2000 Chevy Express project

[dvdchris]

Thank you for showing what you did with the vent trim piece.

I was having a problem figuring out how to end up with the neat look because just like yours, my ceiling isn't going to be deep enough to take up the whole of the lip on the vent cover.

Oh yea, those things are deep enough so they could be installed through the roof of an RV. I think a hacksaw would probably be a good choice to cut this with.

 

[dvdchris]

Installing one of my LED dome lights in the rear center of ceiling.

All finished with rear half of ceiling.

 

[MikeRuth]

Would you mind verifying the thickness of the tongue and groove appearance board that you used? I see many that are listed 1" X .... Which I assume is really 3/4" finished.

I might consider this as well instead of the paneling I did. I'd really prefer something I can mount stuff too. Paneling just isn't thick enough, yet I am weight conscious.

Thanks,

Mike R

 

[dvdchris]

It's 5/16" thick. They are appearance boards, not anything you would use structurally. You could mount light things to it like charge controllers, maybe an inverter that isn't heavy...anything more than that you are going to want a support piece behind the planks.
Whats great about them is they are lightweight, much lighter than plywood or FRP panels, so they are easily handled by one person and you could progressively install them as you have time. They are sold for use on ceilings and for wainscoting. They are real wood, not a fabricated material with adhesive fillers, etc. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hakwood-...-6-Piece-VSV7-88-6-244-ST-HOMEDEPOT/202535999

Traveling Troy installed these on ceiling and walls in an Astro.

 

[dvdchris]

Little steps. Broke again and the rain has devastated business this spring.

Got an additional piece of trim and finally finished the floor edge facing out the side doors. Also refinished the trim between the cab and coach to match the floor.

I still need to finish ceiling and wire in the lights, then I want to finish out the shelving unit.
 

 

[dvdchris]

After dealing with the plastic hooks falling off many times, I decided on something a little more permanent to hold up my curtain.
Drilled two holes on either end of the rod, screwed it right into the partitions.

Taking a cue from some YouTube vandwellers, I got some Rustoleum truck bed liner to freshen up the appearance of the front end. We'll see how it turns out.

 

[dvdchris]

A comparison of how it originally looked and now. I think I highly recommend using truck bed liner instead of just paint if you are going black. My bet is it will hold up a lot longer and resist chipping.

 

[4GNomad]

Nice work on the paint... Looks great.

 

[dvdchris]

Painted the generator grate cover with the truck bed liner.

 

[dvdchris]

Very productive day. Pretty much finished the ceiling.

Not sure what the discoloration in the picture is in the upper right, its an effect of the photo. I guess that board has a slightly different coloration on the wood. This is just a 4 foot trim piece covering the seam and serving as an additional anchor point for the boards.
This is light years ahead of the hardboard panels I had installed before.

 

[cherterr]

Wow... I've been spellbound for the last hour or two.. Great job.
Amazing you got that much done with this darn Texas monsoon we had this year.

 

[akrvbob]

Gorgeous!
Bob

 

[dvdchris]

Wow... I've been spellbound for the last hour or two.. Great job.
Amazing  you got that much done with this darn Texas monsoon we had this year.

Thank you. Most of this was done by summer of last year. The shelves and TV relocate was in November. The ceiling redo I started last month. I have gotten better at doing this work, I cringe at my first attempts in the Astro.
Next up is redoing the walls to brighten up the joint!

 

[dvdchris]

Finished out the ceiling with corner trim in the front.

The extra small trim piece in the middle is due to the length of the boards I had left instead of buying another package. I finished off this small area in the corner with short pieces.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it turned out for an amateur!

 

[akrvbob]

You should be!
Bob

 

[dvdchris]

Time to catch up...
Had an unfortunate break-in in December while parked at a job. Somebody busted the lock on the back door and stole my tools, a fire extinguisher, and whatever else they could grab in arm's reach of the back doors. They did not enter and climb over my bed so it could have been a lot worse. I ended up installing Slick Locks on the side and rear doors instead of drilling into the sheet metal.

I ordered an additional backup cam and it fit perfectly in the lock hole.

 

[dvdchris]

Update:mattress segment upholstery project.

I've neglected this for a long time; just had my old memory foam mattress in two pieces with a fleece sleeping bag tucked around it. I wanted to make it into segments like campers have to make it a lot easier to move around.
Using the good old electric knife, I cut the two pieces into fourths. I got a $3/yd flannel fabric bolt from Joanns. I reused the hardboard from when I remodeled the ceiling. I did an upholstery stapling method after watching a youtube video on upholstering methods. If I was using cheaper, thinner foam, I would have also used batting but they actually came out pretty good. I used the same dust cover bottom they use in furniture upholstery.

Total cost around $33 since everything else was reused.

Now I have 4 segments that can be moved to sit on like a couch. There is an uneven seam down the middle since I am at the mercy of the original cuts to the foam I did a while back.

 

[highdesertranger]

nice job on the mattress covers. highdesertranger

 

[galladanb]

Hi Chris! i have luved looking at at your project!

We have the 3500 extended and I am curious how many boxes of the boards did you buy?
And how many boxes do you think I will need for my baby?

Also how many water heater blankets did you use for the walls?
The material was not fiberglass right?

 

[Almost There]

Great job!

Secret tip from someone who also cannot cut foam straight - take the ugly cut edges and turn the foam sections so that they are on the downside edge of the cushions when they're in couch position. Or try turning them so that they're on the very outer edges when they're all down.

As long as they're not together they'll so show a whole lot less.