I worked as a carpenter for a number of years, in all phases of construction, and finish work is by far my favorite type of carpentry. Smaller boards and pieces of trim are easier to handle than 2x10s or full sheets of plywood, and fine-tuning details to give the project a smooth finished look is right up my alley. So while I was happy to cover up the old floor and excited to see how quickly it dressed up the camper, I knew I wouldn't be completely satisfied until the quarter-round was installed, covering up the edges and tying the whole project together.
This was quiet work (minus the nail gun). Everything cut by hand and shaped with a sharp knife and rasp. I glued the joints and used trim nails, but I'll be interested to see if they hold with the constant stresses and movement that will come with being towed 8,000 miles. It may be that small screws would have been a better choice. Time will tell.
The other detail I tackled was the ugly gray rubber flap thingies hanging off the bed ends. They're there as a flexible barrier that covers up a long gap between the end walls and the bed platforms. Not only did ours look gross, but they were cut short and patched in a few places and didn't actually seal tight enough to do their intended job. Bugs could easily get in through the gap at the bottom.
I gave this a lot of thought, mostly while I was sanding and painting the interior. I determined some type of large garage door seal would work best, and found one that fit the bill. I attached it to the existing seal with industrial strength double-sided tape. I think that will stand the test of time, it's really strong stuff.
But the real challenge was how to get the seal to do its job of keeping bugs out while still remaining flexible enough to slide forward when the bed ends get pushed in (hard to visualize, I know, but trust me, it was a tricky problem). The solution came in the form of tiny rare-earth magnets.
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| Definitely left some skin behind on these little buggers. |
I super-glued the magnets (not to mention my fingers, holy hell that hurt) to the wall and attached a corresponding bolt and washer through the original gray rubber. The result is a flap than snaps into place when the beds are extended but easily pulls away from the wall when it comes time to close the camper up. Check out the quick video below to make sense of what the heck I'm talking about:
A small detail, but one that will make sleeping inside the Buffalo a little more comfortable.
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