IKEA on the Move: Renovating a Motorhome

Materials: Fyndig - single-bowl sink (17 3/4" x 15 3/8"€) plus Atlant Waste Strainer, Edsvik, dual control faucet, Bohlman Dish Washing Bowl and Drainer, Rationell fully-extending drawers, one 3" and one 6"€ deep Jall- Hanging organizer.

Description: In 2012, I purchased a small 1986 mini motorhome that was in need of interior renovation---especially the kitchen area. After looking around, I found IKEA products were better sized for the mini motorhome than products at many other stores. I was excited to find how well the IKEA products worked and hope this gives others ideas for using IKEA products to renovate their van or mini-motorhome.

The first step was to remove the old stove, sink, faucet and the countertop. The original cabinet frame was repaired and reinforced. The old frame was covered with a new 1/4-inch plywood skin and a new countertop was added.

Then I installed the new IKEA sink and faucet. Note: plumbing lines on motorhomes are sized differently than for houses. The sales people at a local hardware store helped me find parts that could be used to connect the new sink lines to the original motorhome water lines. We used couplers for a sprinkler system.

Below the new cooktop, I installed full extension Rationell drawers. These are wonderful and easy to use. No more searching through boxes and bags to find items. Note: For the drawers to work properly, the distance between the walls inside the cabinet need to be exactly the dimensions stated on the instructions. In old motorhomes, this is a challenge because cabinets and walls are often not square or straight. We used shims to align the drawer railings.

Several IKEA kitchen accessories have proven to be useful in the motorhome where space is a premium. We LOVE the IKEA espresso maker and covered spice jars. A Bolhmen dish washing basket and drainer set serve double duty. A clean was dish washing basket has served as a salad bowl and the drainer has been used as a colander for rinsing fruits and vegetables and draining pasta.

In addition to rebuilding the kitchen, the clothes closet was a problem. While the closet was large for a minimotorhome, clothes fell off hangers when traveling and had to be stored in bags and boxes so they were hard to get to. The IKEA Jall hanging organizers were just the right length to hang in the closet and they formed cubby holes for storing clothes. I cut 1/4 plywood to fit into the bottom of each cubby hole to add stiffness. Instead of plywood, I could have used foam core board. Now clothes are easy to find and stay in place when traveling.

~ Sue, Western Washington

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