Day 23: New Year, Fresh Paint

Refurbishments Continue Into 2021 With A LOT of Spray Paint

Hello 2021 progress! This is going to be our year, Pheasants – I can feel it!

Now that the exterior is in excellent shape (smoothed and primed) I am going to once again focus my energies on the interior.

Paint, Paint Everywhere

Last week we finished restoring and priming the frame opposite the service window and it now looks fabulous! Seeing what a HUGE difference the primer makes in giving the finished work a feeling of completion and job well done, I was now on the war path- sander in one hand, can of spray paint in the other. I said enough is enough with shoddy looking surfaces! I have worked too hard to improve the surface areas for it to remain looking so ugly.

Solution: The time has come to prime the entire interior so I can feel like something has finally been completed. Although this is only a temporary cover until I paint on the heavy duty Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer for serious protection, I needed this visual to boost morale, and it was worth the money for the few extra cans of spray paint.

Layering up to keep out the cold on this gloomy, freezing January day and armed with my head lap for extra light inside, I was ready!

Freezing January skies

Culprit number one was the front side of the trailer. Although it was smooth and had been treated for further rust generation, it still looked horrible. Not to mention the areas on both sides of the trailer just below the windows. Yes, this lower area will 100% be covered with cabinets and a façade, but I still wanted to clean things up a bit.

I have been feeling like the horse trailer conversion to mobile coffee bar was woefully stagnant and was eager with frustration to move things forward.

Service Window

By chance, I discovered the Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer also came in spray cans and I was excited to give the product a test run. I worked my way around the service opening but was was a little disappointed it seemed thinner than the other primer I have been using and the color was an ugly brown. Yes, the color doesn’t matter since it’s temporary and a fresh clean coat of anything looks better than the state it was in!

Once the paint dried, we were able to replace the wooden frame into its permanent location.

Front Side

With the service side compete, I rotated my attention to the front of the trailer. I feel as if I have sanded this side so many times I have lost count. Today, it is finally getting a coat of paint for my efforts!

Window frame sanded & ready for priming

I went over the surface for the 100th time and great care on the framing, almost completely stripping it of paint. I taped off the window pane and I was ready to spray! Can I get an “Oh yeah!” and an air high five on how fabulous this looks now!?

Side Door

As I was working my way around the framing of the front of the trailer, it brought me to the side of the doorway. I had previously thought both doors were completed and ready for the final paint application, but as I was in uber critical mode, I realized there was still a lot more work to be done. Not to mention, I was sick of these looking terrible in the meantime too!

This completely derailed my plan to work on roof today, but I knew turning my cleaning wrath to the doors was necessary. Armed with far better sandpaper than what I originally used, I made quick work of re-sanding the whole surface – front, back, sides and even into the grooves of the hinges.

If there ever was a glorious renewal of new life after a coat of paint, it was with this door! I was SO happy with how it turned out. Also, I was glad to have a clear plan for the next day’s working session. I would finish the opposite door then begin tackling the daunting roof refurb.

Big improvements & even bigger ones to come,

Heather