The Sugar Shack - Camper Chronicles Pt 3

It's Friday, and we all know what that means...another couple of weekend's worth of projects on the ol' Suga Shack. Looking back, it doesn't seem like we were as productive this week, but it was ridiculously cold out so we got a lot done. 

I started out the weekend with an empty propane tank and no electricity because we're still in the process of hooking up switches and outlets, so after a hearty breakfast I got it filled up and fired up the heater, making it comfy cozy and the thought of being out there all day bearable. 

Brian finished up the main part of the walls, but we still have 2 boards to put up on walls that were originally going to be painted. I'm starting to figure out that the paint I've got really sucks and I'm not sure what to do about it. I prep the surfaces really well - sanding, tack cloth, vacuuming...everything I can think of. It just peels up at every opportunity, so I'm trying to limit the painted surfaces as much as I can.  

After filling the thousands of nail and staple divots with putty and sanding everything down, I used a full quart of stain on the ceiling and most of the walls, but of course, ran out with one board left. Naturally, the 2 hardware stores in Sedona don't carry the stain I need, so I've ordered another quart and will have to finish next weekend. Hopefully that will be enough to finish the last of the walls and apply a second coat to everything. 

I sanded the cement counter tops (holy dust) in the bathroom and got another coat put on, cleaned up the rest of the windows and trim and got them all installed, and spray painted more trim and hardware with my pewter paint before running out and finding that it's not available in town either...I guess I'll be finishing that up next weekend as well. 

I also sanded down the tub and bathroom sink and applied the first 2 coats of white epoxy. Sounds simple right? Well, as with everything I ever try to do, it never goes smoothly (pun fully intended). The special roller that I bought didn't fit the handle, so I dug a decent looking one out of the garage (probably purchased at least 25 years ago) and got started. 

I'd stained earlier in the day and the fumes were pretty intense, so I was advised to turn off the propane heater and open the windows to let it air out a tad. When I opened the epoxy, it was probably about 45 degrees in the trailer and the mix was super thin and I wasn't exactly sure what it was supposed to look like, so after thoroughly mixing it up, I poured a bit into my tray and started to roll it on. It was at this point that I noticed that all of the little fibers from the roller were coming off and thoroughly embedding themselves in the coating. I went back over everything with a foam brush to pluck out the fuzz and then finished off the coating with a fresh one watching intently for drips so I could catch them before it dried. 

The sink, for some reason, just wasn't taking the epoxy at all. It was bubbling up and not coating evenly at all. 

The can suggested that I wait an hour before applying the next coat, so I brought the resealed can inside while I ate lunch in hopes that it would warm up and thicken up a little bit. I got a fresh roller and put it on the handle and got back to work, only to find that the paint on the handle was chipping off, and again, mixing into the epoxy. Grrrrrr! I got a space heater out of the garage to help it dry a little bit faster and haven't checked on it since, so I'm hoping it turns out ok. In the meantime, I made the stupid decision to try to clean out my rollers and it didn't end well. Long story short, Brian poured straight paint thinner on my hands and arms in an attempt to get the concoction off of me and my hands are totally raw and dried out. Lesson learned, I guess. I'd still like to apply another coat or 2 with a new roller and new handle having the trailer at a decent temperature and hopefully can smooth everything out and make it look nice. 

Before

...and after the first coat

Before

...and after the first coat

In other news, the guys started putting up a fence to block off the sugar shack from the rest of the property and I couldn't be more excited. It is free standing, so we'll be able to move sections of it to access the trailer and be able to back up a vehicle to move it eventually. Down the road, we'll install a raised deck that's level with the door of the trailer and I'll have some cool potted plants and a little table and chairs out there and, since the fence will only be about 5 1/2' tall from the trailer side, it'll be totally private while still making the most of the views. I just keep forcing myself to visualize it all finished and how amazing it's going to be...even if it's a total pain in my neck in the meantime ;)

The next week was crazy at work with the holidays, so Brian was working all weekend, and I had to babysit and try to get caught up on some things, and even managed to get in the most beautiful hike and some much-needed Vitamin D. Thursday, I got started staining early, but it wouldn't be a weekend in the Sugar Shack without a few hiccups.

I bought a couple of packages of rollers from Ace, but couldn't get any of them to fit the handle I've been using and ended up breaking the handle, leaving me with a jagged little nub to work with.  Then, I tried to just use one of the rollers anyway, and upon the first swipe, had it roll right off of the handle and fall into the mess below. Trying to save time, I ran down to ProBuild but couldn't find a handle that would fit with all of the new rollers I'd bought from Ace. So, it was back to Ace. They know me pretty well by now since I'm in there 2 or 3 times a day in the exact same outfit every time (I only have one painting hoodie and pair of pants that I've destroyed and I'm trying to keep it that way so that's all I ever wear when I'm working on the trailer). Once I had all of the things I needed, I got the rest of the walls stained, a second coat on the ceiling, and stained all of the quarter round trim and installed some of it before I decided that it'd be so much easier to do with another person. The trim is basically what 's holding the entire trailer together and holding the roof up, so I want to make sure it's done right. I've still got some holes to patch and some touch up to do, but I'm loving it so far!

It was actually just over 70 degrees out all weekend, so I finished spray painting all of the window trim and got it installed, and then sanded down the bathroom walls and the cement on the counter tops to prep for another layer. I got some high-temperature spray paint for the cover to the heater and got it all finished up...it looks amazing and has a little shimmer to it and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. 

I also sanded down the bathtub and bathroom sink again, cleaned it up and applied another coat of epoxy with much more promising results than last weekend. After discovering that the epoxy mix that I'd sealed in hopes of preserving had solidified into a can of stone, I ordered a new kit and got it yesterday, just in time. I burned through another foam roller and finished just before it started to disintegrate, but I've got another package for additional coats and it's actually looking pretty decent. 

In other news, I ordered some decorative items from an After-Christmas sale and got a nice little delivery yesterday...so exciting. I got a down comforter, pillow, and some little decorations from Target and World Market that I'm a little bit obsessed with. I ordered the softest herring-bone blanket from for $15 with the intent of upholstering some of the old couch cushions into a headboard of sorts for the bed. I cut the cushions to length and then cut plywood to fit so I could staple the blanket into something solid. It was cheaper to buy a 4x6 blanket than a couple of yards of nice fabric. 

The blanket is just lovely, and I really don't want to cut it up, so I'm going to stall for a week and decide after I wash it. Bugaboo definitely approves of my selections :)

The following weekend, I ended up having to work 6 days this week, so I only got a couple of hours in the trailer. I can't really complain about the 25 hours of overtime I'll have this week though (I'm not kidding, btw...64 hour work week) ;)

I have gotten quite a collection of decorative items together that I couldn't be more excited about. I made the headboard cushions yesterday and received the green wool and grommet kit that I'll be making curtains out of, as well as all of my linens (I scored a huge sale online and scooped up sheets and bath towels)! I'm still on the hunt for an armchair and it's proving quite difficult to find something I can work with that is within my budget. Also, who knew that those cute little leather poufs are like, $100? ...at least! Anyway, I'm perusing Craigslist every day in hopes that something will pop up, but in the meantime, I've got to get the trailer to a point where I can put furniture in! 

Brian built me a bench to go over the wheel well and it's adorable! I wanted a table/bench that would serve as a surface for a lamp and to set a glass for the chair that I'll be putting next to it, a spot to sit and tie your shoes, and also to be a place to set a duffel bag or groceries when a guest first walks in. He had an old solid wood bed frame sitting out behind the garage for a few years that he decided to cut up and use for the top and it's awesome! It's amazing to me that those boards could sit out in the sun and monsoon rains and snow and still be solid and straight and look great. Plus, I'd been wanting to get rid of it for a long time, so we're recycling while simultaneously cleaning up the yard :) 

Besides that, I got started on the kitchen counters and applied the first coat of cement, spray painted the frame of the refrigerator to match the heater cover that I did last week and love so much, and applied a "final" coat of epoxy to the tub and sink. I've decided that it's good enough to call done as I am so over the entire thing. I feel like, if I keep trying to make it perfect I'm just going to end up making it look worse, so I'm calling it good and moving on. I don't know, maybe it's the noxious fumes kicking in...

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the "finished product" to share because I thought I'd be working on it this morning and then going for a hike...before I got the call at 7 pm that I needed to work. Plus, it's still a total mess in there. We've been hanging on to a lot of things that we pulled out and also waste from what we're putting in because you never know when a piece of scrap or a board or a screw or a hinge might come in handy later on in the project. So as we complete tasks, we can start to throw out some of those things and clean up a bit. I can't wait to start finishing up projects so we can get some of the tools and junk and  compressors and shop vacs out of there so I can move around and actually have it start feeling like a finished space!