Shelves for a cupboard

[Ingwe]

We have a tallish quite narrow cupboard in our Bailey. It is our main internal storage other than overhead lockers and kitchen cabinets. It holds the table and currently, the terrestrial aerial pole runs through it. I may replace the aerial with a Poynting wifi aerial. However, we currently have a plastic stand alone shelving unit. But we would prefer to have some shelves.

Now Barry Bucnall I'm not and if possible, I wouldn't want to drill holes in the side of the cupboard. So I was hoping to find a lightweight, possibly plywood shelving insert. I've searched on this forum and found thread where some DIY shelves were made but I'm not really up to that standard. Anyone found anything like this for motorhomes? I've googled but not found much really suitable.
Edit: here's a photo of the cupboard and the current plastic shelves.
Many thanks.

 

[Stealaway]

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[Mark McG]

Are you planning on still being able to store the table in the cupboard around the shelving?

 

[Minxy]

In order to put in permanent shelves you'll need to put the table somewhere else, my suggestion would be to place it behind the passenger seat and use a bungee strap to hold it there when travelling.

Now, as for the shelves, you can very easily put some in which if needs be you can remove. When I put shelves in cupboards, lockers etc in campers/MHs I use the same supports that kitchen unit shelves are supported with, namely these:

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20 | Wickes.co.uk

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20

www.wickes.co.uk

They are very easy to put in as all you have to do is mark where you want the shelf and then drill 4 small holes, 2 on each size, the same size as the lug on the back of the support and then pop them in.

You have to make sure the holes are a tight fit so the correct diameter of drill bit is important, and that you don't drill right through the cabinet sides so put some tape on the drill bit to mark the length of the lugs and don't drill any further than the tape. You need to make sure you can get your drill in the cupboard with the bit in place so a smaller cordless one tends to be better than a mains powered one. For the shelves themselves, all you then need to do is get some boarding/ply and cut it to the right width and depth to fit on the supports. It's not difficult to do and depending on where you buy the boarding from they may even cut it for you if you give them the size - make a cardboard template and put it in the cupboard to make sure it's right rather than rely on a tape measure alone.

I used the above method when I put some shelves in an upper wardrobe in a previous camper and it worked a treat, once I was happy with them I covered them in some spare vinyl flooring (as the wardrobe front was angled the shelves were also tapered but you won't have that problem):

 

[Gellyneck]

As Mel says you can get shelf support buttons and follow her instructions.
If you need more you can get larger packs (and metal rather than plastic) here - https://www.toolstation.com/shelf-support-stud/p32449?searchstr=kitche shelf

If you don't want to drill holes you could look at something like this as an alternative where you screw the uprights to the inside wall of the cupboard.

White Twin Slot Shelving

Need to tidy up your workshop or garage? Create your own adjustable shelving system to make full use of your wall space.These 1000mm uprights can be positioned on your wall wherever you need them, and used alongside brackets to create shelving capable of holding up to 99.7kg. The multiple slots...

www.toolstation.com

Although more expensive it does give flexibility through adjustable heights \ spacings.

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[Ingwe]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Forgive my delay in posting; been engaged out of the house most of the day.
We hadn't thought of keeping the cupboard behind the driver's seat ( we have another smaller table for standing the gas cooker on when cooking outdoors that is stood exactly as you suggest behind the passenger seat) but now you say it, it is a great idea.
Going to explore the shelf supports and all the advice given.
Thanks all!

 

[Ingwe]

In order to put in permanent shelves you'll need to put the table somewhere else, my suggestion would be to place it behind the passenger seat and use a bungee strap to hold it there when travelling.

Now, as for the shelves, you can very easily put some in which if needs be you can remove. When I put shelves in cupboards, lockers etc in campers/MHs I use the same supports that kitchen unit shelves are supported with, namely these:

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20 | Wickes.co.uk

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20

www.wickes.co.uk

They are very easy to put in as all you have to do is mark where you want the shelf and then drill 4 small holes, 2 on each size, the same size as the lug on the back of the support and then pop them in.

You have to make sure the holes are a tight fit so the correct diameter of drill bit is important, and that you don't drill right through the cabinet sides so put some tape on the drill bit to mark the length of the lugs and don't drill any further than the tape. You need to make sure you can get your drill in the cupboard with the bit in place so a smaller cordless one tends to be better than a mains powered one. For the shelves themselves, all you then need to do is get some boarding/ply and cut it to the right width and depth to fit on the supports. It's not difficult to do and depending on where you buy the boarding from they may even cut it for you if you give them the size - make a cardboard template and put it in the cupboard to make sure it's right rather than rely on a tape measure alone.

I used the above method when I put some shelves in an upper wardrobe in a previous camper and it worked a treat, once I was happy with them I covered them in some spare vinyl flooring (as the wardrobe front was angled the shelves were also tapered but you won't have that problem):

View attachment 347147

In order to put in permanent shelves you'll need to put the table somewhere else, my suggestion would be to place it behind the passenger seat and use a bungee strap to hold it there when travelling.

Now, as for the shelves, you can very easily put some in which if needs be you can remove. When I put shelves in cupboards, lockers etc in campers/MHs I use the same supports that kitchen unit shelves are supported with, namely these:

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20 | Wickes.co.uk

Wickes White Plastic Shelf Supports for Kitchen & Bathroom Units - Pack of 20

www.wickes.co.uk

They are very easy to put in as all you have to do is mark where you want the shelf and then drill 4 small holes, 2 on each size, the same size as the lug on the back of the support and then pop them in.

You have to make sure the holes are a tight fit so the correct diameter of drill bit is important, and that you don't drill right through the cabinet sides so put some tape on the drill bit to mark the length of the lugs and don't drill any further than the tape. You need to make sure you can get your drill in the cupboard with the bit in place so a smaller cordless one tends to be better than a mains powered one. For the shelves themselves, all you then need to do is get some boarding/ply and cut it to the right width and depth to fit on the supports. It's not difficult to do and depending on where you buy the boarding from they may even cut it for you if you give them the size - make a cardboard template and put it in the cupboard to make sure it's right rather than rely on a tape measure alone.

I used the above method when I put some shelves in an upper wardrobe in a previous camper and it worked a treat, once I was happy with them I covered them in some spare vinyl flooring (as the wardrobe front was angled the shelves were also tapered but you won't have that problem):

View attachment 347147

Thanks for this advice Minxy Girl. One question. The cupboard walls some awful thin. Will drilling, even the depth of the shelf supports, not come through the wall? I'd be reluctant to have a series of holes in the wall. Thanks.

 

[Ingwe]

Not sure why the quote appears twice.

 

[Vipar]

I think this could be the answer.
Take the plastic shelving apart get 4 pieces of wood to fit the space then drill 4 holes the same diameter as the old plastic shelf supports in each corner using a Forsner bit NOT all the way through. Then underneath the same shelf drill 4 more holes NOT in the same place as the previous ones then assemble.
This is how I would do it. No need for fixing as it will keep itself in place.

 

[Minxy]

I think this could be the answer.
Take the plastic shelving apart get 4 pieces of wood to fit the space then drill 4 holes the same diameter as the old plastic shelf supports in each corner using a Forsner bit NOT all the way through. Then underneath the same shelf drill 4 more holes NOT in the same place as the previous ones then assemble.
This is how I would do it. No need for fixing as it will keep itself in place.

It took me a while but I've worked out what you're talking about, personally whilst it means no permanent fixing its a bit more involved that what I was suggesting especially since the bottom of the cupboard has a 'drop' section where the table sits.

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[Minxy]

Thanks for this advice Minxy Girl. One question. The cupboard walls some awful thin. Will drilling, even the depth of the shelf supports, not come through the wall? I'd be reluctant to have a series of holes in the wall. Thanks.

The walls are usually made up of 2 thin sheets of wallboard with a gap in the middle so there shouldn't be an issue with depth as you'll only go through the one inside the cupboard ... that is unless you get too enthusiastic with the drill bit, hence why I said to put tape on it to mark the max depth.

Alternatively you could get 4 thin strips of wood the height of the cupboard and stick or screw them vertically at the front and rear of the sides where the fixings will be, then drill the holes for the shelf support lugs in them, I've never found a need to do this, but it's an option if you are concerned.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Is there a hanging rail in that cupboard. We have a similar one with the tv Ariel and the table leg in too. I have a hanging fabric shelf unit from IKEA that velcros tightly over the rail and it’s easy to push a hand in either side. It’s nice and quiet too when on the move and can easily be removed for the rare occasion I actually want to hang clothes up !

 

[Ingwe]

It took me a while but I've worked out what you're talking about, personally whilst it means no permanent fixing its a bit more involved that what I was suggesting especially since the bottom of the cupboard has a 'drop' section where the table sits.

I'm glad it wasn't only me struggling to understand Vipar's helpful suggestion. But I get it now.

 

[Ingwe]

Is there a hanging rail in that cupboard. We have a similar one with the tv Ariel and the table leg in too. I have a hanging fabric shelf unit from IKEA that velcros tightly over the rail and it’s easy to push a hand in either side. It’s nice and quiet too when on the move and can easily be removed for the rare occasion I actually want to hang clothes up !

We took the hanging rail out as we don't need to hang anything (other than towels in the bathroom). I have one of those hanging fabric units at home. We tried it in the van but we want something rigid that we can put trays on and pull them out when travelling.
Now that I know the walls are two separate bits of wall board with a gap between them I'm going to go with Minxy Girl's suggestion of shelf supports and plywood shelves cut to fit.
Thank you all for your advice.

 

[Vipar]

Drop a blank in the bit where the table sits in, and do as was previously suggested put the table behind the front seats. Sorry about the explanation I am.better at doing than saying. If it was on my garden it would be done by now. If you want a permanent fix for battens to the wall then use PT1 from screwfix you will not be able to remove the battens they will be the for life it sticks anything. Good luck with however you choose to do it. Use the trays as storage

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[Minxy]

... we want something rigid that we can put trays on and pull them out when travelling.

Not sure why you want to remove the trays when travelling ... so long as you put some non-slip on the base of the shelves, or make it so the trays/crates etc can't move there's no need to take them out ... alternatively you could mark where the front of the crate sits on the shelf then slightly in front of that line and in from each side of the shelf, drill holes for a couple of spare shelf supports, the crate would simply butt up against them and you'd just need lift it over them to take the crate out.

 

[Ingwe]

Not sure why you want to remove the trays when travelling ... so long as you put some non-slip on the base of the shelves, or make it so the trays/crates etc can't move there's no need to take them out ... alternatively you could mark where the front of the crate sits on the shelf then slightly in front of that line and in from each side of the shelf, drill holes for a couple of spare shelf supports, the crate would simply butt up against them and you'd just need lift it over them to take the crate out.

We don't really want to remove the trays when travelling. We just want to be able to slide the trays forward, for access to the tray's contents. It may be, when the shelves are in situ and the trays are resting on them, we can access the trays without pulling them out.