Seeking plans for dinette

[FrankR]

Any one have any plans for a front dinette? I want to build a unit that doen not convert to a bed. My sweetheart and I travel only with each other. When the grankids come, they sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. Tharea we have decided to use is in the front of the 31 ft Land Yacht. I'm mostly looking for experiences and any ideas and twists. The seats will hinge for storage with thick cushions or pads. The material needs not match acurately any other fabrics. Any pictures or plans would be appreciated.
........Frank

[Cat]

Hi Frank..
Can you post a photo of how the interior looks now? One thing I'd mention is you would want to have a table that swivels a bit on the centre...because getting in and out can be a pain otherwise. AND getting in the storage would be easier with that swivel. This means you'd want a center "Chrome" post/leg... IKEA sells one for $20.00 that would work...then put the base on the floor on a piece of wood that swivels. (Could be a piece large enough for a 'footrest'...:O) just an idea.

What I need help about is this:
I PAID a painter come out to paint just the fronts of my galley drawers and doors with BASE PAINT (B.I.N. lacquer based). I told him to tape off the inside of the drawers b/c I didn't want any paint on them. (He was 'readying' them for me to paint the final coat on these fronts.) THE IDIOT didn't follow instructions...and now I have to remove the mistakes he made on the SOLID OAK inside of the drawers. & I NEED HELP ON WHAT 'MEDIUM' TO USE TO GET IT OFF!!
I've tried 'paint remover' (carefully) but it's too strong, and it removes the nice finish on the Oak. He used something in a spray bottle that worked, but he's so DISHONEST that he refuses to tell me what it is. Will Mineral Spirits work? This (base paint) has already dried on where it got. He also spilled it on some of my tools, a brass lamp, and splattered it on one of my window screens. aNY help will be appreciated.
Cat

[FrankR]

Your suggestions are good. The front of our Airstream is empty of anything. I removed a front lounge/sofa. My needs are just looking for general ideas. This past week, a visit was made to the local RV dealer for some dinette sizes. I think the plan is nearly complete. Our dinette will have a center support, but the table top shall remain in place. We have our Airstream mostly just for my sweetheart and I. The table will not convert to a bed. The seats shall hinge up to provide some storage. The dinette shall be constructed very near the front of the trailer and be mounted permanently. On the rear of the seats shall be a few other storage shelves.

Your painter should be required to repair any poor workmanship. It is very difficult to make any recommendation for pain removal at a distance. I would not want to give any destructive advice. Re moving the newly sprayed lacquer before hardening would be very difficult. I think any chemical stripper will not provide a viable solution. Many tests may be required. Of course there is always wet sanding carefully. A few pieces of wet/dry auto body sand paper in a few grits as 240, 320 and 400 aluminium oxide may provide some relief. My drawers are not oak anywhere. Frank

[Cat]

Thanx for the pix.. I love customizing an Airstream...IF its done well, and it looks/sounds like you ARE.

What's with the empty spot for the range? Getting a new one?
What's that white square in that area? Is that the back of that magazine rack behind/below the flip-up counter extension?

I think your plans sound very well-thought out...and I'll be very piqued to see the progress ... if you can remember to post pix of it.

[Cat]

well...I suppose if I hear it one more time, I should seriously consider taking the fellow to Small Claims Court. You are the 2nd person to say he should be held accountable.

The fact that his daughter was diagnosed that day with a brain tumor shouldn't excuse him? I certainly did because of it... But, now, I'm starting to think I was far to soft with this guy. I mean, I would think, he'd just SAY something...like, "I'm sorry, I don't think it would be right for me to try to do the work under these circumstances." ... and let me find someone else. But, he went ahead anyway, botched it all up, had a serious accident --- damaging a lot of my property --- and THEN...TRIED TO HIDE IT ALL and took my money and LEFT without saying anything.

And then, to make matters worse, when I DID find it the next day, and called him to give him a chance (EVEN) to explain, HE DENIED THE WHOLE THING.

Not until I kept saying it was no use, did he finally admit to it and say he'd come out and fix it all. (Which he has never done.) When he did come back...he brought a bottle of some magic spray liquid and began wiping paint off of my things. .. but, it was such a mess, and he appeared to be in great distress over his daughter...so I gave him my (damaged) tool box and told him to take it home with him, and do it in his spare time. Little did I know that I'd find so much other damaged areas. Then, he was suppose to return to do more, bring my toolbox back, and give me a small spray bottle of his magic liquid. He never showed up.

Sorry...the isn't a LEGAL forum, or a CONSUMER ADVISE FORUM,,,so I'll quit. I got 'took' and I have to deal with it.

I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow to see what I can find...then I'll try to get him to come out and make good what he's done. From that point on...I guess I just have to clean it up with 0000 Steel Wool, and some wetsandpaper---and a good recommended solvent.

At least today, at Parkers, I was given a card of a VERY VERY highly recommended professional painter. Where was he when I found this jerk!? Oh, well....I can't be successful with vendors all the time. Maybe this (new) guy will have some good sound advise and will help me out of this deliema..

Thanks Frank.
Every little bit of advise is greatly appreciated.
........Cat

[Cat]

THIS IS THE THREAD..
I wrote this to another Thread, because I couldn't find where I'd posted the help request....and it was here...
Now I have another delimma....the Anodized Aluminum trim..

READ ON>>>>

Somewhere last night I posted on a thread...and I can't find the thread now.
It was about paint damage by a hired painter...who was taping and painting a B.I.N. (lacquer-based) base paint...and he goofed BIG TIME. First he taped with MASKING tape, not the blue stuff and he obviously didn't know how to tape, because it doesn't cover well enough and of course is hard to remove (where the blue would have been easy.)

Then he splattered the B.I.N. all over stuff......and he's GONE! I'm trying to remove his mistakes...

Help? First I need to know what to use to remove the base paint from the Anodized Aluminum that looks like brass (the edges of cabinets and closets....

Anyone...
......Cat

Maybe I'll post this on some other Threads....I need help bad!!
..................Cat

[kzener40]

I know this is an old post. But here's a web-site I found with some information on a Dinette layout that may be useful for others in the future.

http://home.att.net/%7Eglobetrotter64/project2.htm

[InsideOut]

Be sure to highlight the page so the "white-on-white" text shows up...

Shari

[Dbraw]

FrankR,
Attached are some photos of our new dinette I just completed. I hope they come through. I built it out of .75 inch oak plywood trimmed with maple. Stained walnut and finished with satin Wipe On Poly by Minwax. The insides are painted beige. The table does fit below in order to make a bed for grandkids. The bed is 31 inches by 75 inches. I used the foam from the original couch and cut it to fit. MY wife uphostered the cushions. Next, she will make drapes. We are still getting ready to take it on the road for the first time.
Dan B
Tennessee

[ALANSD]

nice job Dan. How does the table fit into the bed arrangement?Just curious.

[Dbraw]

For the table I used the original hinge that allows it to slide left to right and be unattached. I also used the original leg hinge mechanism and made a new leg the right height. The table top slides out after the leg is folded under. The table top then lowers to fit between the two seats. I used a one inch long dowl rod on each side under the top to register into holes in the seat fronts. I tapered the dowls slightly to make it easier to hit the holes. Simple, no screws, bolts or anything complicated. I also used piano hinges for the seat bottoms for access to the storage areas underneath. Here's another picture. I tried to send three pictures before but could only sent one.
Good luck,
Dan

[Dbraw]

Here's another photo.
Dan

[Chuck]

Wow, that looks great! I've been thinking about doing something similar to mine. The front end of the 23 footers seems a bit cramped, to me. The couch just doesn't look right...as if its "stuffed" into the space behind the sink. just doesn't look like a very efficient use of the space.

I did take out a tape measure, and there's 4 feet between the front window and a line that intersects the end of the sink-cabinet. (at least, in the center of the trailer). Wondering if you could go a little wider on the dinette.

[Dbraw]

I agree that the couch was a bit crowded. Ours was pretty rough. Some really bad repairs had been made in the past. I'm not sure what you mean by "Wider on the dinette". If you make it and deeper from outside (rear of trailer) to front of trailer, it may be hard to get into on the sink side. The width from side to side is about all that it can be because of the curved front end. Plus the bed is 75 inches long. About the same as the twin beds in the back of our 23 footer. Let me know if you need any other info.
Dan

[Chuck]

you mentioned that as a bed, it is 31" wide. that dimension....

perhaps its the photo, or a slight difference between a 71 and a 73 model, but it appears as though there is a solid wall under the shelf under the front window. maybe that's the difference...there isn't in mine. That "shelf" just sort of protrudes from the front wall of the trailer, with nothing supporting it underneath. (that shelf is really just "trim", only there to support the curtain rails.). When the couch is pulled out, there is a fixed piece of upholstered cushion that is contoured to fit the front of the trailer, which makes the pulled-out bed about 48 inches wide. that 6-inch piece is hidden behind the seat-back when the couch is in its upright position.

so I was thinking that if I took that out, I'd have 48" to play with, minus the space needed to squeeze into the dinette on the street side. Maybe 40 inches or so? from your pic, it looks like the street-side bench is about 8 inches from the sink-cabinet...is that about right?

[Dbraw]

Chuck,
The bed that I built is actually 32" wide. Sorry for the wrong info. The shelf under the window did originally just support the drapery track. Maybe you can see from one of the photos that I added two tapered support legs under the shelp to add some regidity to the table. Screwed down through the shelf at the top and used short aluminum angles at the bottom to attach them to the front wall.
The seats are high back boxes that are 23" x 20". The back is 34" high. The table is 29" x 28" and is 30" high.
Also, I checked and the space from the front to the sink cabinet is 48". Before you start cutting and glueing, you bight want to use a cardboard box or something to help visualize how the curved front comes into play.
Good luck,
Dan

[davidz71]

Dan,
That is really some nice work.

[Dbraw]

Craig,
Thanks for the nice comment. It's amazing what one can do with a sharp chainsaw and a lot of plastic wood. Projects are my life.
Dan

[Dbraw]

FrankR,
Just found this photo of "before" the dinette was built. You can see how rough the couch was. Also the shag carpet, which is now in the landfill. Don't pay no attention to my barefoot wife in the photo. We really do have shoes down here in Tennessee. Just don't wear them often.
Dan

[Dbraw]

FrankR,
Here's a shot of how the couch looked before the dinette project. We really do wear shoes down here in Tennessee, just not often.
Dan