In last week's post I left you all hanging wondering how Mikee was going to get himself out of his latest Motorhome Modification Madness. You were wondering ... weren't you!?
Well I was right ... removing all that leftover adhesive was a real challenge. That stuff was really sticky and gooey! But after a couple of hours with a heat gun and a scraper - followed by a couple rounds and a half a large bottle of Goo-Gone - that job was done and it was time to move on to the next step - after a good nights sleep!
For some reason Winnebago designed that step well nice and flush with the floor molding on the right hand side - but with a 1/4 inch outward offset on the right hand side. So the next step was to cut, and install some 1/4 inch plywood to the right hand side to get back to flush with the molding. The plywood was installed with some construction adhesive and some bracing as it cured overnight.
Now it was time to move on to the more "fun" part. It took a lot of hemming and hawing making a decision on what product to install and what color - but after several trips to Home Depot and Lowes we finally settled on a vinyl plank flooring from Lowes in a relatively dark color. The planks are about 5 inches wide, about 5.5 mm in thickness and were designed to be used as a "floating" floor without adhesive - but my plan was to "glue" the planks in place using some 100% silicone adhesive. The planks have to be purchased in a "case" of 12 planks which turned out fine for this project as I only needed 10 which gave me 2 extras in case I messed up when cutting or measuring. I know many of you wouldn't make such mistakes ... but I need to plan of a few Mikee Goofs.
Measure - measure again - cut - and fit. Cutting these planks is pretty easy. You simply score the top vinyl layer with a razor knife and then snap the plank in two. A quick edge cleanup with a sanding block is all that was required on the cut ends. I cut all the necessary pieces and fit them together before gluing anything.
The final strep was to glue in all the pieces - add a black vinyl stair edge molding and viola -- step back and admire my work.
I may be a bit prejudiced - but I like the way it turned out! No more hair/dirt grabbing carpet and a smooth stair tread surface to walk on. Since the material is vinyl the stairs are waterproof and should clean up easily if they get a bit muddy.
But as always - time and use will be the best judge of how it all works out.
SO -- with that project done it's time to take a break for about a week before we bring WTT home to start getting her ready for our June trip to NJ to attend Alyssa's high school graduation.
Summer is definitely here - time to enjoy!
We continue to march on towards summer here in Vacationland. The trees are now leafing out quite nicely, the flowers are blooming ... and I have even mowed the lawn now -- twice!
Peggy and I have been enjoying the improved weather, enjoying seeing the grandkids more often, and have managed to stay quite busy these past several weeks. In spite of our busyness we did find time to take a short cruise in the Chevelle yesterday and drove out to Reid State Park on a lovely day. Although the sun was shining and the forecast was for 70 degree weather - it was still quite chilly in the wind at the beach! Our beach visit didn't last long as we were dressed for summer -- and it wasn't!
Our son Eric contacted me a couple of days before Mother's Day and asked if I might want to go to Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Garden. It took me about 30 microseconds to answer YES to that idea. It seems he had a maybe opportunity to get a few FREE tickets to the game but would not know for sure until later Saturday night. Well -- the "maybe" turned into 4 tickets - 14 rows up from the Boston bench.
All it took now was to purchase train tickets from Brunswick to Boston on the AMTRAK "Downeaster" and before you knew it we (Eric, Stacy, Bailey, and I) were being wisked away to Boston's North Station -- right beneath the Boston Garden. A bit of a long ride at 3.5 hours but you can't beat the convenience of stepping out of the train and being in your seats in a matter of minutes!
The crowd was rocking and the game was great as the Celtics crushed the Cavs in Game 1. I should note that the series is tied 2 games each now and the series returns tonight to the Garden. Maybe its time for more free tickets!? At over a $1,000 a seat I think I'll probably enjoy watching from my easy chair instead. But it was a great experience - Thanks Eric! Oh -- and Happy Mother's Day Peggy! Don't feel too sorry for her - we had a great family Mother's Day cookout on Saturday!
I did get the seat cushion on the drivers side chair in the motorhome replaced a few weeks ago. It wasn't too difficult of a job but I'm glad to have had the experience doing other seal reupholstering in the past. Knowing what to expect and having the right tools helps a lot in these situations. Removing and reinstalling the chair itself was probably the toughest part. This 60-something year old body can't contort into the necessary positions as easily as it used to. But as Toby Keith would say - "but I'm as good once as I ever was."
Since I was on a roll getting motorhome projects completed I moved on to my next project - designing and manufacturing a safety rail for the bunk bed. Our Winnebago Forza 34T has a motorized bunk bed above the front seats that can be lowered for use when wanted. Our 6 year old granddaughter Taylor wants to sleep up there when she stays with us overnight this summer but we didn't really like the idea of her potentially falling out of bed in the middle of the night - so a solution was required. I designed and made a simple bed rail out of a piece of 1"x 8" pine that included a cut out in the middle to make it easier to climb into and out of the the bunk when installed. Voila! -- a functional bed rail to give Grandma and Papa "peace of mind."
Next on the list ... design and manufacture a cover for the entertainment center shelf where the satellite receiver and dvd player live. Neither of us have liked the look of all the visible cords and cables in there ... so I cut a piece of tinted lexan (plexiglass) to fit and figured out way to mount it for easy removal when needed. It looks much better now - but I am a little concerned that the electronics in there might not appreciate the decreased ventilation - so time will tell how this modification works out.
With that project scratched off the modification list it's time to move on to the next one. The entry stairwell into the Forza is lined on the sides with a fuzzy black carpet material that grabs every stray piece of hair and lint and always looks shabby. Add to that - the rubber treads on the steps that are hard on the bare footsies and even harder to clean and -- yep you guessed it -- another modification is required!
This mod will require removing the carpet and treads, cleaning off the old adhesive and then cutting and installing laminate flooring material to the entire step well.
Step 1 is complete - carpet and treads are off. Step 2 is to clean off all that old adhesive ... doesn't look like fun to me! But no turning back now!! Peggy and I are still discussing what color to use for the new covering material so you will have to stay tuned for the big reveal after project completion!
And people wonder what us "retired" folks do with all our free time!
Here it is - May 3rd already! We have finally made it through mud season here in Maine and are moving into spring. The trees are finally budding, the excess sand spread on the roads all winter long is being swept up by the local Public Works Department, and the price of gasoline is skyrocketing ... all sure signs of spring!
Spring is also time for Mikee to put WTT in her storage spot, get out the lawn tractor, put away the snow blower, rearrange the shed, and bring home the Mikee Motorcycle fleet and the 1965 Chevelle. I got all that accomplished last week and it's nice to see the fleet is home and looking forward to a few rides this summer. Our summer here in Maine may be short this year but I do hope to get some quality cruising in before we head west in July.
Even though WTT is in storage I do have a couple of projects I want to accomplish before we head out with her in June to NJ and then in July to the left coast. The first project is to replace the faux leather upholstery on the drivers chair seat cushion. For whatever reason - that material has not held up well at all and needs replacement. Winnebago has sent me a replacement seat cushion cover so now it's time for me to get busy. I will have to remove the seat and then determine if I can replace the cover or turn the job over to a pro. I have replaced seat covers several times on car restorations so I can probably do it. The question is - do I want to struggle with it or let someone else have the pleasure?!
So that's pretty much our plan for the next month or so. Hang out with kids and grandkids, enjoy the few days of sunshine we get between the many spring showers, get ready for the "summer people," and then become summer people ourselves.
I know -- it's a tough life we live! But somebody has to do it - might as well be us!
