Pantry shelves

[LCE]

Hi,
I am wanting to install sliding shelves in my pantry as they are really deep.
I know how I want to do it but whats stopping me is the lack of support...
The walls and shelves are made of 1/8 inch paneling and from what I can tell there really is no skeletal supports to anchor into.

So for those of you who have done this...how did you do it?

Thank you

[twanger]

You can easily get slide-out shelves that mount on top of a shelf instead of to side walls. See for example Shelves That Slide. I put a bunch of their stuff in my home kitchen. These things are pretty expensive and very heavy though.

[LCE]

I have thought about them but the price doesn't fit my budget and the shelves are not sturdy enough to support them.
The shelves are also made from 1/8 inch material and the supports for them are cheaply done and stapled to the 1/8 inch walls.
Keystone really cheaped out with materials and craftsmanship on this trailer

I appreciate the help thank you

[gearhead]

We have sliding wire shelves in the pantry. I'll give them to you if you come get them. The shelves are pretty well built but have no locking mechanism. Our first trip they slid open, pushed the pantry door open, and most of the contents were on the floor. I use bungee cords to try to secure them.
Look for a Landmark on a Heartland dealers lot and take a look.

[JRTJH]

Shelving in any RV is going to be "lightweight" for a number of reasons. First, every pound you put in an RV "above the axles" is going to raise the center of gravity, making the rig "top heavy". For that reason, anything heavy that's stored inside an RV should be placed close to the floor.

Those shelves are designed and intended for things like "cereal boxes" and bread/chips/cookies, not for cases of bottled water, canned goods and "Mom's favorite cast iron cookware"...

That said, every pound of building material that's put into any trailer, reduces the payload and increases the curb weight. When you're working with a "lightweight" or "X-Lite" or "Helium technology" trailer, the goal is not to build to "home cupboard standards" but rather to "reduce every pound possible" while maintaining "some level of functionability"..... There's a reason why the walls are 2x2 wood or aluminum studs with styrofoam insulation rather than 2x6 studs with fiberglass insulation and why the floor is 1/4" OSB (sturdifloor) with 2" of foam and a thin sheet of luan (now a "hyperlite plastic") on the bottom... The "sandwich floor weighs about 1/3 of what a 1" marine plywood floor weighs.

That "cheap, low quality construction" is, along with not being "top grade craftsmanship" the most effective way to reduce weight and still provide storage that's somewhat functional.

I'm not making excuses for the industry, just stating what should be a well known understanding of why trailers aren't built using 3/4" plywood shelves like the kitchen pantry at home.....

We use plastic bins from Everything's a Dollar to keep things organized on the shelves. Adding "sliding units to the shelf, as you found out, isn't really a good option because of the construction coupled with the price of the "last a lifetime heaviness" of the quality shelf pullout units.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by LCE

Hi,
I am wanting to install sliding shelves in my pantry as they are really deep.
I know how I want to do it but whats stopping me is the lack of support...
The walls and shelves are made of 1/8 inch paneling and from what I can tell there really is no skeletal supports to anchor into.

So for those of you who have done this...how did you do it?

Thank you

The way i would do it is to take all the shelves out and the side supports for the shelves.
Use liquid nails to laminate a piece of 1/2” cabinet grade plywood on each side and possibly the back to lock it together

Use the same plywood to make new shelves and cut and laminate the old shelves on top with liquid nails if you want for decorative purposes.

The new shelves should lock everything together and give you the support to mount the sliders..

I don’t know…might work with a little imagination and elbow grease

Can stain it to come close to your original decor