Foam Cabinets

Restoring a B190? Start a thread here so we can follow your progress!
Post Reply
kstills
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 26, 2022 1:02 pm
B190 Year: 1996

Foam Cabinets

Post by kstills »

User avatar
skater
Site Admin
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
WBCCI: 13270
Location: Annapolis, MD

Re: Foam Cabinets

Post by skater »

That stuff is really soft, I have a bunch for a model railroad layout, and it's really easy to dent it, scratch it, etc. My cats love to claw it. A can sliding across inside would dent it. And either the cabinets have to be small or you won't be able to put much weight in it; it'll flex and snap. Their website is gone, but it would be interesting to see how it held up in actual use. I can't imagine very well.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
kstills
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 26, 2022 1:02 pm
B190 Year: 1996

Re: Foam Cabinets

Post by kstills »

skater wrote:
Tue Dec 20, 2022 5:29 pm
That stuff is really soft, I have a bunch for a model railroad layout, and it's really easy to dent it, scratch it, etc. My cats love to claw it. A can sliding across inside would dent it. And either the cabinets have to be small or you won't be able to put much weight in it; it'll flex and snap. Their website is gone, but it would be interesting to see how it held up in actual use. I can't imagine very well.
I'm not sure if you watched the video or not, however the construction method utilized a fiberglass screen material that they laminated to the XPS using several layers of a 'gripper' paint (I have to re look to see exactly what that was). Then they used paper and elmers glue to provide a decorative layer, which they coated with poly. The end result had very little flex across a cabinet.

Because they were using a screen material, the finish on the panel was pretty uneven. My thought is to finish it with epoxy that should level better and provide more structural support. Bottom cabinets would be faced with 3/8" luan for impact resistance, while both upper and lower would use some wood framing for supporting the door hinges and locks. I'm going to run some experiments using this construction method, I'll post when I have some data.
kstills
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 26, 2022 1:02 pm
B190 Year: 1996

Re: Foam Cabinets

Post by kstills »

One other thing,

https://totalcomposites.com/

that's essentially XPS sandwiched between fiberglass panels. And they build the entire structure of the overland rig out of just the composite panels (with aluminum corner braces).

Video from Australia of a guy and his wife standing on the roof of one.

No reason to think that the foam can't be reinforced enough to make a cabinet out of, just comes down to how much it will weigh vs wood. It also has me rethinking skinning the upper part of the camper with luan. I mean, why not do it with the foam? Much easier to cut and fit into the space up there.
User avatar
skater
Site Admin
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
WBCCI: 13270
Location: Annapolis, MD

Re: Foam Cabinets

Post by skater »

I had to skim through the video, but I did see they were putting what appeared to be fiberglass window screen on it. Maybe it was something stronger than that.

Is the goal to make the cabinets lighter? These should be lighter than the original cabinets. I know I can lift each set without too much trouble, since I have to move them around the garage occasionally, so they can't weigh that much. They might be a combined 50 lbs or so. (They're more awkward than heavy, because of the length.)
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
kstills
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu May 26, 2022 1:02 pm
B190 Year: 1996

Re: Foam Cabinets

Post by kstills »

1 square foot of 1/2" hardwood ply weighs 1.4lbs. Assume 100square feet in the rig, that's 139lbs of plywood.

1 square foot of 1/2" XPS weight 35 grams. Assume 100 square feet in the rig, that's 12.1 lbs (I added some weight for the coating, I'll actually have to find out what that value ends up being).

Assume 325 square feet of 1/4" luan at .547lbs per square foot, that's 177.28lbs.

Assume 325 square feet of 1/2" XPS at .1lbs square feet (coated), that's 26lbs.

That's just taking out the plywood and luan panels, not the structural elements. And that doesn't count doors and framing.

You can also take out about 130lbs of 3/4" plywood.
Post Reply