The Big Picture

by Bill Gehr | Mar 22, 2023 | Pro Tip, RVEXPERT

a man holds a picture frame up to an overhead cabinet and uses a sharpie to mark a cut area

Photos by Lorie Swoffer

Finding “secret” unused space in an RV can be tough. Opening the area behind the wall that held the bedroom TV that was no longer watched and adding a picture frame “door” provided access to store extra clothing, sheets and/or towels.

Like for most RVers, the search for extra storage space is ongoing in my fifth wheel. Most of the time, space can be freed up by getting rid of unused stuff and rearranging cupboards—but you also need to get creative. Years ago, I added a picture frame to where the television in the bedroom was once mounted to cover up the holes needed to route cables. We never watched this TV, and the picture frame was a nice touch. One day I took the frame down to change the pictures — and it suddenly hit me: there was a huge empty space behind that wall.

Thinking outside the box (and knowing that there was absolutely no way to find a door that would match the wood color without enlisting a cabinet maker, which would be costly), I figured I could use the picture frame as the “door” and open up access that was behind the TV mount. I ordered a few small hinges and a magnetic catch from Amazon — and I was off to the races.

Cutting the hole through a wall that was reinforced with ¾-inch plywood to support the weight of the anticipated TV seemed like a daunting test, and of course promised to be very messy with sawdust and wood particles going everywhere. Fortunately, I had a good jigsaw and a very sharp extra-long blade, which was needed because it was not possible get all the way down into that recessed area with the jigsaw to make the cut. Before starting the project, I covered the foot of the jigsaw with masking tape to prevent scratching or damaging the finished surface of the cabinets while trying to cut a large rectangular hole; drop cloths were spread out to catch the wood shrapnel.

a man lays a painter's tarp on the floor under the intended work area

Cutting wood creates lots of sawdust, which was captured by painter’s tarps that were spread out over the bed and lower cabinet structure.

a hand pulls a piece of lime green painter's tape taut while covering the metal jigsaw foot

Tip: The metal jigsaw foot was covered with painter’s tape to prevent scratching the adjacent wood when cutting the hole.

Holes were first drilled through the wood along the marked cutline in order to insert the jigsaw blade. For this project, I had to hold on to the jigsaw tightly to prevent kick back because the foot of the jigsaw was not always on a flat surface. At that, it did kick a couple of times but there was no damage. I wasn’t too worried about cutting a perfectly straight line since it would be covered by the picture frame; you may be more fastidious in your approach. The only real snag was another ¾-inch-thick strip of plywood in the upper portion where I needed to cut (I believe this was there to help support the TV). After examination, a pry bar and a hammer were used ultimately to remove the support bar before continuing the cut.

large holes are drilled in several places to make room for the jigsaw blade

After marking the outline for the cutout, large holes were drilled in several places to make room for the jigsaw blade when cutting in different directions.

a jigsaw is used to cut along the sharpie line

a hand saw is used to cut the last bit of wood from the upper cabinet

The only snag when cutting the hole was the raised perimeter that made it impossible to lay the jigsaw flat against the wood panel that held the TV. Also, it was impossible to get the jigsaw into the corner to make the final cut. A handsaw was used to cut through the last bit of wood.

After marking the outline for the cutout, large holes were drilled in several places to make room for the jigsaw blade when cutting in different directions.

The only snag when cutting the hole was the raised perimeter that made it impossible to lay the jigsaw flat against the wood panel that held the TV. Also, it was impossible to get the jigsaw into the corner to make the final cut. A handsaw was used to cut through the last bit of wood.

the piece of ¾-inch plywood is removed from the cabinet

Once all the cuts were made, the access panel was pulled away from the cabinet. This panel was made of ¾-inch plywood, which was necessary to support the TV that was removed years ago. It’s heavier than it looks.

After a lot of measuring to make sure the picture frame would be centered, the hinges were installed on the picture frame and one of the flat magnet sets were attached to keep the “door” closed tightly. The magnet catch can be purchased at Amazon for $10.99 (Google “Cabinet Door Magnets Jiayi 6 pack”). I used the biggest picture frame that I could fit in the allocated space, which provided the extra space for clothing, sheets and/or towels.

top view of a tape measure being used to locating the small hinges on the picture frame

Measurements were taken for locating the small hinges on the picture frame. These hinges are available in just about any hardware store.

close view of the sharpie marking the location of the small hinges on the overhead compartment

a magnetic catch is attached to the overhead compartment opening with enclosed screws

One magnetic catch was needed to keep the picture frame closed. These catches are available on Amazon (“Cabinet Door Magnets Jiayi 6 pack,” $10.99). They can be attached with the enclosed screws or two-face tape; screws were used here.

Measurements were taken for locating the small hinges on the picture frame. These hinges are available in just about any hardware store.

One magnetic catch was needed to keep the picture frame closed. These catches are available on Amazon (“Cabinet Door Magnets Jiayi 6 pack,” $10.99). They can be attached with the enclosed screws or two-face tape; screws were used here.

full view of the new storage compartment containing folded clothes stacked on a small rack

I also found a vinyl-coated wire shelf that fit perfectly inside the new compartment, which maximized the space for sheets, towels or clothing.

The new picture frame is easy on the eyes — and finding “secret” space to store needed items was worthy of a big pat on my back.

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