Motorhome Storage - Kitchen Cabinets

I noticed that in the cabinets I was planning to store my dishes in that a shelf had been removed.  The faint outline and remaining screw holes clued me in and since storage space in an RV is at a premium I was anxious to replace that.  After going through my scrap wood pile I knew I didn't have a long board to make a shelf with so a quick trip to Home Depot for a six foot long 1" X 8" pine board and an extra can of spray paint was required.

I forgot to take a picture of the dish cupboard once I was finished!
Hopefully a pic of my little helper will suffice for now

I cut the board to length and then in half so I would be able to get it into the cabinet.  I also made new shelf cleats using wood I already had in my stash - one for each end and one to support the center.  Then I painted everything and once it was dry I installed the cleats and then the shelf boards.  To reinforce the center I used finish nails to tack it in place on the center cleat (I also tacked in place at each end to so it won't move) and then measured and cut a trim piece to go against the front edge.  Not only to add more stability to the shelf but to provide a lip to help keep items in place during transit.  I painted the trim and once it was dry I predrilled holes in to so it wouldn't split when I attached it with some finish nails.

The cabinets under the sink are really well laid out with very little wasted space while managing to accommodate the plumbing and electrical.  Instead of drawers in the kitchen I have pull out bins on slides which I really like.  I took out the bins and brought them in the house for a good scrubbing with a magic eraser to remove all of the black utensil marks that had accumulated over the years.  That was all it took.

The only improvement I made under the sink was where I planned to keep my trash can.  The carpet only covered half of that space and caused the can to wobble.  I cut a piece of luan I had leftover from the nightstand project to fit and painted that brown.  Then I set a piece of scrap wood at the back of the cabinet as a spacer and placed the luan on top of that.  No glue or nails here because it needs to be removable as there is an access panel at the back of this space.  Just a nice snug fit.  Now I have a level and very wipeable surface to keep my trash can and a cute plastic basket I picked up at the dollar store to hold my cleaning supplies too.

I also moved the paper towel dispenser from
above the kitchen sink to the cabinet underneath

The next day, after allowing the painted surfaces to cure I went in and carefully measured, cut and lined all of the shelves with rubber gripper shelf liner.  I slid the bins back in and had a blast putting away the kitchen items I had in the camp box and in boxes under the stairs for the retirement house.  The utensil tray I had already bought was a perfect fit.  Meant to be!

I bought these at the dollar store - too cute!!
I'll refill them from the bigger bottles in the house

This transformation cost me $7.97 for a pine board and $3.87 for a can of spray paint at Home Depot plus a couple rolls of shelf liner (taupe) on sale at ShopKo for a total of $9.  I added a trash can and a storage basket for $1 each from Dollar Tree.  Everything else I used I already had.  Now that is a pretty thrifty makeover if you ask me.