The birth of the van

I was in the salvage yard when I saw her. She was ugly on the outside...well, let's face it, on the inside, too. But underneath the ugly dark green paint and fake wood interior, I could see her potential.

The guy there (a somewhat creepy guy named Jergen, with few teeth) said he thought that she had nothing wrong with her. Isn't that what they always say? However, she had no rust and only 44 000 kms mileage.

 

How funky is that table? Not terribly practical for Yahtzee, but funky.

 

 I came home and told Jenny about her, cautiously optimistic that she could be a fun part of our future camping trips. Jenny, as is her wont, was more cautious than optimistic. We looked at some similar vans online, and decided that if she checked out, it was a really good deal. A few discussions and trips to the salvage yard later, we were $900 lighter in the wallet and driving her home.

Our trusted mechanic (what a find that is!) checked her out, and pronounced her "solid as a rock," and very well cared for. This is not a guy who says that lightly. He also remarked that she was "painted with a big, hairy brush." .

Next came the painting. First I had to remove all of the curtains and upholstered panels. Was powder blue with pink accents really ever attractive? I researched a bit about how to paint an RV, and there were lots of opinions. (Faux finishes? Really?) I decided on an oil-based Kilz primer and latex melamine paint in Natural White. I started priming. I primed and I primed. I should mention that I am not a very meticulous painter at the best of times, never mind cramped in little spaces. It was a disaster! What had I done? It looked terrible. I was quite disheartened. Still in love with the van, though.

Next came the latex paint. Wow, what a job! Three coats later, with loads of cutting in and using a tiny roller where I could, it looked passable.

I admit, it could probably have used a fourth coat, but that was just too much for me.

Look at that upholstery! That has to go.

I decided to leave the black on the shelves, for "depth."  How designer-y of me. The green masking tape has taken a little of the black off, and there are a few drips of paint (okay, maybe more than a few), so it will have to be touched up.

I discovered, much to my chagrin, that the shelves over the couches are too low. Our heads hit them when sitting, and we are both only 5'7". Were the previous owners little people? I have to take them out, after struggling to paint all of their nooks and crannies, and touch it up. Argh! Stay tuned.