HOW TO: Flat foam storage tray for the front dinette seat compartment

[John E Davies]

This is pretty bad for storing just about anything hard, I had been using a bunch of loose foam sheets to pad the wires and plumbing.

I made strips from 1" thick Dow Corning R5 rigid foam board from Home Depot. It can be cut with a SHARP knife and dressed smooth with a bench top belt sander. Wear a dust mask! I used 3 mil aluminum HVAC tape to secure it. The frame member got 2" total thickness, the outside got 2.5" to make it level side to side.

The black tank rinse plumbing has been bugging me for years, so I removed it completely (Natures Head toilet!)

And capped the bottom fitting with a1/2" FPT Cap, so nobody could accidentally flood the interior:

I cut out a tray and it just rests there, so access underneath is not an issue.

Here is the area stuffed fairly full, it all lies nice and flat. The material is not especially strong, but it weighs absolutely nothing and is easily replaced if it gets damaged. Plus it is fire retardant.

If you wanted it to look nicer you could cover the entire top with the aluminum tape. The material is however 100% waterproof. I tested that by submerging a piece in a glass of water for 12 hours. No worries! 

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited March 8, 2021 by John E Davies