On the Road Soon

[lterry]

HDR great timing with that cartoon ! Loved it !

I now need to explain that the actual vaults are named so because of the concrete tank that they are built on ......Terry ask about any acronyms you are curious about so we can find funny ways to explain them , so much fun .

Now , I wander if Mr. Loo Read  is an acronym too ??????



OK , about your window leaks .
Whatever you do , don't use silicone , it will eventually leak and NOTHING will stick to it , even more silicone.
I have had great results with some stuff I got at the local lumber yard . It is called Geocell Pro Flex. ($21)  It comes in a quart can , looks like clear honey , brush it on  , cleans up with paint thinner.
I gave my cab over windows as well as other roof penetrations a few coats around the seams (the edge of the window and the edge that contacts the shell ) and am now a happy, and much drier camper !
They also make a tube version for caulking guns , not sure how well that works though.

Haha! Guess what I bought from Lowe's a few hours ago. At least I didn't open it yet. I'll be taking it back tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

HDR, I'll ask...I like the jokes on here. Also, Terry is my last name. I generally answer to Lisa better

 

[TMG51]

In the construction trade, we used that same Geocell product nearly everywhere on a roof. We used caulking tubes mostly. There's a similar product called Through the Roof but I prefer Geocell.

Sounds like you've taken the plunge, Lisa. You'll be glad you did. Have you tried taking the van out to live in it for a weekend? That's sometimes the best way to learn the systems and what is important to you.

 

[Cammalu]

Well, I haven't seen that bathroom set up before for sure. Unique! Thanks for taking the time to post some photos of your layout. That was WAY cheap on the Roadtrek it seems to me. I'm in the market myself

 

[highdesertranger]

Lisa, glad to provide a little humor. highdesertranger

 

[lterry]

In the construction trade, we used that same Geocell product nearly everywhere on a roof. We used caulking tubes mostly. There's a similar product called Through the Roof but I prefer Geocell.

Sounds like you've taken the plunge, Lisa. You'll be glad you did. Have you tried taking the van out to live in it for a weekend? That's sometimes the best way to learn the systems and what is important to you.

Window leaks are fixed...Epoxi(?) since Lowe's didn't have the other.

I haven't taken the van out for the weekend yet. That's my plan as soon as it cools off a little. It's still in the high 80s here with a humidity level you could swim in.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Lisa! I see our welcoming committee has been doing a good job.
You really got a great deal on your van - very nice! Hope we see you at the RTR, if not this year maybe next year!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[rvpopeye]

oooooooooo , I'll gladly trade you my low humidity and temps in the 30's for your high humidity and 80s !

 

[lterry]

oooooooooo , I'll gladly trade you my low humidity and temps in the 30's for your high humidity and 80s !

I like something in between the two. I'll put in my order today
We had a brief respite yesterday, but it's back to raining cats and dogs today.

 

[ramblingvanman]

I haven't taken the van out for the weekend yet. That's my plan as soon as it cools off a little. It's still in the high 80s here with a humidity level you could swim in.

Really? I have been in Orlando the past few days and the humidity was only bad one night. You get used to it.

Oh, and welcome.

 

[lterry]

Really? I have been in Orlando the past few days and the humidity was only bad one night. You get used to it.

Oh, and welcome.

I don't know why it's so thick here lately. I shouldn't complain - I actually like a decent amount of humidity. It makes a humidifier unnecessary. I just don't like the torrential rains we've had lately.


If it stopped raining long enough, I was going to get a look under the carpet today to see what I'm working with. Before I bought it, I lifted up the back to make sure there was no rust around the door. There is a little at the top but not the bottom. I'm definitely going to rip the carpet out and replace it with laminate or peal and stick tiles...just not sure which. Ideas? I'm surprised the carpet hasn't brought on the sneezes yet, but it's only a matter of time. Which brings me to another observation. Evidently the window leaks haven't been there very long or else I'd see/feel signs of mold. Plus, there wasn't any discolorations anywhere, neither was the paneling swollen that it dripped onto.
My fix after the flooring will be these hideous pink curtains throughout. Though they're in great shape, the pink is getting to be a bit much. I'm thinking of taking them down and spray painting them black. If the paint job is crap, I'm not out anything because it's either paint them or toss them.

 

[lterry]

The pink curtains aren't so stealthy either...not that my van is stealthy in the least. But it's stealthy enough that I'm allowed to park it in my no-camper-parking-allowed subdivision.

 

[rvpopeye]

That's not a camper ,,,, it's a van !

That's your story and you're stickin' to it ,

 

[Theadyn]

Hi and Welcome to the nut house.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm definitely going to rip the carpet out and replace it with laminate or peel and stick tiles...just not sure which. Ideas? 

I've seen a few posts that report that peel and stick tiles don't do well in vehicles.  The temperature swings are much greater than you get in a typical house, and they just weren't designed to cope with that.  Was me, I'd go with a one piece floor.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

I never had luck getting peel and stick to stick even in a stick and brick... :dodgy:

Either a piece of vinyl flooring or the newer vinyl laminates are good. Just depends on costing and what you want the finished floor to look like.

I used a vinyl laminate that just clicks together and it's great. I chose to put it in after all the other wood working was done. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably put the floor down before I built all the cabinets. On one hand I used just under 2 boxes which made it cheaper, OTOH, it was a pain cutting, fitting and trimming around all the cabinets. It would have taken twice as much laminate to do the whole floor but it would have been easier.

 

[lterry]

I never had luck getting peel and stick to stick even in a stick and brick... :dodgy:

Either a piece of vinyl flooring or the newer vinyl laminates are good. Just depends on costing and what you want the finished floor to look like.

I used a vinyl laminate that just clicks together and it's great. I chose to put it in after all the other wood working was done. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably put the floor down before I built all the cabinets. On one hand I used just under 2 boxes which made it cheaper, OTOH, it was a pain cutting, fitting and trimming around all the cabinets. It would have taken twice as much laminate to do the whole floor but it would have been easier.

Yeah, I'll probably go with linoleum then. I don't know how well I'd be with cutting laminate floor pieces.

 

[TMG51]

That's not a camper ,,,, it's a van !

That's your story and you're stickin' to it ,

I once pulled my van into a $10 day-parking lot at the beach and was told I'd have to pay the $25 RV fee instead. I argued in the same position as yours; no, it's a van, not an RV. It's the size of a van and it fits in one standard parking space. Just because it has RV amenities doesn't mean it's an RV. The woman at the booth called her boss, who she said confirmed I would have to pay the RV fee. I whipped my van out of that lot before she finished her sentence. People are trying to squeeze extra money out of others everywhere they can... and what's more, they were attempting to charge over double!

I found a different lot one block over and paid $5 to park.

 

[Almost There]

Yeah, I'll probably go with linoleum then. I don't know how well I'd be with cutting laminate floor pieces.

It's six of one, half dozen of the other.

With a full sized piece of linoleum, you need to pattern the edges just the same as you would for the wood flooring. IIWM, I'd do one edge first. That way if you goof up and need to recut it, you can adjust the other side once you've got the first edge to your satisfaction. Of course it also depends on where cabinetry is going to go how critical it is to get the edge perfect.

With laminate, you figure out which way you want the pieces to run - I chose lengthwise down the van as opposed to across the width because I thought it would make the van look bigger. Then I started at the side cargo doors because that was critical to me to get the laminate straight with the edge. So I didn't do anything backwards and screw it up, I triple checked to make sure I had the piece laying the right way on the floor when I was cutting lengths and notching things. If you've ever done something like corner moulding in a S&B you'll know what I mean. And yes, even with all that careful I ended up repurposing a couple of lengths for somewhere shorter when I cut them assbackwards.

Oh, and the laminate all got cut with the jigsaw with a blade meant for plastics. You just cut it on the bottom side. I used a piece of sandpaper to take any burrs off.

Personally, I think the laminate is more forgiving than linoleum - worst case scenario is that a wrong cut piece gets used somewhere else or becomes scrap.

 

[lterry]

Linoleum is SO expensive! Just came back from Lowes...did not purchase flooring.

 

[Almost There]

Linoleum is SO expensive! Just came back from Lowes...did not purchase flooring.

I lucked out completely! I was in Habitat for Humanitys' ReStore and they had 2 cartons of industrial grade vinyl laminate without a price tag on it. Gave it to me for $15.00 a box....

Try a real flooring store, they may have a 'scrap' or end cut in the size you need at a bargain price.