Ok, so later this month I'm going to start on my LQ.  It's just a shell right now.  I would really, really like to have hickory cabinets in my trailer, but I've been warned about the weight.  I looked up the weights per board foot of some different woods, and hickory seems to be 4.4 lbs/board ft, versus maple at 4.0, and white oak 3, and red oak 4.2.  So, I want to have 5 feet of upper and lower cabinets, 1 closet, and cabinets in the headboard space.  Is this really worth worrying about?  I'm thinking to heck with it, I want hickory, and that's what I'm going to use.  I'm not installing water tanks or showers or toilets or generators, so why not?  In fact, as LQs go, this one will be nice to look at, but very, very basic, mostly storage, lights, and heat.

Second question.  When I did my first trailer - basically just a very nice dressing room with beds - we put in standard outlets and switches like you would in a house.  The box for each of these is far deeper than the wall on the trailer, and the effect was not what I would have liked.  Is there a shallower box that can be used for a trailer, or am I better off just staying with the standard size and installing them into a cupboard wall so I can have a flush surface mount without worrying about depth?

And, as long as I'm here, one more question - my trailer has a leak, quite small.  I believe it is along one of the side panel seams, painted aluminum.  When it rains, I get a very small puddle sitting inside the channel of aluminum along the bottom of the wall in the LQ. I talked to a Kiefer dealer and he said just use a silicone that's rated for use on metal.  I plan to do that, but thought I'd run it by everyone here first in case there's more to this than meets the eye.  What about surface prep? I can't see a leak, and I don't want to remove the existing silicone bead, which is quite neat and tidy and barely visible.

Cabinets are rarely made of solid wood, for economic reasons and the stability against expansion and contraction in different humidities, that the plywood offers. You can use 1/2 Birch plywood for the boxes of your cabinets, 3/8" if you use Baltic Birch (There are many more plies for the same thickness). This will save you a great deal of weight and money.

The doors face frames and shelf edging, can be made of the Hickory you so desire. This is a common practice in cabinet making. The outside cabinet ends can be finished with a door panel, again of Hickory, made to size.

The big box stores sell shallow boxes for your ac electric receptacles. They are less than half the thickness of a standard box, but because of their size, will only allow fewer wires to be terminated within.

Silicon is a poor, long term caulking material for exterior metal surfaces. A polyurethane is longer lasting and more UV resistant. The original bead is what is leaking and should be removed and replaced. It can be cut out with a sharp utility knife. Make sure you do not score the metal with the sharp blade tip. Just adding more caulking over the old, is a poor and insufficient repair. Done correctly, the repair will last many years.

Gard

Well, I think my electrician has bailed on me, since he hasn't called me back.  I was hoping to get my trailer all wired, AC and DC, in the next week or two.  I want to install a power port receptacle so all the gadgets that plug into my truck's cigarette lighter can be plugged in inside the trailer as well.  I know I saw one somewhere, but can't track it down now that I want it.  I'm sure an RV place somewhere has one.

One of the local hardware stores is about to carry a new line of cabinets - just discovered this today, and this is a real thrill what with the trailer LQ about to happen, as well as my kitchen reno in the house.  I'll ask them about the shallower depth boxes for the switches, as well as the hickory doors for the cabinets.

Found the sealer for the seams on the trailer.  I think I'll just do every single one of them so I don't develop a new leak after the inside is finished.

One more thought - any preference on the order for installing things - floors then walls then ceilings? Or maybe walls first and floors last?

 The floors have to be finished before the lower cabinets are installed. The walls sit on the floors, the ceiling fits within the walls.

Gard

I agree with you that the Hickory would not add that much weight when used as cabinet faces and doors.  The site below has premade hickory doors at a reasonable price.  When I ordered, I also added some larger doors so I would have the extra material If I needed to make something custom.  I have attached a picture of the cabinet counter top outlet that is 120V and 12 Volt.  I used a standard duplex plastic box and a 12v receptical from the auto parts store.  The cover plate is an outlet/switch cover where I rounded out the switch slot with w round file.  As far as the order 1.) Insulation, 2.) sub floor, 3.) Backer boards on walls for cabinet support. 4.) Base Cabinets, 5.) Wall cabinets, 6.)Electrical ( I ran all of my wiring inside the cabinets so I can get to it at any time. Same with plumbing.) 7.) Finish wall 8.) Finish Floor 9.) Final Trim.  This list is really over simplified, but it is a guide.

http://search.stores.ebay.com/DOORSANDPULLS_Hickory_W0QQfciZ6QQfclZ3QQfsnZDOORSANDPULLSQQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQsaselZ26663332QQsofpZ0

Good Luck

Turfa

OMGoodness!  Thanks so much for the link!  That's going to save me a bundle right there.  Ordering the extra is definitely a good idea.

The switch plate looks perfect, I'll have to try that.  Thanks also for the extra detail on the build order.  Every question answered seems to bring to mind another question, it seems. 

I'm really looking forward to gettting started on this, but it's going to run simultaneously with barn construction and kitchen reno, so I might need to plan it out so that I can have it fully insulated with wall board and floors installed, and wiring in place, then add the cupboards later. The planning would certainly be easier if I knew I could do it all in one go, start to finish, but it's just not possible.  AND it still needs to make road trips while under construction...yeesh.  My home, and my home-away-from-home, will all be in a state of disaster.  Maybe I should move to a tent...

In your original post, I inferred that weight was a consideration while building custom cabinets. You now mention installing cabinets sourced from a hardware store. You should be aware that if weight is an issue, most ready made cabinets are constructed of MDF, which is significantly heavier and weaker than plywood for the boxes.

You will also have to install some Hickory veneer strips over the face frames and shelves to match your doors.

Gard

There are several Ebay sites that sell cabinet doors; in both stock and custom sizes. When I checked, the woods in which I was interested were nominally priced. For a singular project, it would not be cost effective to purchase all the tools necessary to build the cabinet doors. Hickory isn't as commonly available as some of the more popular woods, but has a pleasant and subtle grain. It is well worth the search.

Gard