Kenmore Kegerator - New Top

[DrumForHire]

I got a good deal on a Kenmore Kegerator off of Craigslist. It is a "Kenmore Beer Dispenser" Model 183.91579 that was original meant for a Sankey keg but can easily fit 2 Corney kegs (possibly 3) and a 5# CO2 canister. However, since it was used the top is in bad shape. The original top a piece of particle board, so it has warped significantly (which I'm sure will cause insulating problems since there's a gap between the fridge right where the hole for the tower is) and the edges are crumbling. I contacted Kenmore about a replacement top, but they do not carry them anymore (I think their new model has a plastic top). I figured I should get a fresh piece of wood to make my own. Since I live in an apartment and don't have access to a table saw, I was going to go to a home improvement store that can just cut the piece for me, and then I'll use a drill with a hole saw to cut for the tower. My question is: what wood should I get that won't warp as easy as the particle board that it originally came with? Is plywood good enough? Would MDF be any better or worse? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

 

[lewis26]

I built a new top for my beer meister using a sheet of 1/2in MDF with a layer of 1/2in hardboard. I topped that with some laminate countertop sheet material.

It looks okay.

I will probably replace it with a piece of butcher block or granite next year.

I think just plywood or mdf arent going to look good, but depending on your kegerator location, you may not care what it looks like.

 

[DrumForHire]

Thanks for the response. I was also thinking of doing a laminate top to make it look cleaner, or some places carry MDF that comes primed so I could paint it or leave it as is. In all honesty, I'd like a decent looking top, but it doesn't have to look professional. Just something that will function and keep the girlfriend happy. A granite top would be awesome, but it'd be a budget stretch for right now.

So, you have the MDF board under the hardboard, which sounds like it might be nicer. Do you have a tower on top? Does it anchor solidly?

 

[Mdsutton]

In my opinion (LAHEHO) MDF is just a smaller particle board "particle board" Get marine grade Plywood and you will not have a problem for long time.

Martin

 

[lewis26]

So, you have the MDF board under the hardboard, which sounds like it might be nicer. Do you have a tower on top? Does it anchor solidly?

Yeah I have a black pipe draft tower. It's anchored very solidly.


Here's what it looks like. I'm not great at applying laminate and I think a thicker butcher block top would be great with a recessed drip tray. Probably a winter project.

 

[DrumForHire]

That's awesome, I was actually looking at the pipe-tower build myself. Marine grade plywood sounds like it's be pretty solid, so I'll make sure to look into that.