Ikea Cabinets in a Sprinter

[dholt]

Working on a Sprinter build with little to no room for workspace (think apartent living) and wondering if anyone has experience with Ikea cabinets in their vans? The pros are the obvious easy to assemble construction for someone in my situation, but why aren't more people doing this? Is it the poor construction?

Obviously custom work would be ideal, but not sure it's going to be possible for us at this time.

Sprinter 170 Extended is what we're working with right now.

 

[thethePete]

I think largely it's the poor construction. I barely trust my Ikea bookshelf when I empty it and move it across the room.

Also, I've noticed Ikea stuff offgasses like crazy. New kitchen table made my apartment stink for a week before it started to fade.

ETA: That said, I've seen some people use various pieces as part of their builds in the past. Can't think of any specific references off hand.

 

[Victorian]

Ikea kitchen cabinets are fine. All you need to do to spruce them up with more fasteners and glue. The hardware is fine, just rebranded quality slides and hinges. Mount them very solid und you are fine.

 

[dar395]

I don't think it is the quality at all, I've used them for many years in home rebuilds. Back three years ago trying them in the van they didn't work well as they're to large and clumsy to place, also being heavy. After seeing other van's out on the trails and roads I'm sold on just 1/4 plywood, 3/4 inch bracing with no doors for easy access. The bedding area beefed up to 1/2 plywood and 1x2's for framing. Many miles and we're still holding together just fine.

 

[naterry]

Particle board + vibration and/or moisture = no bueno.

 

[dholt]

Thank you for the responses! This is a huge undertaking for me, but I'm enjoying the journey (a bit stressed, but enjoying learning).

 

[ert01]

I have an essentially empty cargo van (it has a bed/bench but that's all in it right now) and I needed some storage for a trip we did last summer for 4 weeks... I bought a small ikea cabinet (the 3 drawer Nordli) http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90272708/ and when I assembled it, I used PL400 on EVERY seam and joint and dowel pin etc...

It held together surprisingly well and it was the perfect size for us to keep our clothes in and my wife appreciated the counter top space. It was a cheap and easy last-minute solution for us and it's still going strong a year later. It has seen a lot of gravel/offroad situations.

I don't think it will hold up in the long run... but it will do in a pinch and would be ok for an budget built on-road camper.

 

[mhiscox]

I agree with Victorian . . . done with proper reinforcement and mounting, the Ikea cabinets are worth a try. I've tested out a few temporarily, and I'm going to use them extensively in one of my builds some day, as I'm convinced that adding glue and additional screws will add sufficient longevity and I do not expect to encounter a moisture problem serious enough to affect the product.

I decided this will be worth a try when I bought a small Ikea kitchen cabinet with a top hinged door. The Blum hinges supplied with the product were great and I decided I want to buy some of these hinges for other projects. I went to price them on the internet and found that the price for a pair of hinges was, in all cases, greater than the price of the Ikea cabinet with the hinges. (I also found a few posts from others who'd also noticed this zany situation.)

There is the obvious issue that the particle-board based Ikea products are really heavy compared to what you could do with plywood, which may be a big deal to some, but not others, based on the payload of the truck to be used.

 

[mhiscox]

Now, with that said, I have to admit that the advantage of the Ikea cabinets over building from plywood is much less in a Sprinter than it would be in a squared off box. The Sprinter walls aren't straight, and the curve is VERY pronounced toward the top. Since the ikea products almost always require the back being in place, they'd be tough to fit as overhead cabinets, and the base cabinets will need filler pieces to cover the space between the cabinet backs and the walls. The wheel wells will also cause issues for a base cabinet.

The overall suggestion being that when used in a Sprinter, the advantages they have will be mitigated by the difficulty in fitting to the van walls and ceiling. But if you have straight walls and ceilings, I'd give reinforced Ikea stuff serious consideration.

 

[Herbie]

I decided this will be worth a try when I bought a small Ikea kitchen cabinet with a top hinged door. The Blum hinges supplied with the product were great and I decided I want to buy some of these hinges for other projects. I went to price them on the internet and found that the price for a pair of hinges was, in all cases, greater than the price of the Ikea cabinet with the hinges. (I also found a few posts from others who'd also noticed this zany situation.)

It's worth noting that Ikea will sell you extra hardware at a very reasonable price, with no documentation required. I'm not saying one should abuse the system, but if you needed a couple of extra hinges, say, and were smart enough to look up the part # from the assembly manual for the piece that contains those hinges, one could go to their local Ikea and pick up just hinges...

(I've done this when I converted a wardrobe cabinet into a Murphy bed, I needed extra hinges to take the weight from turning one door into a bi-fold door.)

 

[romba]

IKEA is my favorite

 

[Deleted member 9101]

They are built better than the cabinets that come in most TV's.