Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

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Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

February 18, 2026, 12:16:37 pm

The wall between the entry door and the refrigerator is wet and rotten. How do I remove the upper and lower cabinets in front of that wall?

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #1 – February 18, 2026, 01:06:31 pm

Hi Jay; Welcome to the group. I hope that we can help. I've had my TK now for 26 years, and so far haven't had to remove those cabinets. Not as trivial as it would be on other brands, Lazy Daze screwed all of the cabinets in from the outside before the aluminum skin was put on the outside. If the walls holding the cabinets are 'wet and mushy' you should be able to just pry them off of the wall (carefully to minimize more damage.) The screws can be located and a thin hacksaw blade might be able to cut them, to separate the cabinets from the wall.
Likely there is a roof or window leak. Try to find that first. Check the vent cap above the refrigerator first, to make sure that the vent cap is there. This rot damage may have started from the side refrigerator vent. The window next to the entry door could be leaking also at the top. I'd take out that window to keep from breaking it, and to check the condition of the wall from there.   The battery box, also has a door on the outside that is vented, and can let water in. If the rot has progressed downward you will need to check the integrity of the floor framing. The generator is very heavy, you don't want to hit a bump and have the generator fall out onto the street!
   I can see where a previous owner could have routinely parked next to a lawn sprinkler that could spray through both the battery box and refrigerator side doors.
   Is your entry coach door solid still? And the framework toward the aft end? Just below the refrigerator is the converter, and your 12vdc and 110vac power distribution center. At the front of that, just under the carpet and flooring is a water line going to the water heater, and hot water coming back. You can pull out the heater (hot air) duct vent and look down at the wiring and flex hoses going under the floor.
   If you take pictures and post it here, of what you find, That would help me, and others here who may have had similar issues.   Glad you came here. RonB

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #2 – February 18, 2026, 01:54:53 pm

This is going to be a challenge to remove the cabinets without destroying them. LD built things to stay together, not come apart. Most removal projects end up with a lot of wood parts and splinters.
As Ron pointed out, the cabinets are screwed through the wall from the outside, eliminating the ability to access the screw heads, unless you don't mind disassembling the exterior sheet aluminum (no, you do not want to do this).

I would use a vibratory tool with a blade designed for embedded nails to cut the screws, expect to see a lot of them. There may be screws securing the cabinets to the floor, too.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-1-1-4-in-Universal-Fit-Carbide-Oscillating-Blades-for-Nail-Embedded-Wood-3-Pack-DOU125CW3/325382244

A lot of folks with rot continue to drive their LDs with extensive rot instead of ripping their older rig to bits, attempting to repair them. Many never get properly fixed due to the complexity of the repair and the lack of knowledge on how to proceed. LDs are very structurally strong due to everything being held together, with gallons of glue, as well as thousands of screws, nails, and staples.

This is as serious a repair project as you can get, one that should not be underestimated in terms of its difficulty level.
Back when I still worked on LDs, I would not have taken on this project; instead, I would have sent them to the Mothership.
If the Mothership were still open, I would think this would have been a $10-15,000 repair.

As Ron mentioned, you should first start by finding and sealing all sources of leaks to prevent future damage. Then decide how you want to proceed.

Larry

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #3 – February 18, 2026, 01:59:01 pm

Lazy Daze Construction Photos under Lazy Daze Renovations & Improvements maybe of help, I know there are TK photos there.

Nice thing about a Lazy Daze is their construction changed very little over the years.

Downside is all the cabinets are glued and screwed, with the screws coming in from the outside, will be destructive and a major project.

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #4 – February 18, 2026, 03:40:14 pm

Thank you for the valuable information. I am going to proceed as best as I can and try to save what I can. I won't be taking off the outside skin, but I have a good friend who is a master woodworker who can build me some replacement cabinets. I am going to focus on resealing the top edge and window area. That being said, the window is going to have to come out to do a proper repair. The camper did not come with a generator, so no worries there. BTW, my wife and I love our camper. As soon as she saw a picture on all the rear windows in the for sale ad, we quit looking and bought it. Thanks again for replies.

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #5 – February 18, 2026, 04:51:44 pm

Your first tasks should be:

(1) Find and stop the leak

(2) Determine the extent of the damage.

It's quite likely that the damage is far more extensive than you realize.

Listen to Larry when he says this is likely a HUGE project.

Rich

Re: Remove cabinets 1997 LD TK 23.5

Reply #6 – February 19, 2026, 05:04:21 pm

After you remove the cabinets, probably in pieces, you might start thinking it would have been better to have sold it and found another without rot. Just saying.
I wish we had not seen so many rotted rigs here and the huge amounts of work (and money) needed to fix such rigs.
I'm glad I'm too old to still work on old rigs anymore. I hated the rot repair jobs.

Larry

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