Extra under Refrigerator and under oven storage

[Ronnelly]

How easy is it to knock out the oak panels under the refrigerator and oven. Also can you buy the doors for those openings? I would love to have the extra storage. I see your pictures and it looks good. Thanks for your reply.

[sreigle]

I knocked them out on our 2003 3295RK and put hinged doors there. For our model we couldn't use the space under the fridge but could under the oven and under the bottom desk drawer.

Those panels are simply stapled in place. You could probably knock them out with your fist. I used a short 2x4 with light taps from a hammer as I was not sure how they were attached.

Both Lowe's and Home Depot can have the doors made to your size specification. They have several styles available including one that was very close (not quite identical) to what was in our 2003 Montana. Close enough, though.

For color, they have several to chose from. I think your 2004 model has the same color cabinets as our 2003. They had a color (they prefinish them for you) in an exact color match.

They also had hinges that were nearly an identical match. I got the spring loaded type that keep the door open. I hinged them at the bottom to make for easier access into the new storage space.

The doors were in the neighborhood of $40 each. That was two or three years ago.

I hope this helps you.

[simonsrf]

Our model is a 2980RL, and we did the exact same thing that Steve did on his unit. Punching out the flimsy panel under both the stove and the refrigerator was real easy.

At Lowe's, we were able to purchase two pieces of red oak panels to replace them. Make sure you measure the inside measurement and allow for some overlap for the hinges. With the hinge on the bottom, there was no need for a handle. The hinges were about $4 per pair, and the two pieces of wood were about $45 for two including shipping. It took about 7 days to get them delivered to our local Lowe's store.

I then stained them using Minwax Polyshades, Classic Oak Satin 370, stain and polyurethane 1-step. They turned out just like the factory installed ones.

This is one of the best improvements we made. I now have a place for pots and pans, cookie sheets, serving dishes and the seal-a-meal! I have heard that some people have put their vacuum cleaner tools in there too.

[Ken65]

We are interested in doing this also. We have an '05 2980. But we're wanting to put in a drawer. Has anyone done this? It looks like it is necessary to remove the stove. What about the gas line under there? Any tips or ideas? It looks like you did a great job Steve. By the way at the RV show the new Montanas come with a drawer under the stove.


Ken and Pat
Fontana, CA