Casita 17 cabinet doors

[cherylbredin]

Good Day! We have recently purchased our 2010 Casita and are currently on a trip to Maine. We discovered a leak at the faucet that caused the sink cover to swell. We fixed the leak. Now how do you fix the press wood cabinet doors, shower door and sink cover that can be prone to getting wet?
I’d like to seal the edges with something. Anyone have any experience with this problem?

Cheryl & John Bredin

[Casita Greg]

First of all, why do you even still have that particle board cover? That MDF is a virtual sponge, and once it has swelled, it's toast. It's ugly, it's useless as a cutting board, it's unnecessarily heavy and really serves no purpose other than to be a useless POS.

Buy yourself a plastic cutting board, cut it down to fit (that is, if you really even need a sink cover,) and use the trimmings to fashion cleats to mount on the bottom of the cutting board to hold it in place in the sink.

If you need more "working room" in the form of a cutting board or flat prep surface, why not make a stove cover from a real cutting board and mount it over the stove. If you need to use the stove, just move it to the side and you still have a flat area to stage your cooking supplies on.

[Stephen_Albers]

There is yet another reason to lose the standard wood cuttingboard. Every time you use it you are scrapeing toxic varnish petrochemicals into your food. And the supplied cuttingboard is a breeding ground for bacteria. (That's two reasons. But whose counting.) Another Casita only -one-oar-in-the-water travesty.

[Gerry]

In my new to me 91 Casita the upper cupboard was swelled up due to leaks I trashed the pressed board and rebuilt it all with cedar, after fixing all leaks in Casita. I also have to redo the silverware draw as this also shows signs of swelling. The shower door doesn't show signs but I do not like the weight of it and may rebuild this out of cedar wood.

[cherylbredin]

Thanks for the info. We know we will be replacing the sink cover with a nice cutting board. We don’t use it as a cutting board. I just thought there might be a product to seal the edges. We will eventually replace all the doors with wood or starboard or ???
I welcome any ideas.

[Stephen_Albers]

Originally Posted by cherylbredin

Thanks for the info. We know we will be replacing the sink cover with a nice cutting board. We don’t use it as a cutting board. I just thought there might be a product to seal the edges. We will eventually replace all the doors with wood or starboard or ???
I welcome any ideas.

My additional suggestion is you carefully examine the previous poster's kitchen picture. It shows numerous very helpful fixes for manufacturer mistakes.

[patrick crawford]

lot's of casita owners have applied polyurethane to the edges of the original "wood" to prevent that swelling. i never did like the doors with square corners in a trailer with no right angles (personal bias). my solution was to replace all those offending pieces of wood with birch plywood (1/2"). a side benefit from this was a huge loss in weight (the trailer's, not mine). for instance, the original bathroom door weighed 42 lbs. the plywood replacement was less that half that. at the same time i got rid of those unreliable latches and replaced with magnets. no more surprises from self opening doors while on the road. i'm by no means an accomplished woodworker and the project wasn't as difficult as it may seem.

p@

[Stephen_Albers]

Originally Posted by patrick crawford

lot's of casita owners have applied polyurethane to the edges of the original "wood" to prevent that swelling. i never did like the doors with square corners in a trailer with no right angles (personal bias). my solution was to replace all those offending pieces of wood with birch plywood (1/2"). a side benefit from this was a huge loss in weight (the trailer's, not mine). for instance, the original bathroom door weighed 42 lbs. the plywood replacement was less that half that. at the same time i got rid of those unreliable latches and replaced with magnets. no more surprises from self opening doors while on the road. i'm by no means an accomplished woodworker and the project wasn't as difficult as it may seem.

p@

Could we see some pictures? Tnx,

[Carl Pa]

When I bought my new 2014 scamp, I intended to change all the doors to solid wood, (stile & rail) since I am am a woodworker/turner. I do like the bright white fiber glass cabinets. I thought it would be a nice contrast pairing up with quality doors and draws. However when I saw them, I liked the look. After almost 4 years everything is holding up fine. The interior is a bright and airy, and every thing wipes down clean. So I will replace the doors when they need to be, if ever, and if I am still able to move. Carl

[Randy P.]

I sealed the edges of all my MDF panels with MinWax wipe on polyurethane.

It was very easy to apply and sealed well! Minimum 3 coats.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by patrick crawford

lot's of casita owners have applied polyurethane to the edges of the original "wood" to prevent that swelling. i never did like the doors with square corners in a trailer with no right angles (personal bias). my solution was to replace all those offending pieces of wood with birch plywood (1/2"). a side benefit from this was a huge loss in weight (the trailer's, not mine). for instance, the original bathroom door weighed 42 lbs.

p@

Patrick, doncha just hate it when your waitress finally seats you and then says, " Sorry about your weight, sir ". . . just before you're gonna eat ?

[Stephen_Albers]

This treatment may be very cost-effective for preserving most of the woodwork. But not the cutting board. The traditional cutting board material is bare teak because its natural oil avoids rot. Teak does wear over time, necessitating annual resurfacing and replacing every 30 years. Synthetics is a better choice these days for cost and durability.

Originally Posted by Randy P.

I sealed the edges of all my MDF panels with MinWax wipe on polyurethane.

It was very easy to apply and sealed well! Minimum 3 coats.

[Glenn Baglo]

I recommend Epicurean cutting boards.
They are light weight and self healing.

Go here to see a huge selection.
https://www.epicureancs.com/product-...utting-boards/

[patrick crawford]

stephen, here's a few pics. if you've any questions/comments let me know...

p@

[Stephen_Albers]

Originally Posted by patrick crawford

stephen, here's a few pics. if you've any questions/comments let me know...

p@

Beautiful! Those rounded edges are a HUGE safety benefit. I'm putting this on my bucket list. Appreciatively, Stephen

[Stephen_Albers]

How did you finish off the doors? They look like they have a teak stain. Stephen

Originally Posted by Stephen_Albers

Beautiful! Those rounded edges are a HUGE safety benefit. I'm putting this on my bucket list. Appreciatively, Stephen

[patrick crawford]

the doors were stained with 2 coats of minwax "golden oak" allowed to soak before wiping down for a darker tone. final 2 coats was minwax polyurethane clear satin i(i think). and yeah, those square corners were a hazard second only to the exhaust vent hood over the stove. at first i attempted to use the mdf doors by putting a beveled radius on the corners and painting them white. that just didn't work...sorta like snowblindness with way too much white (reminded me of a operating room). that might not be a bad choice for starters but, i would advise against white. good luck and let us see what you come up with.

p@

[cherylbredin]

Originally Posted by Randy P.

I sealed the edges of all my MDF panels with MinWax wipe on polyurethane.

It was very easy to apply and sealed well! Minimum 3 coats.

Thanks for the good info!

[cherylbredin]

Originally Posted by patrick crawford

stephen, here's a few pics. if you've any questions/comments let me know...

p@

Oh that looks great! Really helpful.

[Nancy from MI]

Patrick, love the little edge you put on the ledge over the fridge and the drawer/cubby under the bed. Great ideas!