Over days 9976 and 9977 I finished laying the laminate floor. I used a locking US-made floorboard from Lowes called "stylesolutions," in the design of Tavern Oak, which has a faded look to it that I liked. It was either that or the Brazilian Teak laminate (it was authentic US-made fake Brazilian fake wood!) I borrowed my dad's jigsaw for cutting all the weird corner pieces, and a table saw for cutting the skinnier trim pieces along the walls of the bus. I'm not sure if the bus body is slightly crooked, or if I didn't lay the floor perfectly straight, but the edge pieces got steadily skinnier as I went down the bus. Probably both. It's not the space shuttle.
On day 9977 I also drove down to Massachusetts with my mom to look at a dump truck for sale on craigslist. The thing was full of garbage and the frame was a patch job of welds... no thanks. We have a theory that the quality of your interactions with a seller on craigslist are a direct indication of the quality of the item they are selling, and this case was no exception.
We diverted to the Ikea store in Stoughton, which I had heard was quite the attraction. I know now, that If you ever want to take the family on a low budget vacation, you could hide in the Ikea store for several days before you run the risk of being discovered. I enjoyed a Swedish-American breakfast of crepes and some more coffee as we waited for the store to open. We toured the maze-like display area, found a few items that would fit the bus well, and got a few ideas for condensing life into 200 square feet. Inside the store they have a few small houses set up. We grabbed my new furniture out of the massive warehouse, which interestingly also contains the Ark of the Covenant recovered from the Nazis by Dr. Jones in the late 30's. All of the furniture has been given Swedish names like "Hemnes," "Bekväm" and "Billy." ... Billy? These names give the otherwise lifeless pieces of furniture an oddly animate quality.
As many reading this know, I'm slightly obsessive about finding and using goods made in the United States. If I can't find what I need made in my own country, I'll settle for something made by a NATO ally, American neighbor, or someone generally friendly to our nation. Bottom line; I try not to support the loss of our industry to China, or any state sponsors of terrorism. I'm happy to report that my furniture is made in Sweden (Nordic and neutral!) and Lithuania (my personal favorite former SSR!)
I assembled Bekväm, my new Swedish friend of Lithuanian origin who identifies as a coffee table, the night of the 9977th. In the bus I masked under the passenger windows on the driver's side for paint. A solid coat of paint over the chipped paint and stained sheetmetal will bring everything together and make it look less like the interior of a bus.
Tonight I picked up some craigslist cabinets from Dawn at Cheap Solutions in Pittsfield. Country of origin for my used and re-purposed cabinets, you ask? Canada. After I repair a door hinge, I'm in business.
With my remaining daylight I primed the driver's side of the bus. Looking better already.
Next steps will be interior paint, and some clapboard and wainscot siding, to break up the long walls. I'll continue assembling my Swedish furniture/friends. Rough idea of the plan is below;
On day 9977 I also drove down to Massachusetts with my mom to look at a dump truck for sale on craigslist. The thing was full of garbage and the frame was a patch job of welds... no thanks. We have a theory that the quality of your interactions with a seller on craigslist are a direct indication of the quality of the item they are selling, and this case was no exception.
We diverted to the Ikea store in Stoughton, which I had heard was quite the attraction. I know now, that If you ever want to take the family on a low budget vacation, you could hide in the Ikea store for several days before you run the risk of being discovered. I enjoyed a Swedish-American breakfast of crepes and some more coffee as we waited for the store to open. We toured the maze-like display area, found a few items that would fit the bus well, and got a few ideas for condensing life into 200 square feet. Inside the store they have a few small houses set up. We grabbed my new furniture out of the massive warehouse, which interestingly also contains the Ark of the Covenant recovered from the Nazis by Dr. Jones in the late 30's. All of the furniture has been given Swedish names like "Hemnes," "Bekväm" and "Billy." ... Billy? These names give the otherwise lifeless pieces of furniture an oddly animate quality.
As many reading this know, I'm slightly obsessive about finding and using goods made in the United States. If I can't find what I need made in my own country, I'll settle for something made by a NATO ally, American neighbor, or someone generally friendly to our nation. Bottom line; I try not to support the loss of our industry to China, or any state sponsors of terrorism. I'm happy to report that my furniture is made in Sweden (Nordic and neutral!) and Lithuania (my personal favorite former SSR!)
I assembled Bekväm, my new Swedish friend of Lithuanian origin who identifies as a coffee table, the night of the 9977th. In the bus I masked under the passenger windows on the driver's side for paint. A solid coat of paint over the chipped paint and stained sheetmetal will bring everything together and make it look less like the interior of a bus.
Tonight I picked up some craigslist cabinets from Dawn at Cheap Solutions in Pittsfield. Country of origin for my used and re-purposed cabinets, you ask? Canada. After I repair a door hinge, I'm in business.
With my remaining daylight I primed the driver's side of the bus. Looking better already.
Next steps will be interior paint, and some clapboard and wainscot siding, to break up the long walls. I'll continue assembling my Swedish furniture/friends. Rough idea of the plan is below;
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