Hello and welcome to the blog today! It's been a busy week in terms of working on the van. I did get it cleaned out and scrubbed very well. The wheelwells, which were uninsulated in the past, had been a source of cold during the winter months... The result was headaches and stiff muscles.
Using some silver Reflectix insulation and a lot of duct tape, it was an easy fix. I overcompensated in spots with the Reflectix, figuring that "more is better" and ending up with something a little less than pretty. Nonetheless, the insulation is helping and nobody will see it.
One of the support managers at work chose the Glidden paint color for the van. It was a deep green ("Rainforest Fern") which is kind of woodsy by daylight yet much brighter when lit by LEDs. It normally appears much more like you see toward the back. I wanted something dark to make the van more cozy and facilitate better sleep. (When it was the beige color like near the doors, the interior was too bright all the time) An LED rope light was purchased at Menards to help illuminate the van a little better while inside.
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| Crockpot Clam Chowder - a 1 quart recipe I've been working on while painting the van.. Jen-Jen's curious, of course! |
So how does one paint outdoors when it's cold? Well, the last couple of days reached highs in the 50s (above normal) but that does not matter. I've had the space heater on with the auto temp control set to the lower 60s. The paint is drying perfecly.
The bedframe is in the house right now, waiting to be modified. I took the legs off and will be putting new ones on that are 15 inches long. This will get the bed as high as possible without being too high and will maximize the under-bed storage. That extra space is golden! The bed will be mounted later this week after I do some electrical upgrades (nothing too fancy) to protect the 12 volt wires.
There is a new, inexpensive comforter set on the way from Walmart.com. It's a "lodge" style design. I can't show it here without snitching a picture from my employer's web site... The old one was in rough shape and the new, larger blanket will come in handy.
That's all for now. After work tonight and all of tomorrow, the painting (which is the worst part) must continue. I hope to have the bed in later this week... as well as one very special picture for the wall.
Take care and thanks a bunch for stopping by. Stay tuned as things continue to come together.
Safe and happy travels always!
Brad, Jesse James, and Jennifer.
I used that reflectex on my camper as well and then covered it over with a blue thin insulation. Wheel wells are a pain to cover and because the truck bed has that rino spray tap was not cutting it. I used 3M spray and it finally stuck. Built a shelf over the one that was exposed so I could stand things on it. Have make use of every space in there. I like the color of your paint.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo! Thanks for the note. I'm up late trying to see if the emails are working on the blog...
ReplyDeleteLike you did, I'm also going to build a little shelf on the driver's side wheelwell for a nightstand. The passenger side hump will have a little table built over it. It will also help conceal things.
The van is nearly all green now - tomorrow will be spent touching things up and getting the bed closer to fitting into the interior.
Take care and thanks for the nice words about the color. It's going to be pretty conservative - green with some walnut colored painted wood (bed frames and shelves).