Mark's 95 Carpenter International

[mchunt]

I've been busy just not able to post lately.

The wet bath is pretty much done, need to get some pictures of it to post.

Lately, I've been working on putting down the flooring and trimming out. Here's a couple of pictures from the front.

[mchunt]

I got the counter tops done. Used glass mosaics from Lowes. I think they look pretty cool.



I'm about ready to finish up the sink counter top. Getting the kitchen sink installed will complete the plumbing.

[mchunt]

Almost finished trimming out the bunks. You can see the cork flooring better in these pictures.

[mchunt]

I picked up some inexspensive rugs sets. For $30 you get a 5'x7', a runner and a door mat. I bought 3 sets so that I could do the 3 walls. I put them up with contact cement.

[bansil]

I'm really liking the carpet on walls....nice!

[mchunt]

Since my last post, I have the installed the captain chairs, the couch, finished the bathroom, and put the refrigerator in.

There a few pictures;

[mchunt]

I forgot the mention that I got the cork flooring down and put 2 coats of floor urethane on it.

Also the majority of the moulding is done, still plenty of holes to fill.

I'm also working on the table top and the closet doors.

[Accordion]

Very clever and artistic way to cover the walls with that figured carpet. With so many different designs on carpets, a person could get very creative. Excellent idea.

[mchunt]

Thanks, we are happy with the way it came out.

Here are a couple of details on how I secured the refrigerator.

I used 3 framing angles, one secured through the floor, one to secured to the wall (right side of the second picture) and one to secure to the ceiling.




This bracket is a rafter tie screwed to the ceiling, an angle screwed to the top of the refrigerator and they are tied together with a straight strap that I drilled a few hole through for bolts.


Probably less then $10 in parts to secure the whole thing and it doesn't budge.

[LuckyChow]

Mark, you've done some clever things and I really like your bus. I like the way you trimmed out the walls while maintaing the original windows. The ceiling looks very nice. That was an ingenious use of patterned rugs for wall coverings.

Thank you for showing one item in particular, and that's the way you set your fridge. I'm dealing with this problem right now. Haven't fully decided what I'm going to do yet, but still contemplating. Regarding the bracket that is bolted through the floor, did you use lag bolts or did you drill through and put a nut/washer on the bottom side?

[mchunt]

Thanks, and to your question the floor bracket is secured with 5 bolts through the floor with a lock washers and nuts. That's probably a little overkill but the bolt aren't very thick, #8 or #10, so I erred on the conservative side.

I went through several ideas on how to install the refrigerator. For a long time I planned to bolt anchor points to the floor and use a ratchet strap over the top and some kind of turnbuckle anchor to the side wall. The strap would hold it down and the turnbuckle would keep it from falling forward. But it would have taken more floor space, cost more and not looked as good as what i ended up doing.

[LuckyChow]

My biggest fear is screwing into the cabinet. I'm afraid I'll hit refrigerant lines. Hard to know where they are, especially up on top.

[mchunt]

I wondered about that too, so I asked around and found out that all the important workings are in the back. I was also told to use short screws, I used 1/2 inch. I didn't hear any hissing as I screwed everything in so I think everything is OK.

[mchunt]

The table is painted MDF. I also bought a 15inch colunm and made a much smaller table to act as a coffee table.


The counter tops are in and started cabinet hardware. The sink and the stove are installed, I still need to make a propane tank holding box to mount on the underside. Once the sink was installed I pressure tested the plumbing, no leaks.


You can see some of the frosted windows in this picture. I'm very happy with the peel and stick stuff that I got at Lowes. I also used the same brand to shade a couple of windows, again I'm happy with how it went up and how it came out.


Here's a longer shot of the kitchen living area. You can kind of see the TV mount and the speakers. I'll have to post a better shot of the front.


I also got the closet door installed. They came from the same sheet of MDF I used for the tables. And the bedroom door.

[PDBreske]

I love your color choices. It does NOT look like a typical motorhome.

What is the width of you kitchen countertop and sink? Mine is going to be about 48" wide and I'm still trying to decide what size sink I want to put in it. Also, what paint did you use on the MDF tabletop? It looks very smooth in the photo. Did you round the edges with a router or attach some kind of flexible moulding to the edges?

[lornaschinske]

At the risk of being yelled at.... before you screw into a refrigerator cabinet... turn it on and let it run a bit. Run your hand over the sides and top. You can feel "hot" spots in the metal cabinet. This is because they no longer run the exposed coils on the back of new refrigerators. Now they are run in the sides and tops. Only the compressor is still in the rear. Also why maintaining a air space on the sides & top is so important (Never insulate a standard or under counter household refrigerator unless the compressor and coolant coil is on the top or rear). With freezers (including the refrigerators with separate top/bottom side mounted freezer units) a line is often run right where the door gasket touches. This helps keep ice build up down at the door preventing a seal. If you do drill thru a refrigerant line LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT BREATHE IN THE POISONOUS GAS FUMES! We ruined one refrigerator (under counter Avanti brand) and bought another one. Just to make sure we didn't hit a line in the replacement unit, we tore the metal cabinet off the ruined refrigerator. When we drilled the new holes (pop-rivets were used to secure loose pin hinges), David did "touch" the refrigerant line with the drill bit but did not put a hole in it. It's why we initially used ratcheting cargo straps to tie the refrigerators and the freezer to the floor (later, chains & eyebolts thru the floor) on the bus. But what do I know.

[mchunt]

PDBreske,

I have a 48" and a 24" counter top. I have a 36" sink base with a 12" base, I wanted to use a double basin sink but I couldn't find one that would work for a price I was willing to pay. So I ended up with a single basin that is 22" by 25".

I used off the self spray paint. I did route the edges but it took me a couple of coats of paint before I realized that I needed to seal the edges. I thought MDF finished smoother. Anyway, after some internet research, I used rock hard putty to seal the edges and then sanded them smooth.

lornaschinske,

You won't get any yelling from me. This is an older refrigerator, probably 8 to 10+ years old, that I got for free when my office relocated and upgraded. It definitely has the coils in the back, you can't see it very well in the picture from the last post. Here's a better shot.

This picture also shows that there is about 9" of air space behind the unit.

Your advice is good and people need to be mindful of such issues. I felt pretty sure I could screw into the refrigerator cabinet with this refrigerator but just to be certain I consulted someone that I know is a HVAC expert. When I eventually have to replace this refrigerator with a newer one, I would probably also go the ratchet strap route. I research that method for this install but chose the mechanically attached bracket way because it was the cheaper option (in this instance).

[mchunt]

These lights are great!


I've bought 6 of them to use various places such as here in the top bunk. They are great because they are bright, you can aim them, they have good battery life and a strong magnetic base.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They aren't cheap but I recommend them. There is a smaller, cheaper, 24 LED model but I haven't used them.
http://www.amazon.com/Ullman-Devices...=pd_sim_auto_1

[bansil]

Coming along nicely

[mchunt]

Here's my solution to the door lock problem using a Garage Door Locking T-Handle with a 5/16-Inch square shaft and some aluminum stock:



I used 1" aluminum angle for the bolt. I notched it out to fit the 5/16-Inch square shaft and secured with a u-bolt.


The receiver is aluminum flat stock with some home made spacers made of the same flat stock.


Here's how I lock the door when we are inside.


I also adjusted the travel of arm so that when the door is pushed shut from the outside it doesn't latch. I locked myself out more than once before shortening the travel.