RV Remodel Vinyl Plank Wood Ceiling

When we purchased Ol' King he was covered in 1990's wallpaper. This wallpaper was peeling off in several areas, but yet in other areas the wallpaper was staying glued on for dear life. When it came to the ceiling we tried our best to remove it all, but it was being very stubborn. Initially we thought that we were just going to paint the ceiling just a basic white. After some online inspiration I thought why don't we add a dark wood feel to the roof as well as the flooring. Rather opting for real wood we decided to go with a sticky vinyl flooring. We went down to our local Lowes to scope out their selection. We ended up leaving with a beautiful dark colored vinyl that pairs with the flooring perfectly.

Prior to leaving the store we talked with multiple employees to see what would be best for applying the vinyl to make sure it sticks. We were advised to purchase this adhesive to apply to the surface even through the planks themselves were sticky we wanted to make sure they weren’t going anywhere. As we started into this project we soon realized it was going to take some time, but nothing worth having comes easily. This diy project is definitely a two person job. My husband and I make a good team, and we made a system to applying the planks. 

Majority of the time a ladder was needed to place the planks to the ceiling, except in the bedroom where the ceiling is low.  My husband was in charge of measuring and cutting the planks to the correct size. While he was cutting I was on the ladder applying the adhesive to the roof, placing the vinyl and rolling it out once applied.  The adhesive had to be applied about 10-15 minutes prior to placing the vinyl on it so that there was enough time to let it get tacky. Once the adhesive was tacky we would set the strip of vinyl into place, and then I would roll out the piece. This project was time consuming, but worth all those neck cramps while looking up towards the ceiling. 

We are very pleased with our end result and would do it again!

Below are some photo's of the ceiling upgrade using the vinyl wood 

planks.

 Check out that old ceiling. 
The white wall paper had turned yellow 
and falling off.

                             

                                                   Lots of rolling was involved. 

     

Slowly getting there with the back room completed.

Kitchen and living space ceiling completed.

Click on the video below to check it out.

             

 <3 Brit

Caulking and Resealing RV Roof

As we started in on our remodel we did experience some light water damage, which thankfully was nothing we couldn't handle. Taking that water damage into consideration we wanted to take all preventative measures possible to avoid future water or leaking damage. It is inevitable that over time any RV roof will leak so it is important that all RV owners are aware of what measures they can take to prevent that. Below we have the supplies needed as well as the step by step process complete with directions on how to reseal your roof.

Supplies needed are:
Dicor Self Leveling Lap Sealant
Mineral Spirits
Caulking Gun
Paper Towels
 

 

Directions:
 
Step 1: 
Assess your current sealant on your roof what is the current state of the sealant. Are there cracks in the current sealant? Is there areas that are missing sealant? If there are cracks in your current sealant that is an indicator that you will need to reseal that area. It is crucial to know what you are working with prior to diving in to the actual project, as well as being aware to what you are getting yourself into.

Step 2:
Now that you have taken a good look at what needs to be done you can start your preparation. You will need to start cleaning the area you will be resealing with the paper towels and mineral spirits. I recommend applying the cleaner to the paper towel and then wiping the area.  Prior to moving forward make sure the area is dry.

Step 3:
Now that you have thoroughly cleaned the areas you are ready to lay the dicor self leveling lap sealant. Place the dicor into the caulking gun, but before you get to laying it  I would recommend doing a test run. Aim the sealant onto a news paper or even a piece of cardboard just as an indicator on how the flow of sealant will be flowing from the gun. Once you are ready start laying down the sealant. When applying the sealant don't be afraid to be a little generous especially if you are not a fan on water damage. Remember that this sealant is self leveling so it will self level :)

Step 4:
Allow the sealant to dry up and then come back and check up on it within the next couple days. It is important to see how it drying and laying. It also isn't a bad idea to double check your work and make sure you have resealed all the correct areas and have not over looked any. Just like that you will have a sturdy leak free roof on your rv.


We hope that this easy step by step routine will help your rv for all your future trips! Below we have attached a video of our resealing. Hope this information helps you! :)

<3 Brit

 

 

Time For Some Upgrades

Even though Ol' King is in really great condition, we still decided he could use some upgrades. The first upgrade we did was installing new bathroom and kitchen faucets. We purchased the faucets from Lowes, and I was a little hesitant because the kitchen faucet that we purchased is a normal home faucet. Since our rig is older the fixtures are actually quality and not all that cheap plastic crud. Our sink in the kitchen is a double porcelain sink so I wasn't that concerned that a regular house faucet wouldn't fit. As we replaced the sinks well what do ya know they fit perfectly! YAY!!!!! I'm all about the details and I feel that even the slightest details help add to the overall look of any space. These upgrades were long over due considering the fixtures are from the late 80's.

 

 

 

  We went with a brushed nickel color which I'm very pleased with :)

Can you tell? :D

 

 

Click below to watch our video

Let the painting begin

The initial thought of painting our 34ft trailer was, "Oh it wont take that long it is a small space.". Yeah right I feel like it has consumed my life, lol. The painting has done so because I didn't use the correct paint. Basically in short never use a paint and primer duo. I have painted many other walls and furniture but for whatever reason I decided to do the duo of paint and primer which was not the best option. I was having to paint the same surface with 4 coats, that should of been a red flag but I decided to keep painting. Then it hit me, "Stop! What are you doing? You are wasting your time." Not only was it extremely time consuming, but my nail could scrape off the paint. The paint wasn't even adhering to the walls correctly. Talk about a total nightmare. I really did not want a glossy finish look on the walls and cabinets but I ended up just putting a polycyclic protective finish sealer over the paint to prevent any future chipping.  The painting was a process that I mainly did myself, because it is something that I could do alone. Meaning that I didn't need the husbands muscle to complete it. I would usually start the day with primer then go do another task and then come back for more coats of primer and so on through out the day until the area I was working on was completed.

 

Kitchen painting is underway!

 

The kitchen is coming along quite nicely.

 

The master is a work in progress here.

 

The garage is currently the cabinet painting center.

 

The slide with a fresh coat! :)

Here is a painting update video. Enjoy :)
          

<3 Brit

Making a plan for your Dreams

Hello and welcome to our blog! Thank you for taking time to read about our crazy, fascinating, and unpredictable life. This blog will be about a husband and wife's journey to go against the grain and live a bit "differently" some would say. For us this way of life fits into our dreams and goals, and we are totally content. We keep in mind that this isn't for everyone, and keep an open mind in that regard. To each their own I always say. We are opened minded individuals that are in no way trying to pressure this way of life onto anyone else. We just want to share our story and our adventure :)

Welp, I feel like I can talk about this topic for days if I could and give a lengthy back story(which I will probably do in a future blog). We have decided to purchase a 5th wheel trailer as well as a big beefy Ford 250 Diesel truck and live out of the 5th wheel (also referred to as being a "full-timer"). An interesting concept to say the least, but it fits our needs and will allow us to be debt free and have the freedom to travel where we choose.

My husbands initial reaction to my hair brain ideas are usually "No way!" Which in this scenario was his exact reaction, but I asked him to keep an open mind. I asked my husband if he had ever even stepped into a trailer or an rv of any sorts, which he had when he was like 8 years old. Considering it had been 20 years since he had been inside a trailer I asked him if we could just go take a look. Clearly for size purposes :) Thankfully he was open to the idea of "looking".

A few weeks later we went to our local used trailer dealer just to take a look around, and surprisingly my husband thought they were "pretty roomy". Which means a lot coming from him, and gave me hope seeing as my idea wasn't completely shot down. Then about a week later out of no where he tells me, " I want to do it babe! I want to sell all our crap and move and travel."

Where was this coming from? It was truly music to my hears. I honestly thought I was going to have to do a little work on my end you know convince him to jump on board with me. However that was not the case at all. I simply planted a seed, and he really went with it. Needless to say we started truck shopping and 5th wheel shopping and it progressed from there.

Today we are proud owners of a 1990 King of the Road 5th wheel.  We purchased it from the sweetest older couple and hope we make them proud. We have began to remodel the 5th wheel and slowly have started to pare down(basically sale or get rid of all your crap that you don't use). We are extremely excited about this new journey in our lives and appreciate that you are apart of it as well. So sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride with us!

- Britnee  <3