Counter-Top & Panel Material Options

[naterry]

Gents,

Happy Turkey Day! :chef:

I'm burning some time with the stuffing in the slow cooker digging for information on interior panel and counter top material options. We used SS sheet over plywood inside the first Ute. This was a simple and quick solution but it quickly became dimpled and scratched. I was also concerned about using plywood near heat sources.

The boxes in the new Ute will be "minimalist" 8020 framed with the ability to add/modify it as needs change. I think I'm looking for three different materials:

1. Counter Tops: Lightweight, heat and scratch resistant, high stiffness. Leaning towards Corian®: (http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/construction-materials/surface-design-materials/brands/corian-solid-surfaces.html)
   
   
2. Lightweight Load Bearing Panels: These would be for bed and bench seat platforms. I want to minimize bulky support frame members by using the right material. Composite sandwiched honeycomb panels would be ideal but that stuff is pricey! Foam, balsa, or birch core laminated paneling is also an option, but also not cheap. There has to be an economical solution for this, just haven't found that unicorn material...
   
   Examples:
   http://www.dickblick.com/products/helix-ultra-lite-core-plain-edge-board/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=22992-0008&gclid=CjwKEAiAtNujBRDMmoCN46aB8noSJAC7SYv7gQef8O399GUG_RewPVB_fx7Jubxb6lfM0XLVfjLEzRoCKt7w_wcB
   http://www.acpsales.com/Fiberglass-2-Ply-Honeycomb.html
   
   
3. Lightweight Non-Load Bearing Panels: These are the sides of boxes. Perhaps Formica'd 1/4" or 3/8" plywood, but really anything I can hit with scotch brite pads to take off scuffs, spills, etc.

Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Nate

 

[Mwilliamshs]

1/4" plywood laminated with ABS. Cheaper to laminate locally sourced plywood at home if it's less than about 6 sheets due to shipping 4'x8' sheets but super convenient to just cut and go. Lots and lots of colors available and different thicknesses and grades of plywood too.

 

[tibfibber]

interesting topic.

My experience with Corian is limited needing to fabricate a 4' counter in the Tiger - since it's not readily available to the layperson (technically you can't buy it without a licence, as far as I understand it) I hit up a local cabinet shop the specializes in Corian, and found one piece of 1/4" in the remnants that was the basically the right dimensions (47"x36")- and paid him $100. Sort of an oddball colour, but as such, the shop was willing to sell but that I was willing to work with, not to blow the budget...

also, take a look at Paperstone, you can buy directly from the factory, and they list a wide variety of remnants. If I lived up by Seattle, and could avoid shipping costs I would have gone this route.
http://www.greencountertopsdirect.com/products/budget-panels

for other material ideas, (such as 1/4" ply laminated as Mwilliamshs suggests) check out http://www.diyroadcasesstore.com/categories/Case-Wall-Materials/

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Yeah my link goes to diyroadcase too but reliable hardware and TCH have very similar catalogs. I like the abs laminates better for sides than tops I think. It's tough and durable but not slick so it shows scratches and would require more concentrated cleaning efforts than say, formica for a kitchen surface.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

48" x 8' x .75" Baltic birch plywood weighs 95 lbs.

48" x 8' x .75". Paperstone weighs 173 lbs.

1.8 lbs/sq. ft/.25" thick for Paperstone vs 1 lb/sq. ft/.25" for Baltic birch plywood. That 8/10 of a pound is considerably heavier in my book. Plus Baltic birch is lots heavier (and way higher quality) than the cheaper ply at your local home center so keep that in mind. Formica or ABS laminates add very little weight (like a 4 x 8 sheet .040" thick weighs under 3 lbs) If you're choosing a material I'd certainly consider weight. You can put 20 ga stainless on 3/4" ply and weigh less than most, if not all, composite countertops and have almost limitless durability in a camper

 

[boardrider247]

Also think about hdpe. It's not the cheapest depending on thickness.
But I picked up a 1/4" thick sheet for under $50 from the local big box store. Laminate that over a 1/4" sheet of ply and you have a long lasting relatively cheap counter top

 

[naterry]

Awesome info!

I really like the roadcase materials and options. Their prelam plywood or Lite Flite look good for non load-bearing panels. HPDE looks promising, but it makes me curious how hot interior panels get. HPDE has a melting temp of 250degF, but I wonder if it loses it's stiffness at lower temps? There must be compounds that don't get soft in the sun...

As luck would have it I finally found the unicorn lightweight load-bearing material on Craigslist right after I started this thread. After 2 months of searching, what are the odds? 250$, score!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mat/4773775000.html

Very cool stuff:

A 4'x10'x1/2" sheet weighs 13lbs, surreal:

My inner packrat couldn't help itself when the guy offered a CF tub and canopy from an EV project for free. Not sure what I'll use them for but just couldn't resist:

Digging around for Corian. There are certainly remnants to be had. I'm thinking about going with this and routering out some pockets for floor tile to serve as hotpads on the counter? It's all over CL:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/mat/4769773539.html

Cheers,

N

 

[tibfibber]

Nice find on the composite panels. I saw some panels of honeycomb panels on the pile at Apex electronics (http://www.apexelectronic.com/) in Burbank when I was down there the other week...crazy, entertaining place to spend a couple of hours - a lot of the backlot stuff is sold by the lb. Salvage from the electronics/film/aerospace and who knows what else you might find...

re: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/mat/4769773539.html

hehheh. He's an interesting (very santa cruz) guy, took a look at some of the remnants he had a while back..too small for what I needed, looks like he hasn't sold them yet.

I ended up dropping by a small shop (Chip's Custom Creations near 41st, Capitola) to see what they had in the rack at the time, he had some good suggestions for working with the material ...

 

[naterry]

Nice find on the composite panels. I saw some panels of honeycomb panels on the pile at Apex electronics (http://www.apexelectronic.com/) in Burbank when I was down there the other week...crazy, entertaining place to spend a couple of hours - a lot of the backlot stuff is sold by the lb. Salvage from the electronics/film/aerospace and who knows what else you might find...

re: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/mat/4769773539.html

hehheh. He's an interesting (very santa cruz) guy, took a look at some of the remnants he had a while back..too small for what I needed, looks like he hasn't sold them yet.

I ended up dropping by a small shop (Chip's Custom Creations near 41st, Capitola) to see what they had in the rack at the time, he had some good suggestions for working with the material ...

Nice, Chip's is on the short list, and I wish I was closer to Apex, that place looks fun! Apex reminds me of some cool estate sale in silicon valley. One .com's junk, is another...

 

[quickfarms]

Personally all this talk about building composite counter tops is interesting. I still prefer plywood with a marine grade varnish. If you follow the installation instructions the heat is not an issue. In construction is us very common to have wood close to cook top.

There are quite a few neat and interesting surplus material dealers in Southern California. I have found that specialize in unusual. How about one for air port ground support equipment?

Paragon plastics has the plastic cutting board material that is FDA approved and safer than a wood cutting board.

 

[naterry]

Personally all this talk about building composite counter tops is interesting. I still prefer plywood with a marine grade varnish. If you follow the installation instructions the heat is not an issue. In construction is us very common to have wood close to cook top.

There are quite a few neat and interesting surplus material dealers in Southern California. I have found that specialize in unusual. How about one for air port ground support equipment?

Paragon plastics has the plastic cutting board material that is FDA approved and safer than a wood cutting board.

Sorry for the confusion. The composites are primarily for a load bearing hinged roof panel, and the corian is for the counter top(s). Corian is old school, far from exotic. I want the light and strong stuff on the roof for CG reasons. A lightweight roof panel will also make lifting/sliding the roof panel an easier undertaking.