Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes....optional items for your Airstream

[leefields]

There may already be a thread like this but it did not pop up on a search...so here goes....

for those of us who either cant afford, dont want to pay that much, are simply just want a quality item that will work....i offer this thread

Home Depot....instead of purchasing Olympic Rivets at 54.00/19.95 I went down to Home Depot and bought a package of 100. Alum. long and short rivets for 4.95 per package...these were going to be for the belly pan and rub rails where no one would ever see them...I reattached loose portions of the rub rail.....then yesterday I promptly began removing the rub rails and belly pan...almost 10 hours into and still have the rear attached where i am assuming the liquid tanks are...this will have to wait till tomorrow afternoon....

spent an hour or two looking thru Walmarts fabric section....I plan on taking cushions and mattress (sp?) material down to my local upholstery shop....Walmart has several strong fabrics in colors and styles that we like...

it is not that we are cheap....it is just that i cant see paying .19 cents for something that likely costs less then 5 per penny to produce...

somethings you just cant get around ...if you want originality then you will be willing to pay...i just want a trailer that looks nice...works and we feel comfortable in....

[dwightdi]

How much did you pay for that Ford F350 SuperCrew? Pop rivets are not as strong as Olympics but in many cases you do not need them that strong and many places Airstream does not use them either. Most pop rivets do leak water so I would not put them in locations where you want them to be water tight.

[scottanlily]

We will pay more for somthing we really want ,sometimes too much,
talking ourselves into it ,even if its not worth it ,yet go cheap on other things we don't necessarily care about .Human nature ,seems we all do it .The olympic rivits serve a purpose and are stronger than a standard pop rivit.They don't need to be used on the belly pan ,but i would use them around the perimeter under the moulding if a solid rivit was there originally .Maintain the
strength where its required .nothing cheap about spending wisely ,But cheap
is cheap when spending cheap ,when a better fastener is required .
Everyone has the right to make a profit .That truck cost you way more
to buy it than it cost Ford too build it ,but you bought it.

Scott

[leefields]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

How much did you pay for that Ford F350 SuperCrew? Pop rivets are not as strong as Olympics but in many cases you do not need them that strong and many places Airstream does not use them either. Most pop rivets do leak water so I would not put them in locations where you want them to be water tight.

sticker on my new burgandy dually diesel was about 39k...i bought during the last sales drive at Ford and was out the door for 28.5k.....saved more then 10k......

[SafeHarbor]

Before we all go off on a rivet tangent, let's look at what he suggested.

Cheap RV supplies? Limited selection at Wal-Mart, TP, sewer hose, Lynx levelers, hitch pins and balls, light bulbs, some various Camco stuff

Lowes/Home Deport? plumbing supplies (PEX, Qwest, etc.), fasteners including stainless hardware, tools, cabinetry components like latches and handles, key duplication, flooring materials, rugs, carpets, plywood

NAPA auto parts? Electric and disc brake parts

Advance/Advantage auto parts? Disc brake parts for newer trailer disc brakes, cleaning supplies, light bulbs (buy the 1156's by the box of ten for less than three dollars - p/n 36521 at Advantage), good old Armor-All Super Cleaner works great on vinyl

Tractor Supply Company? All sorts of good stuff to pour down a diesel truck's tank to add peace of mind, source of replacement potable or grey tanks?

Come on, folks. What have you found to share?

Lamar

[leefields]

THANK YOU....you have a full understanding of what i am talking about....

lee...

also i found some metal cutting jig blades at walmart this afternoon...belly pan is now behaving itself and slowly disappearing...

thanks again...

Originally Posted by SafeHarbor

Before we all go off on a rivet tangent, let's look at what he suggested.

Cheap RV supplies? Limited selection at Wal-Mart, TP, sewer hose, Lynx levelers, hitch pins and balls, light bulbs, some various Camco stuff

Lowes/Home Deport? plumbing supplies (PEX, Qwest, etc.), fasteners including stainless hardware, tools, cabinetry components like latches and handles, key duplication, flooring materials, rugs, carpets, plywood

NAPA auto parts? Electric and disc brake parts

Advance/Advantage auto parts? Disc brake parts for newer trailer disc brakes, cleaning supplies, light bulbs (buy the 1156's by the box of ten for less than three dollars - p/n 36521 at Advantage), good old Armor-All Super Cleaner works great on vinyl

Tractor Supply Company? All sorts of good stuff to pour down a diesel truck's tank to add peace of mind, source of replacement potable or grey tanks?

Come on, folks. What have you found to share?

Lamar

[rebel beck]

When it comes to some decorater touches you will be surprised what you can find at the salvation army, thrift stores and just plain junk stores. I love to stop at them and look around. I picked up a cool wicker rack that I put in our bathroom ubove the toilet for $1. To many items to list for under 50 cents. I stopped at one today and found a flamingo plate for $1

[Pahaska]

Home Depot and Lowes are the first places I check. On my last new Airstreams, I replaced the tacky and cheap soap dishes that Airstream supplied with ceramic items from Home Depot. I also bought an assortment of self-adhesive clothing hooks for the mirrors in the bathroom and screw-in hooks for the bedroom.

All of the custom woodwork I have done in my trailers is red oak from Lowe's..Also, glues, finishes, fasteners, etc.

My local marine store has also been a great source for various parts such as battery switches, 12v outlets, and such.

I like to wander the aisles and just look at items. Very often, I find things that have no obvious relation to the Airstream and yet work perfectly in the trailer in a use that the manufacturer never envisioned.

[ibedonc]

the ceramic tile I am putting in my bathroom is from Homedepot

http://www.redevices.com/AS_Excella_Rear_view.jpg

[azflycaster]

Big Lots is where I find most of my Pink Flamingo stuff

[alfalsetto]

Me to

[CaddyGrn]

Good ideas here! We live out in the boonies! Largest county in California with a whopping 40,000 people in the entire county. Our home is in the county seat and we have about 7,500 residents... do not live in a shopping mecca! It is about 75 miles to Lowes and decent shopping from here so we often make a big list and see what we can come up with.

Learned to love internet shopping, especially since gas prices are so icky. Our prices are usually the highest in the State. I love the thrift stores... sometimes find cool aluminum items. We also have a good Napa store here ~ by the way, if you are a AAA Auto member they give a nice discount when you show your AAA card at Napa!

We even buy at WalMart because it is our only source for many things... but we almost always go to the local merchants first ~ Haven't found a lot that works for us at WalMart with the Airstream Bambi... except the time the door flew off. But it wasn't at our WalMart.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi

[SilverRanger]

Midwest 30 AMP power box U013: Lowe's $16.99. The same box was $35.99 at the local RV supply.
McKesh mirrors (like new): $15 at a thrift shop.

[scottanlily]

Well I will say my wife has bought fabric at walmart ,real nice stuff .
I buy my aluminum pop rivits at orchard supply .The olympics are for the
non underside areas .I see what lee is saying ,not blind ,but also cautious
about going cheaply or degrading a product as too much ,when it serves a purpose that a lesser item cannot meet .It pays to shop around and I agree.

Scott