1977 GMC Palm Beach

Our resto-mod RV, 2002 to present

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Counter


Not much magic in this one. I removed the old countertop, the gas oven and created an enclosure for the microwave. I got rid of the harvest gold counter in favor of a green stock color at Lowes. I even ended up with enough spare to cover a fridge door to match.

It has probably been 20 years since my Dad has built a top but he shows how it used to be done. This wasn't just for nastalgia, new premade counters are not deep enough to cover our cabinet area. Who'd a thunk it... a motorhome cabinet that is deeper than standard kitchen cabinets. I had to get this done quick and didn't have time to even think of a custom order.

Here is a picture of the cabinet before the microwave enclosure was completed. I found a Home Depot stock color that matched the interior cabinet color. One of the biggest fit problems you will run into is that the old counter was recessed around parts of the cabinet and had some spacers on the aluminum angle across the back. This made the new flat bottom counter fit at an angle down towards the exterior. I ended up having to make a few filler peices along some areas to level. It was getting pretty late as you can see on the clock and I was leaving in the morning. Picture taking gave way to real work so you just need to imagine the progress pictures.

Final edge finish with a hand file. My dad could build a complete finished house with a stanley knife, a hammer and a file. I on the other hand look through the power tool catalog before selecting my next project... no tool, no project :-)

Here is a closeup of the microwave cabinet. The laminate is a stock color at home depot and matches the existing insides of the cabinets perfectly. This all is hidden once the microwave is in place but it looks good! I split the electric off of the plug behind the sink for the microwave and put a new outlet into the cabinet enclosure where the stove used to be located.

























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About the Author: Mike Teets is an IT Innovation Consultant, Father of 3, outdoor sports enthusiast and builder/restorer of things
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