So... many of you on instagram have been following my stories and I'm sure asking yourselves why the f*ck I would remodel a camper. BECAUSE!

Several months ago I started researching Airstreams and talking with @flippinwendy about camper remodels. I think my reactions/actions went in this order- AWE like really? These camper remodels are pretty cute and clever WANT wow could I do this? Am I cut out for it- yes! LOOKING so I shopped for a few different things. I did learn some more about the Airstreams and got a HELL NO from Tom. Ok then maybe we need to ease into this? OBSESSED now I'm pinning, Wendy and I are non-stop texting about and and we will not STFU about campers to our guys. JUST DO IT so we rule out the Airstream.. for now.... and I begin looking for the smaller project. HOLY SNAP! It was a hot summer weekend and guess what ??!! Wendy and I purchased the same size trailer the SAME DAY! Ok well there's where "the same" ends.

My camper: 1991 Kit Monterey 18'

Wendy's Camper: 1971 Red Dale 18'

Theme- Well naturally its opposite! Mine is luxury over the top and generally high maintenance- hers is practical and retro

rachel's camper design

wendy's camper design

THE PLAN

Let's talk about the plan. Now that I found a camper- it was a whirlwind romance! Now I could put all my pintrest boards to work all at once- just kidding. We did a walkthrough- much like what we do before a remodel and then took to researching. Here are the immediate things we needed to consider:

Paint- Our sweet 90's camper had the most lovely wallpaper- theres a specific way we need to paint that to adhere

Cabinets- Again the number one issue was painting, then came to or not to replace doors, maybe add trim and hardware.

Kitchen- Stove, countertop, faucet, sink

Flooring- Wood- Vinyl, Cork? Researching the weight the how the why

Cushions- Initially we thought we could leave our master bed out and still use the camper- well that was shut down quickly since it blocks the door. We weighed our options on cushions - covers, mattresses etc.

Bathroom- To what end can we make this look like an actual bathroom?

Decorations- Curtains, wallpaper, refrigerator

Exterior- Consulted some uber smart Dunn Edwards geniuses and made a decision

Mechanics- Look I'm not going to be hot or cold in this camper or go without my creature comforts. This unit needed and AC, Icemaker, and a generator at least!

Guys- this is one of my prized possessions!

SURPRISES?

So out of the box what were the biggest surprises or things to overcome?

1. Cabinets. These were a sexy laminate with a super-duper awesome gold trim. Well guess what? The primer did not adhere to the gold plastic. The fix- Tom popped off all the gold trim

Also there was a pretty cool indent in each of the cabinets, we thought well lets get new doors or put some type of deco trim on the doors. The fix- wood filler. Now we were at ground zero- we liked that so much that we primed and painted and you would NEVER know.

Oh the paint---- I am notorious when anyone asks me "What sheen do you want for that paint" I say "As matte as possible" WRONG! Smart I know I can print the cabs with Dunn Edwards Aristoshield but my not so smart was she sheen. Eggshell- spotty finger prints instant filth. The fix- we sprayed the Aristoshield in a high gloss. All set!

2. Paint. We did figure out that we need to use Dunn Edwards Sure-Loc primer followed by an interior paint. The thing we did not realize is HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE. Ask me what I wouldn't diy next time? Interior paint.

3. Stove. I was flying high when I thought we were gonna keep our cute white stove. Great news once we painted it - turns out it was more of an almond--- thumbs down! Just like any house I remodel I welcome the challenge- I took a look at the stainless appliance options which were astounding. $800 for a camper stove- NOPE (Maybe in that Airstream this is me daydreaming) Wendy mentioned powder coating so that's what we both ended up doing. Mine was teal but then I changed my mind and settled on pink. I think the powder coating guy was rolling his eyes... like what is this person doing??