[VAC] Re: Veneers and panelling and thoughts on '70's A/S design

[soule <soule@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

     Stripping the vinyl is easily done with a heat gun or hair
     dryer, but the dealing with the glue is more difficult.  Since
     we were going to paint the luan, we just sanded it smooth and
     patched the various defects and small holes with wood filler.
     I don't know whether it is possible to remove enough of the
     glue for a stain and clear finish, but sanding may be the most
     effective way to do this.  An open-grained wood like luan is
     normally filled during the finishing process.

     We removed the entire interior with the exception of the
     overhead bins and the rear bath.  The only luan left was on
     the bathroom partition and the underside of the bins.  We
     removed the vinyl from both sides of each surface.   After
     sanding and filing, the paint looks beautiful.  I replaced the
     cabinets, closets and the rest of the interior with built-ins
     made of baltic birch plywood and solid yellow birch.  I
     finished them with 3-4 coats of water-base polyurethane that
     preserved the light color of the birch.

     Where the replacement birch was going to be located close to
     the original luan, I used the luan as a rough pattern and then
     scribed to the wall.  Tip: don't assume that the piece you
     remove is an exact fit to the wall.  I don't know whether the
     factory fit was not all that close or whether the shape of the
     body has changed over the years, but there were noticeable
     gaps between the original luan and the walls.  Plan to make
     the replacement pieces a bit oversize and then scribe to the
     wall for a better fit.

     Gwen was in charge of painting.  Because we completely removed
     the interior, she was able to do the project without
     obstructions.   When we started, the walls and ceiling were
     disgustingly filthy.  We often joked that it appeared that the
     trailer had been occupied full time by 6 chain smokers who ate
     only fried food.  She cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned
     some more.  Using paint thinner, detergents, something called
     "Carpenter's Solvent" and finally alcohol, she was able to
     remove the sticky mess from the vinyl and get the latex paint
     to adhere well.  It's likely that some of the A/S painting
     horror stories you hear are caused by inadequate surface
     cleaning.  She carefully applied the paint using rollers and
     got a nice, uniform finish.   After about 14 months and
     10,000+ miles, the paint is still holding up well.

     Tip from Gwen: if you paint the walls and ceiling, don't use
     paint with a finish that's too glossy.  High gloss paint in a
     small space it just not attractive and every imperfection will
     be highlighted.  It's just not true that you need a high gloss
     or semi-gloss paint in order to be able to wash it.  She
     choose a Benjamin Moore color called 'bone' with an 'eggshell'
     finish and it seems to be just right.  The one place where the
     paint bonded less securely is on anodized aluminum.  The paint
     there is adhered adequately, but it scratches pretty easily
     right down to the aluminum.  In the time since we did the
     painting, we discovered a product called Bulls Eye 1-2-3
     primer sealer made by William Zinsser & Co.  This is a
     water-base product that has a reputation of bonding to almost
     any surface.  If I were going to do the job today, I would
     definitely test this as a primer.

     The redesigned interior has most of the tambour replaced with
     lightweight frame-and-panel birch doors.  The only tambour
     remaining is in the overhead bins, and it is in good shape.
     Gwen did the same thorough cleaning of the tambour and then
     painted it the same color as the walls, using an artist's
     brush to get into the small spaces between the individual
     slats.  It looks beautiful.   I removed the padded,
     vinyl-covered end caps from the overhead bins and replaced
     them with pieces of 1/4" birch plywood covered with cork
     tiles.  They look nice and can double as a bulletin boards
     when needed.

     Lincoln Soule
     '77 Tradewind