All posts tagged paint

1st Ripe Figs & Fabric

The first of this year's fig crop

The first of this year’s fig crop

I walked outside in a light drizzle today to check on the figs.  They are starting to ripen!  The tree with the early, smaller figs is loaded.  The other fig tree has larger, fat green figs that will ripen later.

I’m keeping this first picking to pig out on fresh.   They are superb!

I ordered fabric for the small bathroom last night.  Am going crazy trying to pick out paint colors.

But there’s a lot of prep work before I start since I need to replace part of the subfloor under the toilet, install a new toilet and lavatory and replace the flooring.  I’ve decided to keep the existing countertop.  It’s dated, but still sound and the color will work with my fabric.

I’m feeling a little under the weather, so might take a while to actually get busy on the project.  But the planning is always the toughest part for me, anyway, and I think I have most of what I want to do figured out.

by tinycamper on August 16, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Garden & Nature, Home Improvement
Tagged , , , , , ,

Posted by tinycamper on August 16, 2013

https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/1st-ripe-figs-fabric/

Mini Disaster & Organizing

The result of mixing paint brands

The Casita stove cleaning project misadventures — continued:

I couldn’t find my can of black Rustoleum paint.  But I found a store brand of black paint that read Paint…Stops Rust.

So I sprayed a layer over the other paint on the area underneath the stove, and it looked good.  For about a minute.  Then I noticed an area that was buckled up.  Uh oh, I bet I didn’t clean all the Deoxit off before I started painting. 

Then I noticed another spot buckling.  And another.  I then realized that the off brand paint was actually removing the paint below it.  So I scraped all the paint down to bare metal and started again.

Repainted

After I had the stove well repainted, I glanced up at the ceiling… then stared in horror.  I had the window open and the fan on for ventilation.  The fan had sucked in black paint overspray and had deposited it on the carpet in front — and mostly behind — the A/C/fan unit.

I touched the fiberglass cabinet where there was more overspray, and it felt like tar.

Black paint overspray on overhead carpet

That will NEVER come out of the carpet, I groaned.

But it did.  With Scotchgard Carpet & Fabric cleaner (aerosol foam) for autos.  The worst areas required 3 applications, but now I can’t tell where the damage was.

So I learned some lessons:

1.  Use brand name paint, and don’t mix brands.

After using Scotchgard Carpet & Fabric Cleaner aerosol foam for autos. That’s great stuff!

2. My air conditioner filter has apparently been washed too many times and needs to be replaced.

3. Some disasters are fixable.

4.  The next time I wonder if the well under my stove needs cleaning, DON’T LOOK!  That’s what got me in this mess in the first place!

Awning hardware and broom bungeed to vent pipe

So… after that reprieve from disaster,  I cleaned and weeded out the extra stuff we had accumulated during our last trip.  It’s amazing how quickly stuff can multiply!

I also figured out a way to keep the awning crank rod and support bar from banging around in the closet.  I stood them up straight between the left front of the closet and the gray water tank vent pipe and bungeed them to the pipe.

I also was always losing my short little broom on the closet floor, so I hung it by a bungee from the lateral pipe in the closet.  Now they will stay put when we travel.

Closet organized

Tomorrow I’ll neaten the pots and pans and grocery and tool storage areas.  Then mop the floor, replace the rugs, and we’ll be good to go!

Dishes organized. We’ll add a pack each of disposable plates and cups.

Cupboard above refrigerator organized

by tinycamper on June 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Casita
Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by tinycamper on June 2, 2012

https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/mini-disaster-organizing/

Fireflies, Casita Project & More LC Pancakes

Rust treated and new paint under stovetop

Fireflies are out in force this evening!  I really wanted a picture, but not badly enough to stand outside in the light rain and wait for a good shot.  Maybe tomorrow night.

I ended up with an unexpected project in the Casita today.  There was a stain on one of the burners.  And I hadn’t taken the top off and cleaned underneath since we bought the trailer last November.  I decided I wanted everything really clean before our next trip.

The stove knob plate cleaned and painted

So I took the stove top off and got several surprises.  First of all, there was rust along the corner of the metal plate that holds the knobs.  Secondly, there was some serious rust in the underneath corners of the stovetop.  And finally, there was evidence of at least one serious boilover along with a lot of corrosion in the well underneath the stove.

The stove well cleaned and treated with Caig’s Deoxit before I decided to paint it.

So first, I cleaned and painted the bottom of the stovetop.  Then the knob plate.

Next, I cleaned and treated the stove well with Caig’s Deoxit.  But it looked bad, and I started thinking about having to clean under there when I have a boilover.  So I cleaned all the Deoxit off, sanded the worst areas, and sprayed the whole interior with Rust Reformer.

Stove well sanded and sprayed with Rust Reformer. I haven’t decided whether to paint it white or black tomorrow.

Tomorrow I’ll paint the well.  I’d like to paint it black, but am afraid some of the black would show when the white stovetop is mounted on the white fiberglass.  Maybe I’ll paint the well black and paint the edges white.  I’ll decide that when I get out there with the paint can tomorrow!  😀

After my success with the almond flour low carb pancakes yesterday, I decided to try a version with coconut flour since I have two pounds of it in the refrigerator.

Coconut flour pancakes. You have to keep them small to keep them from breaking apart.

The reviews on the low carb board said they were really good.  After making them, I think those reviewers must have been pretty desperate for pancakes!

The coconut flour absorbs so much liquid that you have to use a lot of eggs in the recipe to keep the pancakes from crumbling.  They turned out light and fluffy as advertised, but they have an eggy taste and feel that I don’t like.

If that was the only low carb pancake recipe around it would be okay.  But since the almond flour pancakes are superior in every way, that’s what I’ll stick with from now on.

Now what to do with two pounds of coconut flour… that I don’t like!

by tinycamper on May 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Casita, Low Carb Recipes
Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by tinycamper on May 29, 2012

https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/fireflies-casita-project-more-lc-pancakes/

Quick Casita & Puppy Update

I got the few rust spots removed from the tongue and bumper of the Casita, then treated them with Rust Reformer and painted them with black satin Rustoleum.  It looks nice.

I also discovered that some of the exterior caulking is shrinking, so I’ll replace that this week.

Sunny and Sheba in the playpen

The guy who was going to fix the tow charge line on our truck never showed up, so we will take the truck to the Chevy dealer this week.  Between that and taxes — and having a puppy who is not house broken yet — there will be no camping this month.

I go out into the Casita often to just soak in the peace and dream of when we can be on the road again.

My joy over Sheba training herself to puppy pads was short lived.  I’m now doing crate training…. and getting up at the crack of dawn to take her outside to do her business.  That is NOT my normal schedule!  😀

She is doing pretty well, but it will be a while before she can be trusted to run loose in the house for more than a few minutes at a time.

Fortunately, she enjoys her outdoor playpen, especially after I crawled into it with her and Sunny to demonstrate what a wonderful place to play it was!

At first Sheba dug holes — lots of them — in the fenced area.  I was dreading having to train her not to do it.  But then I put piles of pine cones in the holes yesterday to discourage her digging in the same places — and by some miracle she lost interest in digging holes!  She started one time today and I told her to STOP — and she did!!!!  She never did attempt to dig another one.

She is an incredibly sweet puppy (with a stubborn streak).  I believe that she’s going to make a wonderful companion, hopefully for the rest of my life.

The diet is going well.  At my age, I am not losing fast, but I’ve lost 14 pounds since February 5, so I am pleased with that.  I expect to be at my goal before the end of the year.  I’m eating a lot better and feeling great!

 

 

by tinycamper on April 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Casita, Family
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Posted by tinycamper on April 9, 2012

https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/quick-casita-puppy-update/

New Water Heater, Storage & Tatted Cat

Aliner under bed storage

Aliner underbed storage. The three drawer chest was taken out to allow easier access for the new water heater installation.

We got the old water heater out of the Aliner and the new one slid into place today.  That part was an easy job.

The difficult part was prying the mounting collar off the old unit and getting the old sealant off it.

We ran out of daylight on our project, so Ron taped plastic over the hole in the trailer.  And we are taking turns scraping the old sealant off the mounting collar tonight.  We are almost to the stage where GooGone spray gel will work.

View of right side storage

This photo shoes the shoe space in front of the converter, a clothes basket, with additional storage beside it.

Then tomorrow I’ll prime and paint it, and we can finish the installation.

I thought you might be interested in seeing a picture of our under bed storage since we have the bed boards and mattresses out until the water heater installation is complete.

All the space on the left is storage, except for the small area where my three stage smart charger and solar controller are mounted.  The controller is on that side because the plugin for my solar panel is on the exterior on that side.  The smart charger is there because that’s where the RV shop put it!

The rear right houses the water heater and water tank.  Next is the converter, which has space for shoe storage in front of it.  Then there is space for Ron’s clothes basket and a plastic box that holds toilet chemicals and such.  And in winter, the little ceramic heater fits in front of the plastic box.

tatted cat

Tatted kitty kat

Last night I worked on tatting an angel.  I started over four times before finally recognizing that the pattern was too advanced for me.  So I switched to a kitty.  The original pattern is by Nancy Taylor at Be-stitched.com.  But her pattern was for an elegant Aristokitty, and I wanted a more ordinary looking cat.  So I used the body and tail part of the pattern, eliminated the chops, and made the head a little bigger.

The fan and kitty will be used on a purse for my granddaughter.  I need to tat one more motif, then I plan to make some pretty beaded edging for it.  I’ll post a picture when it’s completed.

by tinycamper on September 29, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Tatting
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by tinycamper on September 29, 2010

https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/new-water-heater-storage-tatted-cat/

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