Northwestern Build - Updated 7/4/2010 - Done!

[stomperxj]

Looks great Bill

[wlivesey]

My wife is thinking about going all the way with the modern interior. She really likes the Airstream DWR. What kind of wood should I use for the interior walls? I've already built the kitchen, bed and closet in Oak. Since they will be stained in Ebony, I was thinking about Birch with a couple coats of clear would look good on the walls. It might, however, have more grain than we want. What do you think?

This is interior she likes from the Airstream DWR

[Carter]

Bill
I used birch ply with MinWax Natural stain and poly in mine. The color is quite a bit warmer than the one in the photo and shows all the grain. The birch with poly would be about the same. In the house I installed some birch doors and used a water based stain under poly. The water based seems to even out the grain and you can have it mixed in about any color needed. You can control how transparent it is by the amount you use. The stuff looks like thinned down latex paint after it dries and is quite ugly. The poly finish fixes that and it looks good. I think you could use birch and mimic the Airstream finish with it. I don't remember the brand name but it was whatever they sold at Ho-de-po at the time.

Jim

[aggie79]

Very nice Bill!

I've already built the kitchen, bed and closet in Oak. Since they will be stained in Ebony.

My cabinets will be oak and I too want to stain them black, but I've never done this before. Can you say what type of stain you're using?

Thanks, Tom

[Carter]

You guys have me thinking, I believe I have a tiny can of MinWax Ebony stain and some scraps of oak in the garage, have to do a test this weekend

Jim

[starleen2]

FYI - Just don't go with a glossy black finish - unless you like dusting and fingerprints alot - semi or satin will work just fine

[wlivesey]

Very nice Bill!

My cabinets will be oak and I too want to stain them black, but I've never done this before. Can you say what type of stain you're using?

Thanks, Tom

Thanks! I hope it turns out... We are using Ebony stain by Cabot. It's what they had at our local Lowes. I'm sure that Minwax would be about the same.
When we tested the stain, we had to use 3 or 4 applications to get a nice rich color. I also picked up a small piece of birch ply and used a water based sealer on it. It looks really nice with the oak, even though it has much more color variation than the airstream interior.

[wlivesey]

Here are a few pictures of our tests. Again, this is Oak stained in Ebony by Cabot with Birch in a clear sealer. Depending upon the lighting, the ebony can either look really dark or show a lot of wood grain.

[wlivesey]

We're making progress...

[wlivesey]

We got a lot of wall construction done this weekend. Most of this was done in one day. It's much easier construction than building cabinetry. Next I have to start building the lower wall sections that support the hatch when closed.

[Carter]

Bill,
Does the tip out window have a screen? If so what brand is it?

Thanks
Jim

[wlivesey]

Bill,
Does the tip out window have a screen? If so what brand is it?

Thanks
Jim

Yes, the windows do have screens. They've also got tempered and tinted safety glass. They open up completely so they serve as fire exits as well.

They are Hehr brand windows that I picked up on eBay from a seller called midwestsurplus-2008. (Highly recommend)

They are 19 5/8" x 35 5/8" windows. This seemed like an odd size to me until I realized that the manufacturers recommended rough cutout is a nice and easy 20x36.

Here is a link to the sellers other rv parts.
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/midwestsurplus-2008

[aggie79]

Here are a few pictures of our tests. Again, this is Oak stained in Ebony by Cabot with Birch in a clear sealer. Depending upon the lighting, the ebony can either look really dark or show a lot of wood grain.

Bill, nice color on the stain. I had been researching this on the web - every method from India Ink to a concoction made by soaking steel wool in vinegar for 24 hours - but I like the KISS approach of using store-bought stains. I'll probably finish with a satin polyurethane.

We're in the same general neighborhood. If it is okay, I may swing by sometime to see your progress.

Gig'em, Tom

[wlivesey]

We're in the same general neighborhood. If it is okay, I may swing by sometime to see your progress.

Sure thing, Tom. I'm out working on my build most evenings and pretty much constantly on the weekends. I'll send you a PM with my contact info.

[wlivesey]

We've finished the rear half of the side walls today. Unless I'm forgetting something, the side wall framing is complete. Now we need to precisely position all of the interior pieces and build the lower rear wall sections. If we don't position everything properly, we could end up with the rear wall being too thick or too thin to fit properly against the kitchen. Once the lower rear wall is done, we will start the hatch (or maybe skin the interior walls). I can't wait for that!

Do you think this thing is going to be strong enough???