Kitchen build 1972 Glendale advice, counter tops and drawer slides

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GeorgetownRyan

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Dec 28, 2017
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Hi.
I'm Ryan from Georgetown Ontario. My wife, kids, dog, and I  bought a 14" (box) 1972 Glendale in Sept. We have gutted it, with goals to rebuild it over the winter.

I just found this forum and hope for some advise for my kitchen.

1) Kitchen countertops. I plan to build my own with laminate. With weight in mind, what thickness of plywood should I use? I would typically default to 3/4" but that seems unnecessary. Thoughts?
2) Drawer slides - It seems the RV world likes the single center RV slide over the matching side slides. Besides weight, is there any reason why?
 
The countertops need to be rigid enough to span whatever the unsupported area is without flexing too much.  3/4" is good for most any size, but a smaller RV probably has modest counter space and you could probably make do with less. Plus, you can always install extra cross-bracing to eliminate flex. However, for the same reason the weight difference is very small, so I'd probably use the 3/4" and not worry about it.

Drawer slides: Higher line models use dual (side) slides. The single center slide is cheaper in both material and installation time.
 
Today most mid to lower priced kitchen cabinets are made of 1/2" particleboard - some are even 3/8". For a trailer I would use 1/2" plywood, not particle board, for the cabinets and the countertop. Get a good grade of plywood that has more plys than the standard construction plywood. Be careful because a lot of "1/2" plywood is now actually 7/16".
 
Ken is right, but I figured you had already decided to use plywood over particle board (MDF). A much better choice, in my opinion.

The actual size of any finished plywood is less than the nominal size, as a result of sanding/smoothing one or both sides.  Thus 3/4" plywood is usually 23/32", 1/2" is 15/32", and 1/4 is 7/32".  That also helps the manufacturer get a few more pieces out of each tree.  ::)  More sanding, e.g. an A or B grade finish, may result in even thinner sheets. Always measure if the dimension is critical.
 
Another thing to consider is overall weight. To save some weight where you don't need a lot of strength, maybe consider an open frame construction with a paneling cover. Even when using an open frame, a decent amount of strength can be built in.
 
kdbgoat said:
Another thing to consider is overall weight. To save some weight where you don't need a lot of strength, maybe consider an open frame construction with a paneling cover. Even when using an open frame, a decent amount of strength can be built in.
I agree. When I had a TC, I added a shelf system in the area where the drop down bed was over the dinette. I used open frame construction, which kept the shelves quite light. It's not that hard to do open frame construction, but it takes a little more time.
 
Here is a great and cost saving idea.

https://www.dlawlesshardware.com/pro-euro-box-drawer-systems.html
 

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