Bathroom Cabinet Installation

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sharonjohnrv13

Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Posts
9
Location
Florida
Hi to all!  We just bought a 2015 Viking 16FB and want to add a small cabinet in the bathroom (it does not have a vanity or sink).  We are very experienced project people around our home, but don't want to add a cabinet until we know what fasteners, etc. to use in the trailer.  What do we use for fasteners?  How long can the fasteners be?  Caulking, etc. done to holes as fasteners installed?  Where to drill in bathroom walls?  Any weight limits on the cabinet, other that common sense?  Will the manufacturer provide any help?  This is not a high end trailer, so I want to be careful with what's behind these walls.  If you've done this in any RV, please help!!

Sharon & John
2015 Viking 16FB / Ford F-150
 
You will have to figure out where the studs are. My RV had 4 ft center metal framing with wood in between. After locating the wood (or sometimes I hit the metal) I went ahead and directly screwed in with appropriate screw that only went into the wall no more than an inch. I certainly didn't want to go all the way through haha! There was no way to attach anything of weight if I couldn't hit a stud because the rest of the walls are flimsy. I wouldn't have even felt comfortable with a wall anchor on that stuff. I didn't do anything else special. Good luck to you.
 
...that's what I was afraid of.  We're looking in to where studs are in the trailer, and to confirm whether metal or wood.  Not sure how to find a construction print of this trailer.  If I can go in an inch, that would be adequate for a small cabinet.  Thanks a lot for the rapid reply!!
 
Since this is a relatively new model, you might consider talking to the manufacturer (Coachmen/Forest River) explaining what you want to do and asking them what they might share with you regarding framing and materials used etc in your model.
 
Interior wall or sidewall? Interior walls in RVs rarely have much in the way of framing, and sidewalls may have irregular spacing of studs.

You probably don't have more than about 1" to work with, though the overall thickness of an exterior wall is probably about 1.5". Screws are fine, if you can find something solid to screw into (wood or metal). If you can gain access to the wall interior, you can put a backer on  the paneling and that should be sufficient to hold a modest cabinet.  A backer is just a piece of solid wood or plywood, glued to the back on the paneling to provide an anchor for screws and spread the load a bit. Even a 4x4, 1/2" wood backer plate provides a great deal of strength.

You can get anchor bolts or screw anchors designed for very thin walls, but I would not trust those to hold a cabinet in typical RV wall panels. The panels are too easily ripped by the shear force of a screw or both yanking downward as you bounce over potholes and RR tracks. They are OK for lightweight stuff, e.g. pictures or trim, but not weights of 10# or more.
 
We did the same thing with our Meridian. We bought a cabinet at Ikea. The other side of the wall we were mounting it on was a cabinet in the living room. I used a 1x4 in the living room cabinet to carry the weight of the cabinet on the wall. I sort of 'clamped' the wall between the cabinet and the 1x4.
 
Try using a stud finder to see what is in the walls.

Good luck.
George
 
As its a RV you have to be more careful while installing the cabinets because you don't want to eat up all the limited space you have. It will be better if you go and ask for a professional's help as you will be saving your time and effort. Make sure the quality of wood, melamine or plywood cabinets or whatever you are willing to install must be good or you can try this out and get some help in selecting what you want.
 
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