Custom cabinetry shops for vans

What a van cabinetry shop actually builds

Cabinetry for mobile living is a different sport than house furniture. A van cabinet must survive constant vibration, sudden braking, temperature swings, and deck flex while staying light and quiet. Good shops build to those realities first, then shape the form around your layout, storage, and gear.

Expect structure that favors marine grade plywood, composite panels, or aluminum extrusion frames. Each material brings a tradeoff. Plywood offers warm aesthetics, easy repair, and strong fastener bite. Composites trim pounds while resisting moisture. Aluminum frames add stiffness with lean weight and accept modular accessories. Shops often blend these to hit the sweet spot between strength, mass, and budget.

Mounting matters more than woodwork alone. Quality builders anchor cabinets to vehicle ribs or crash tested floor systems with rivnuts, plus structural adhesives to spread load and limit squeaks. They avoid thin wall sheet metal and use anti corrosion practices like sealed fasteners and isolators. Hardware choices are tuned for motion. Soft close slides, positive latches, and gas struts secure contents through washboard and switchbacks.

Smart cabinetry also respects service access. Removable panels for electrical and plumbing reduce downtime and prevent wall surgery later. Venting behind fridges and power gear keeps temperatures in check. A builder who plans air paths, wire chases, and clean ground points saves headaches thousands of miles down the road.

Materials that survive the road

Marine plywood with phenolic or laminate skins shrugs off spills and humidity. Honeycomb composites and ultralight panels cut mass without turning spongy when supported correctly. Aluminum extrusion creates skeletons that accept bolt in drawers and panels. Shops choose finishes like high pressure laminate for scratch resistance or catalyzed varnish for a furniture feel that still cleans up well.

Joinery and mounting that resist vibration

Box geometry is tuned to resist racking. Dados and rabbets spread loads instead of relying on face screws. Pocket joinery can be fine when backed by adhesive and blocked corners. Structural adhesive like polyurethane or methacrylate pairs with mechanical fasteners to tame squeak points. Into the shell, rivnuts and plus nuts with correct grip range keep threads reliable for service.

Finishes and hardware built for travel

Rounded edges help when the cabin moves and your hip meets a door. Compression latches refuse to pop open on rough trails. Full extension slides with detents keep drawers in place without extra straps. Where water lives, sealed laminates and PVC edging keep your cabinet faces looking new after seasons of use.

How to evaluate a van cabinetry shop

Portfolios tell the truth. Look for examples that match your platform and travel style. If you carry bikes, skis, or a motorcycle, check how the shop integrates tie downs and protects walls from impact. If you need a quiet night in the desert heat, evaluate venting around the fridge and inverter. Ask for photos behind the scenes that reveal anchoring, insulation cuts, and wiring organization.

Ask about design. Leading shops model the interior in CAD, template every curve, and produce cut lists that track grain direction and hardware specs. That process keeps tolerances tight and repeatable, which matters when a van shell is not square and every panel moves a hair on hot days.

Safety is the non negotiable. A competent shop understands load paths and will explain how each cabinet ties into structure. They will talk about mass targets, axle balance, and how they verify clearances for airbags and side curtain systems. They also plan for egress and do not block factory service points.

Questions to ask before you book

• How do you anchor to the chassis or floor system
• What materials do you recommend for my weight goals
• How do you manage squeaks and thermal expansion
• Can I remove panels to service electrical and plumbing
• What is the typical lead time and warranty

Cost, timelines, and scope

Budgets vary with materials, hardware, and complexity. A simple galley, overheads, and a bed platform can land at an entry price point when built in high quality plywood with durable laminate faces. Add composite panels, aluminum frames, custom upholstery, and integrated lighting, and the price climbs with the craft involved.

Timelines reflect design and fabrication steps. Expect a discovery call, field measurements or shell scanning, digital design reviews, then a scheduled production window. Installation typically spans from a few days to multiple weeks depending on the scope, electrical integration, and any metalwork such as bed mounts or load bearing partitions.

Scope clarity pays off. Define the appliances you will use, the depth of drawers for cookware, the size of water tanks, and the exact bins you want to slide under a bench. Share your heaviest cargo and typical travel terrain. A good shop will use those details to dial wall thickness, bracing, latch choice, and the mounting pattern into the body.

Where OZK Customs fits your build

When your trip plan includes rough county roads and long weeks away from hookups, cabinets must be lighter than home furniture and tougher than weekend fixtures. OZK Customs designs van cabinetry as part of a full system, from subfloor and insulation to power, water, and mounting. Our team anchors every module to structure, routes ventilation where appliances need it, and leaves service paths that make field fixes straightforward.

If you want a complete package with cabinetry that looks integrated and rides quiet, start with our core van program at recreational vans. For a from scratch layout with custom storage and tailored finishes, explore our custom van build. If you prefer a proven platform that still welcomes personal touches, consider our mainstream vans options that align with common layouts and finance pathways.

Your next step

Bring us your gear list and how you travel. We will map weight, structure, and access, then craft cabinetry that stays quiet, stands up to the miles, and looks right on day one and year five. Visit our shop in Northwest Arkansas to see materials, latches, and slides in action and experience a handoff that sets you up for the road.

Tell us what you carry, where you camp, and how you cook. We will engineer a cabinet system that saves weight, secures your cargo, and makes daily living simple. Start your consult with OZK Customs today.