1969 Hi Lo Bon Voyage 209 overhaul

just got done reading your thread, very cool

guitarman023 wrote:
westend, your counters look AWESOME! I may be rethinking mine with as nice as those turned out

Thanks. The prefinished pine panels are easy to finish, they come with a fairly straight planing and all that was needed was a sanding and applying finish.
The big box stores also sell formica countertops, most of them in typical sizes like 4' or 6'. If you're handy, you can use a piece of MDF and glue High Pressure Laminate (HPL or generically, Formica) to the top. Edge band with the same HPL or create your own edging.

Want to get really creative? Top off your base cabinets with plywood. Buy acrylic plastic in a serviceable dimension, say 1/4". Cut plastic to cover plywood (colored or tinted plastic is good for this). After gluing the acrylic to the plywood, take whatever objects that fit your theme like outdoorsy--leaves branches, sea shells, etc. Use a plastic etching liquid and spray the plastic with the objects on the plastic. After the etching is dry, remove the objects and the outlines will be left with etched plastic remaining.

Got tons of money and aren't worried about weight---Fossilized rock is a big hit with the nouveau rich, as is colored or embossed concrete.

I better stop before you hire an interior decorator, lol. Good luck with the renovations.

BTW, the link in my signature line--The Cowboy/Hilton is a build thread of my restoration of a Starcraft trailer. I covered a lot of bases in that thread.

PortWentworthSam wrote:
Without a doubt the best $500.00 you ever spent. What will be funny is that your neighbors will start wandering over to check out your project. Before long one of them will want to buy it.

haha, nothing yet, I think they're still cussing the eye sore in their neighborhood, it's still pretty ugly on the outside, and with the tarp on top until I get it waterproofed, it looks pretty sad.

Without a doubt the best $500.00 you ever spent. What will be funny is that your neighbors will start wandering over to check out your project. Before long one of them will want to buy it.

westend, your counters look AWESOME! I may be rethinking mine with as nice as those turned out

PortWentworthSam wrote:
You guys need to seriously STOP POSTING THESE PICTURES. LOL. You are going to have a bunch of us in deep water with the wives when we run out and buy an old TT to dig into. I am seriously fighting the urge as I type this.

I am SO JEALOUS of you guys. I WANT ONE....I WANT ONE....I
WANT ONE.

I probably shouldn't tell you I only paid 500 bucks for my hi lo then...

You guys need to seriously STOP POSTING THESE PICTURES. LOL. You are going to have a bunch of us in deep water with the wives when we run out and buy an old TT to dig into. I am seriously fighting the urge as I type this.

I am SO JEALOUS of you guys. I WANT ONE....I WANT ONE....I
WANT ONE.

I love this forum.

I used a pre-made 3/4" pine panel from the big box store. I had some tropical wood laying around so I edgebanded the pine panel. You could just use the panel without the edge banding. The pre made panels come in 24" width so are good for RV counter tops that are usually less than standard depth.





BTW, I have a small dorm fridge in my rig, no problem getting it in.

guitarman023 wrote:

guitarman023 wrote:
Thanks for the ideas, I hadn't even thought of where to store valuables. Luckily, I only need 6 ft total of countertop, so I'm hoping to find a decent deal at lowes or home depot. I don't think there's a habitat store around anywhere. So far I've spent about 60 bucks on paint. Everything else has been wood I already had, or recycled from the original tear down. Things I'll have to buy are tires, counter tops, upholstery, maybe flooring if the original doesn't clean up well, and a plug for the trailer lights. Everything else will be out of want, rather than necessity.

Yeah I'm going to block that off with some screen and plywood. If I do put a fridge back in, it will be 110v only. I have a couple 5 day coolers for boondock camping, which have served me quite well in the past. I'm hoping that I can find a dorm fridge I can store, and only put in the camper when I need it, but I'm not sure I can find one that will fit through the door of the camper.

Whatever you do try your best to stay away from RV retail suppliers and stores. You will pay out the butt for RV parts and stuff. Walmart carries some RV supplies you might need like the trailer light plug. Also check Amazon and Ebay.