray job with a hardener. But i've not done this before - I don't even own a spray setup - so this seems a big leap to bank on. Am I missing another option here to make MDF painting ultra durable?

As a final note; weight is an issue for the options, but I'm debating how much of an issue. Fuel economy something to consider but just how much it's affected is so hard to calculate.

Thanks so much!

Look into light weight ply it’s specifically designed for this type of thing and if the edges aren’t up to scratch you can always edge them with some hardwood etc

 

[Mallymal123]

Thanks. Yes poplar an option if I can get a hold of it; the grain isn't an issue for me as it won't be exposed, it's the laminations. Do you know if they're generally much different to birch as this is the part I want exposed.

Sorry, only just seen your q. The laminations are pretty good, but obv not as tight as birch

 

[Agent_zed]

If you are looking for a finish that will take knocks without a problem my Dad built a camper a long time ago (long gone now) which was ply cabinets covered in cord carpet. It was dirt cheap and did a great job. Just carpet glued on. The tops were melamine surface to be wipe clean. The cabinets just had rounded rectangle holes with a plastic covering that hide the edges of the carpet. The holes were cut small so there was a lip so things didn't slide out. No doors on any of them and never a problem from memory. Less weight without doors. Carpet also reduces sound as less hard surfaces to reflect or vibrate.

 

[timbra]

I'm just about to start a small campervan project this week, not a full fit out but some panelling to existing cabinets and a hinge out rear shelf for cooking on.
I've ordered a sheet of Panguanetta (Italian company) Poplar Plywood from Hanson Plywood - this is one of several ply options that are touted as viable alternatives to Birch with the current supply issues. It's lightweight but as you say the edge is not the most attractive, but they do offer a version with a 'special ply' construction, 9 plies I believe which makes it look more similar to Birch. They also do the birch faced option as someone stated above.
I've never been keen on the plastic edging for campervans, I think it looks a bit old fashioned and plasticky, so my plan is to finish in hard-wearing clear coat which will look natural.