Closet Door Re-skinning

The answer was very simple in the end, if you looked at all the angles. This detailed post will likely interest only people with early 1970's model Airstreams who want to know what the inside of their closet doors look like. It is for them that I write this. The question at hand was how to bring our closet doors into our new all-birch interior color scheme and meet some specific criteria.

They should:
1. look like they belong with the new birch bulkheads and beech counters
2. remain in keeping with the aluminum extrusion construction of the early 70's Airstreams
3. be easy to open and easy to latch
4. stay securely shut while en route.

Simple, right?

Versatile Desk

June, 2013

Here's another of those "I'm really glad I did it once, but I wouldn't want to do it again" projects. Our trailer came to us with an old desk with two cupboards underneath. One side didn't even have a door. It didn't work as storage; it didn't work as a desk. One side was too narrow for two knees. How could we keep the aluminum frame feel of the original trailer while making the desk useful for travel storage or as a work-from-home desk?

BEOFRE: Original desk was missing a door.

AFTER:Storage and a pull-out keyboard tray

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For a closer look and for construction details, keep on reading.

A Birch Interior

Finished birch interior

We wanted a lighter, warmer interior for our trailer. We also wanted to keep the vintage Airstream feel that came from the lightweight aluminum frame construction used in the early 1970s. If I had to give a name to the design style, I might call it Retro Futuristic, looking back and forward at the same time.

The work taught us about all of the interior systems in the trailer, since we ended up removing and/or replacing nearly everything on the inside. If you are facing similar work, I hope this blog gives you the information you need to help in your decisions or your work. I hope it serves to encourage. I am not a woodworker, but I have learned how to handle wood. I am not a wood finisher, but I have learned to handle finishes to a level that works for us. I find that I enjoy the engineering sorts of challenges (see the Versatile Desk post in this blog), but that wasn't strictly necessary for this interior. If I can do it, you can do it.

There are only a few essential tools. I couldn't have done it without the jigsaw, the cordless power drill, the palm sander and the pop riveting tool. Hand tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches and a rubber mallet come in handy. It helps to have an accurate table saw. I had access to one nearby and sawed things in batches. This took extra planning, but I had no other choice. My hand isn't steady enough to do the long, straight cuts with a jigsaw and I'm not strong enough to wield a circular saw with safety and accuracy. Read more for pictures and details.

Rear Dinette and Bunk

It's tough to put a "finish" date on this, since there always seem to be a few loose ends to tidy up. This dinette had seats and cushions enough to for us to use in Death Valley in April, and to have its first guest at Casini a week later. We had the bunk bed ready for Alison to use at Burning Man in August while Brian used the bottom bunk. It wasn't until November that I finally got it looking sort of finished. And there are a few more possible improvements that may still show up.

Before

Pullman style dining

On the right is the original gaucho. The construction is clever and lightweight. But the naugahyde was sloppy, the bed made it difficult to get to the bathroom when extended, and it wouldn't sleep our two adult children.

Also, with the main dinette area permanently taken up with our bed, we needed a place for our morning coffee and croissants. The finished design is modeled vaguely after a Pullman train sleeper car I had access to as a child.

The construction details developed as a response to the odd requirements of the space.

Shower Pan and Vanity

We hadn't planned to gut the bathroom. But when early floor investigations turned up rot and rear end separation, we had no choice. We did have the choice between restoring the original or starting from scratch. Guess what we did?

The spiffy new shower, sink and vanity cabinet.

Before

Kitchen Window Frame

Replacing the kitchen window frame had to be done. No one would argue with that.

The finished window frame holds the blinds in place.

Before

The old plastic one was brittle and cracked. We wanted a frame that would hold blinds against the wall and would match the Airstream's rounded legacy and our commitment to a natural wood interior. It was only pure stubbornness on my part that pushed me to try to remake the original plastic shape, but in wood. I learned a lot, mostly about the inflexibility of birch and the advantages of having the right router bits.

Temporary Bunk Bed

The lower bunk is a standard twin

This was a quick two day project that made it possible for the four of us to sleep out of the dust at Burning Man. We knew we would eventually need eating space inside as well as sleeping space for two extras. But for the time being, a quick and dirty plywood bunk bed would fit the bill.


The materials are mainly 1/2" plywood and cheap 2x2's. The 2x2's served as corner connectors any time two pieces of plywood intersected at right angles.

A slant on the end walls allowed maximum height at the hall edge of the bed, while still cutting both ends out of a single piece of plywood. The pieces of plywood that became the sleeping platforms were strengthened by a 2x2 running under each long edge, with a side piece at least 6 inches high on each side for stiffness.

Front dinette/Double bed

When we designed this dinette, we had delusions of converting it from bed to dinette and back again each day. Every inch of space under and behind it can be reached somehow. Drawers provide accessible storage space even when it is set up as a bed. That has been a lifesaver.

This is our overflow social space at home.

After we tried sleeping on the 5" high density foam cushion, we added 2 inches of memory foam for comfort. With the extra foam and the quilt bedspread, the bedding is too cumbersome to remove and too bulky to store. We only set it up as seating when we're home and we need the space for extra social space or for working on further Pickle projects.

Floor repairs

One of the characteristic problems that can beset older Airstream trailers is dry rot in the floor plywood. These trailers used 3/4" fir plywood over steel frames; the plywood was typically covered with carpeting. If a leak developed somewhere, the carpeting would both hold the moisture against the wood and conceal the leak from the owner. There were several small areas of dry rot in the Tin Pickle, which were evident once we removed the brown shag carpet.