Replace sliding acrylic cabinet doors

[sandcardet]

Has anyone replaced those semi-transparent sliding cabinet doors on the late model Internationals? If they are like regular cabinets, they should just lift up and come out. I want to replace with a more opaque material. Thank you for your input.

[Foiled Again]

You are correct, they can be lifted up and removed.

However - be cognizant of the lighting in the cabinet. New units have LED lights which don't give off a lot of heat, up through 2006 or perhaps 2007 they had halogen (or xenon) bulbs which were HOT HOT HOT. The heat buildup in the cabinets could be more serious - and not as noticeable if you replaced the doors with something solid.

You'd also have to choose something thin - Paneling? Metal?

There are a lot of different styles of plexi. You could probably find something you like. I'm really fond of the leaf style in my Eddie Bauer.

Paula

[sandcardet]

Thanks very much for your answer! I'm an experienced General Contractor, so I know that there are many wonderful materials that Airstream could have chosen that would have been so much better than this cheap plexiglass! Also, what's with the cheap fabrics on the bedspreads and curtains? I don't understand why they can't use a better quality material on such an expensive trailer. Oh, well, I don't run the company.

[BeachHouse]

What year and model are you getting? I may be interested in getting some of the plexi if you are discarding it. We like the frosted panels. The color of the cabinet inside and the contents are interesting. It goes with the design them they were creating at the time.

[Foiled Again]

Dear SAND,

Basically it's my opinion that they know that 99% of owners customize their interiors - so whatever they put in as standard will usually be replaced within a year or two by people wanting something different.

They do seem to try to make things LOOK attractive rather than be durable though don't they? It's the way of the world I'm afraid.

Oh well, we DO try to beat the dealers down below MSRP don't we? I call it "saving for replacement curtains" One thing to consider - if you sew it's hard to justify it as "saving" money by making clothing instead of buying ready made - and a lot of ready made is pretty durable for the cost. The BIG exception IS upholstery and custom curtains... these things are Pricey, pricey, pricey! Remember that a sewing machine IS a power tool. Even if you are a guy, many sewing centers offer courses in basic sewing and upholstery/slipcovering. Catch nice fabric on sale and you can have a custom interior that costs about 25% of what an upholstery shop would charge.

Paula