Progress & Complications

Saturday morning, May 23rd, started with the installation of a new rib door seal.  Yay!  Looks nice!  It will be great to have the door shut more securely!

However, it would be even better if we could get the door to actually CLOSE!  Ugh.  We’ve tried to adjust the hinges, but we still can’t get it to latch. Not good.  As I’ve said, one step forward, TWO steps back sometimes. Guess what tomorrow’s project will be? 🙁

But we did get more of the fabric put up:

And no, there’s not a huge bowed out area in the fabric under the window–the light was just coming in at an odd angle from the hatch.  But while I was crawling over and around the “bones” of the future bed, I trimmed the fabric along the floor.

We got the first long strip put up on the ceiling, starting from the top of the rear window to about halfway towards the front.  For the second coat of adhesive on the fabric (after getting two coats of it on the ceiling), I had to start using the 2nd can of 3M-90 adhesive.

I put wide painter’s tape over the opening to the hatch (especially on the handle) and ran the 3 x 6 ft. piece of fabric over it.  It was easy to see and feel where to cut out for the hatch, and after making sure everything was well-attached there, we put the wooden trim piece back on.

Of course the goal is to have only as many seams as necessary, but it’s really hard to get it perfectly placed–and it’s not like we’re experts at this!  Ultimately I think it will look fine, but it’s definitely a challenge to get it put up neatly and evenly, given the odd shapes and curves.  We start by measuring and cutting a piece that’s close to the right size. Then we take it into the trailer and try to trim it even closer.  Once we’re pleased with the basic size and shape, we take it outside and spray on the adhesive.  We put it up, smoothing as we go, and then trim it again if we have to, once it’s on the wall or ceiling.  And yes, we’re wearing masks while we’re doing this.  In addition to trying to protect ourselves from the adhesive, we’ve found that the marine headliner fabric has lots of fibers that come off and float around.  I really, really hope this shedding won’t be an ongoing issue.

We took a break in the afternoon to get together with some family members, and then we spent a couple of HOURS and almost $100 at Lowes.  I made an executive decision this afternoon that we should go on and stain or paint the wood before putting any more fabric on the walls or ceiling.  We were leaning towards stain rather than paint–and I was leaning towards a darker stain rather than a lighter one (since the walls are white)–so we opted for a color called “American Chestnut.”

It’s dark, but not TOO dark, and I like the reddish tones.  If we decide we don’t like it, we’ll paint over it at some point. 🙂