Shelves for Jayco Swan Outback Cupboard.....finally !!
I know this topic has come up elsewhere previously which I have read and thought helpful for others with Jayco's and other similar pop tops...but for some reason I thought it was either too hard or too expensive if you pay someone like Jayco to do it.
This post is for others out there like me who may not be the most tradie like workman at home...and especially if you are a....shhh...a public servant like me
Don't know why I let myself get psyched out of putting this off for so long as it was something that we really needed...and as it turns out it was fairly easy to do.
Remember reading on here that someone ( thank you all )mentioned getting the shelves and beading (pine bar) from Bunnings...so off I went this am was lucky to 1... actually find a floor staff bloke to talk to in the timber section and 2....he actually had a caravan so he knew exactly what I needed....amazing.
He showed me where the shelving was and I bought a sheet of 16mm Melamine Colourboard that was fairly close to the same shade that the cupboards were, and as the cost was only $16.65 for the sheet compared to who knows what Jayco would have charged (i have heard whispers of them charging well over $200 for putting shelving in themselves) I thought, as it was only seen when opening the cupboard and would have towels, clothes on them etc...who cares !
As I was only intending on putting two shelves in I only needed one section of pine bar at $9.59.
Had to be careful with inner cupboard measurements as the thing wasn't exactly square, but was close. Measured 3 times just to be sure and cut out the sections with a jigsaw, but had to be careful with this because if you push though the timber too fast you run the risk of the blade running off line and cutting at an angle. I can hear you experienced guys saying..tell us something we don't know...but I don't have any other cutting tools other than hand saws and circular saws and they would no doubt have made a mess of it. Also had to make a small allowances for the inner metal corner bracing as the melamine didn't fit first go because it was a touch too large.
Pre drilled the holes and screwed in the pine bars using 25mm wood screws on a dry run to make sure everything fitted ok and then used liquid nails to secure the shelving to the pine board. No screws poked through the other side of the walls...phew !!
Then went around and sealed the inner shelving edges and wall sides with liquid nails and used my finger to create a smooth surface. Just wish I had some turps at home to clean up the excess residue around the shelving...will have another go at that on the weekend.
Oh...obviously forgot to mention that as we had just got back from a week down at Burleigh Heads Tourist Park last Friday....I actually though it might be a good idea to remove the cupboard from the van so I could have better access while doing the job....amazing for me as I normally only think of that AFTER I have decided to do something on the van !!
Hope this post and the pics help others who may be contemplating doing the same thing.
Cheers
Rob
