Revcon Rebuild Part 8: Flooring and Walls

The heat is starting to take it's toll.  It hasn't been below 105* in over a week.  It has been pushing 110* quite a lot which limits our time on the Revcon.  

The more we work on it the more of a puzzle it is.  Can't reinstall the windows without interior walls.  Can't install interior walls before replacing the rotted floor because some (not all) of the insulation sits directly on top of the floor.  

So we ripped up the floor.  But a funny thing happens to steel screws when their imbedded in aluminum and become rusted.  They don't turn.  Mike had to rip the ¾" plywood by brute force alone.  Then we could grind the screws out.

Once removed and cleaned, we were able to insulate the floors.  

Then we could start, in earnest, on the walls.  Mike made patterns, then cut out the front cap walls out of birch.  We were hoping that the birch would look good enough to clear coat and be finished walls, but the ply is too fragile and it just didn't look finished.  So we made the decision to move forward with laminating bamboo to them.  

This is the first time we're trying this laminating thing out.  It was tedious, but I got both walls cut, fitted-ish, and glued.  I have no idea what they look like since it has been 110 everyday this week when we get home from work.  I really hope it works out.

While I was doing this, Mike was working on the floor panel for the rear of the Revcon.  The back wall couldn't be fitted without the panel in.  Once fitted, we covered it with sealer and set it in place.

We're hoping to get as much progress done as possible before our camping trip.  Two weeks from now we'll be in cooler temperatures in the quiet northern desert living out of our teardrop and Jeep.  

Adventures in Do-It-Yourself: Oak Wall Edition

When we bought the house, it had two walls with hideous wall paper.  I had a wallpaper party and we tore it down.  Only to be faced with two amazing examples of horrible dry wall.  Hmmn...originally I wanted to paint both walls a turquoise color.  That was out of consideration unless I wanted to skim both walls.  What else?

I have been eyeing the reclaimed wood walls on Pinterest.  Most people use pallet wood.  The hubster was not keen on pallet wood - fears of bug infestation.  On a whim, I checked Lumber Liquidators site for unfinished flooring.  Bingo!

We took advantage of Labor Day sales and snagged 180sqft for $190.  It's unfinished and extremely imperfect white oak.   If you're considering this for flooring, be advised that it is a lot of small pieces, so your floor will look busy.  But it works well for a feature wall.

First thing first  - every board had a number written on it in pencil, so a sanding was in order.

Once sanded, I had it in my head that I didn't want to stain them, or paint them and I wanted the wood to look older. So we burned them.  With a torch.  In the garage.  Safety first kids! (Disclaimer, burn things away from your home.)

Prepping it (see above) took much longer than putting it up.  With minimal tools (hammers, nail gun, stud finder), the tongue and grove went up smoothly.  In one weekend, we had the whole wall up.

I am insanely happy with how it turned out.   I still need to go out and buy new outlet covers and put a coat of clear poly on it, but the wall looks amazing.  I was nervous to burn every piece, thinking it would be too dark, but I love how it turned out.

Once winter hits, we'll replace the patio door and put the remainder of our wood up on that wall.