Strip tease

{By Kelly}

Our first order of business was to take inventory of what needed to be replaced on our 1960 Land Yacht. Here's what we came up with during our initial inspection of the Airstream:

• Vents (1 would be replaced with a rooftop A/C unit, 2 with vents)
• The window A/C unit needed to come out and be replaced with aluminum sheeting
• Several windows were cracked
• All screens would need to be replaced
• The full-size pink porcelain toilet would need a lighter, road-worthy replacement
• The existing flooring needed to be removed so we could examine the plywood sub-floor
• Exterior and interior lights/fixtures needed to be replaced
• Fix or replace entrance step
• Refrigerator would need to be replaced (wasn't original anyway)
• Holding tanks were non-existent, as the camper had been hooked up to a septic system. New fresh, gray, and black water tanks will need to be installed

Drawers & doors before, in shades of mint & light blue

It appeared that the front vent had leaked, so Justin fashioned a makeshift vent to keep water out until a new vent could be installed. 

Numerous repairs would need to be made, as well as an electrical, propane and plumbing assessment.

We started with a task we knew we could tackle. Justin removed all the drawers, cabinet doors and hardware so we could strip the paint. It was obvious that there were many thick layers and sanding simply wouldn't suffice.

The chemical stripping process revealed that the wooden cabinetry had been painted at least three shades in the past 52 years: first pink, then turquoise, and then a mint green or light blue most recently. It appears from my research that the original cabinets in the 1960 Airstreams were unpainted and just had a coat of varnish.

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Justin, the [paint] stripper

Some cabinet doors were in poor shape due to insect invasion and others had been replaced for unknown reasons. We decided that we would need to paint all the cabinets and install new facings in a few areas to achieve a uniform appearance.

After stripping the doors and drawers, we sanded the remaining paint away. Justin filled in holes with wood putty, repaired any damaged veneer, and replaced the faces of a few drawers that were beyond repair. 

I taped off the edges to prepare them for a fresh coat of paint, but alas, it was all just a tease. Now they sit in our carport, as Justin discovered several other issues that needed to be addressed before we can even begin to think about painting and reinstalling the cabinet doors and drawers. [SIGH]

As you can see from some of the photos, above, we still needed to move the Airstream out of our driveway. AND she needed a name...

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50 Shades of turquoise, pink, mint and blue

Drawers and doors: AFTER and ready for paint

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