An Interior Roadtrek Renovation

It is my Birthday Week

I decided that for my Birthday this year, my gift to myself would be a Roadtrek Renovation. The inside of the van was a beige fabric, and it did not go with the purple theme I had developed. My Birthday week started a couple of weeks ago with a beautiful gift of a Fitbit watch (with a purple band, because you know, purple) from my girlfriend Kim and just got better from there.

There is an App for That

My daughter Tanya and I were chatting, and I said I wished I could make a QR code for my book From Housewife to Vanlife. I had self-published my book on Amazon but did not realize author copies could not be shipped to Canada. Unfortunately, with the border closed, I cannot get my author copies for resale. Normally, it would not be an issue. I would just ship them to my friend Dave’s house and a quick trip to Illinois, and I have my books. He could ship them to me, but the cost of both shipping charges and the cost of the books really does not make any profit.

If I had a QR code, I could put it on the display my customers could just scan it and order it. She looked at me and said I have an app for that! Happy Birthday!!! Ohhhh, most excellent. It has its own little roadway design, and I love the look and convenience it will bring my readers. The Birthday dinner of homemade burgers with both my girls and my son-in-law and a wonderful day at the park with my grandsons rounded out a perfect day!

A Special Gift for Chipmunks RV Life

The next bright spot came from my daughter Katelyn. We were talking about marketing my website and creating more of a visual recognition of my brand, Chipmunks RV Life. A good start would be a logo. I could put it on mugs or shirts or anything and sell it in an online store. I could also paint it on my van to advertise my website. She has hired an artist, and by the end of July, I will have a new professionally done logo for building my nomad income! I cannot wait to see it. Stay tuned for that!!

In July the logo arrived. I am so pleased on how it turned out. I just love it. What an awesome birthday it is, and it is not over yet.

As wonderful as that was it did not stop there. My girlfriend Diane and I had been talking about the ugly beige material inside my Roadtrek that really had seen its time. I had tried to clean it with an upholstery cleaner but the many years had taken its toll. It has stains in some places and the material was worn in others. The wall material needed a fresh new look to match my purple interior. It needed a paint job.

My Interior Roadtrek Renovation Begins

I have to tell you my friend Diane is the designer in our group. She designed my back panels that cover my windows. If there is an idea, there is a way to do that. She suggested fabric paint. We decided on a grey colour to go with the purple curtains and carpets. We did a little research on fabric painting and Chalked paint looked like the best choice.

The interior Roadtrek Renovation began with taping. Covering all the cabinet corners and lights that were situated on or near the fabric with painting tape. Once that was done, the painting could begin. We did discover that you needed to use different painting styles with different fabrics. The fabric on the walls is a woven material and needs to be painted in circles. We should have got the round brush. A small soft paintbrush with small amounts of paint brushed lightly on the fabric and worked into the fabric in a circular motion.

Once the bed, the couch and table were put back it was a remarkable difference. The grey turned out to be a great colour choice to accent my purple curtains and rugs. The grey also went well with the brown cabinets.

The material on the doors is a velveteen type material and requires smooth brush strokes in the same wave as the fabric and more paint on the brush. Circles to work the paint into the fabric did not work. The velveteen has more movement in the fabric than the woven material on the walls.

A Little More Colour Needed

I love the panel puzzle flooring that I have in my hallway. It creates a cushion when you walk as well as helps insulate the metal floor. I wanted something that had a little more colour to add to my beautiful grey walls. I had ordered a new runner carpet for the hallway. A wolf howling with a rainbow of colours in the night sky. I had seen it on Amazon and thought it would give me the colour I was looking for along with my favourite animal, the wolf. Shipping said it would come by July 18th. It arrived June 14th. The day before my birthday! What a great accessory it made for my new interior.

I am so pleased with my Roadtrek renovation on the inside of the van. The colour change and the addition of the runner have made the transformation complete. I loved it so much that I am taking that renovation to the outside of my RV.

In next Sunday’s blog I will have an update on my progress. For this large project I will have to enlist the help of my friends Mike and Tom. We have already started taking the pinstriping off as we set out to complete my Roadtrek Renovation. I cannot wait to see the changes! I cannot wait to share them with you!

Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure!

See you next week!

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