Vagabound's Build-Out - 1993 Ford E350 Box Truck

[mikEXpat]

Fun. I can just imagine how you felt when the idea hit you as you were laying in bed. I do that all the time. My best plans come to me then.

And I agree, how'd you stain the plywood? And is it Maple or Birch 1/4" or 1/2"?

Glad you're doing well. The truck looks great.

 

[bpeck]

You sure the idea didn't come to you while you were sitting on the toilet??

 

[rvpopeye]

I made a combo TP/paper towel holder/dispenser out of one of those expanding shower/closet rods. Mounted it just above my head and below the overhead cabinet where the toilet is.
Just reach up to get a piece and always a spare or two.

 

[Vagabound]

Thanks for the good and goofy comments.

Idea: it's a good guess that the idea came to me when I was on the toilet, but no. My bunk is up pretty high and when I rolled over, I stared directly at that useless vertical space near the drop ceiling. So probably for a week or two every morning I would roll over and see it when I was waking up and I would think, what in the heck am I going to use that for?

TP Storage: Until somebody urgently has to go poop and can't find their extra toilet paper, it's hard to understand how great quick and easy access is. Right on, Crazy Grandmother!  A point of clarification: I don't use that space to get toilet paper every time I go to the bathroom. It's just storage for extra paper.

Plywood: No, I don't think I ever covered it in a previous post, unless just to say that I was finished with the ceiling.  I got that veneer from Home Depot. I think they list it as .20 inch underlayment. Hate to be stereotypical, but this is stereotypical. The bad news is that it's a standard Chinese product. By that I mean, all appearance and almost no substance. 

The nice-looking side of the veneer has a ply that is almost literally paper thin. I liked the price, but I regretted it once I started cutting and working with it. That nice looking veneer actually peels off in strips like bark off a tree. You've got to be super careful with it if you use it. Toward the end of my finish work, I started to believe that the polyurethane would be needed to help hold the crappy veneer together. All the more reason for more coats. If I had to do it all again, I just would buy the nicest quarter inch plywood I could find instead, maybe AB or AC. 

As for the finish, I put three coats of clear polyurethane on it. An important tip is that it didn't start to look like it was going to look good until the third coat.

Funny: Yeah, it is kind of a funny idea and it looks a little strange. Did made me laugh too. That said, if you didn't know what it was, and you walked in and looked up, you would just think it's some kind of a bumper to protect your head from the difference in ceiling height. You'd have no idea that TP and paper towels were up there. But speaking of that, it does work as a soft bumper to keep you from banging your head on the ceiling if you're very tall.

Papaya (what Google voice dictation thinks is the spelling for Popeye), I like your paper bar as well. Unfortunately I can't use that idea because I don't have a dedicated toilet space.

Tom

 

[rvpopeye]

It seemed like a good place to add my TP solution , lots of vandwellers looking for solutions to everyday things like that.
Yours is way fancier than mine too !

Sometimes Google is so stupid !
I'm not changing my name to suit them though ......
Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh

 

[Vagabound]

Multi-Functional

Since the beginning of this build, I have wanted almost everything in the truck could do at least two jobs, if not more. Sometimes that is very purposeful and carefully designed. Other times, it just sort of happens, as in the case below.

I decided it was time to hang a plant inside and give myself a little greenery. I finally found the right house plant that I knew was nearly unkillable and went in search of a pot. I found a pot that I liked, but it was a little bit too big. I got it anyway. It now hangs in front of my window.

The spot now has multiple functions:

1. Brings the outdoors indoors a little bit

2. Visual appeal / decorating

3. Privacy screen for the window

and ...

4. Back up ice chest!

 

[Vagabound]

Multi-Functional

Since the beginning of this build, I have wanted almost everything in the truck to do at least two jobs, if not more. Sometimes that is very purposeful and carefully designed. Other times, it just sort of happens, as in the case below.

I decided it was time to hang a plant inside and give myself a little greenery. I finally found the right house plant that I knew was nearly unkillable and went in search of a pot. I found a pot that I liked, but it was a little bit too big. I got it anyway. It now hangs in front of my window.

The plant and pot now have multiple functions:

1. Brings the outdoors indoors a little bit

2. Visual appeal / decorating

3. Privacy screen for the window

and ...

4. Back-up ice chest!


I bought a half gallon of chocolate milk, but could only drink half of it, and it wouldn't fit in the cooler. I had some extra ice, so I took the plant out of the pot and put ice in the bucket around the milk. The plant pot became my extra cooler and it kept the milk good until the next day when I could drink it. Pretty slick, huh?

Tom

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[Richard]

... I decided it was time to hang a plant inside and give myself a little greenery. I finally found the right house plant that I knew was nearly unkillable ...

Yeah, it was a slick multi-function you got from the plant hanger: good job

As for picking a plant, unkillable is a good thing to shoot for. For future plant consideration, I wonder if you're familiar with the NASA clean air study? If not, here's yer sign:

The NASA Clean Air Study[1] has been led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). Its results suggest that certain common indoor plants may provide a natural way of removing toxic agents such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air, helping neutralize the effects of sick building syndrome.

The first list of air-filtering plants was compiled by NASA as part of a clean air study published in 1989,[2][3][4] which researched ways to clean air in space stations. As well as absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as all plants do, these plants also eliminate significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. The second and third lists are from B. C. Wolverton's book[5] and paper[6] and focus on removal of specific chemicals.

NASA researchers suggest efficient air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or office space. While the original study only considered plants grown hydroponically (ie without soil), more recent research has shown that micro-organisms in the potting mix (soil) of a potted plant remove benzene from the air, and that some plant species also contribute to removing benzene.[7]

Peace Lily, anyone?

 

[Vagabound]

Yeah, it was a slick multi-function you got from the plant hanger: good job

As for picking a plant, unkillable is a good thing to shoot for. For future plant consideration, I wonder if you're familiar with the NASA clean air study? If not, here's yer sign:



Peace Lily, anyone?

Thanks, Richard. I know my building is sick because I built it. ;-) Now I'm curious to go look at the list and see if my plant is on it. Even if not, I'm sure it'll help some.

Tom