New Doors in My Casita SD17 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-06-2010, 11:57 AM   #1
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Name: Robert
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Texas
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New Doors in My Casita SD17

Good day all... I posted this over in the two Casita Forums, but since I am awfully proud of the way that they turned out, I'd like to post here some photos of the new doors I built for our Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe.

Although the Casita is new (a 2010, we picked it up in mid-June), I really wanted to replace the MDF doors with something a bit more attractive (at least to my tired old eyes). I constructed the new doors from clear white ash... I actually saved about forty pounds with this project. I probably went a bit 'overboard' on the bathroom door... it was built from 73 indiviual pieces!

Now, I've started to build new tables using ash and baltic birch.

Thanks for looking!











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Old 09-06-2010, 01:09 PM   #2
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Wow---very nice! Thanks for sharing!
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Old 09-06-2010, 07:12 PM   #3
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That is amazing. I love the doors! I wish I knew how to make frame-and-panel doors - I would make them just like yours if I could. Those are fabulous!

And I know - aren't those particle board doors ridiculously heavy? And in a lightweight trailer, yet.

Thank you so much for posting here; I would never have seen your work in the Casita forum.

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Old 09-09-2010, 07:33 PM   #4
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mannnn oh man, I love the wood grain! Did you do anything special to bring it out so clearly? I've seen ash before, but it did not have such an obvious grain pattern. You are very talented - that is beautiful - thanks for sharing
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Old 09-09-2010, 08:04 PM   #5
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mannnn oh man, I love the wood grain! Did you do anything special to bring it out so clearly? I've seen ash before, but it did not have such an obvious grain pattern. You are very talented - that is beautiful - thanks for sharing
Thank you, Pam (as well as the others) for your kind compliments, I really appreciate the encouragement!

Wife (of 50 years) Linda picked ash for the interior thinking it would (as a lighter wood) blend nicely with the white fiberglas of the interior 'built-ins'... I think she made a wise choice. For some reason, the photos seem to make the color difference between the solid pieces (frames) and the ash plywood (the panels) much more pronounced than it is in 'real life.'

The finish is satin Minwax Polycrylic water-based polyurethane... four coats sanded with 220-grit between coats two and three. That's all I did to the wood... it just started life as pretty wood (well, I think so).

I have started to work on replacing the tables and should have some more photos to show in a couple of weeks. We are committed to retaining the use of the back table, so I have 'engineered' (now, there's a loose use of the word) a hinged, folding table that will be virtually 'instantly' convertible from bed to table and back again. All the construction is complete, now to the sanding, painting (satin polyurethane again) and applying the satin-white Formica tops. This table - along with the new one for the side dinette - is heavier than the Casita factory original... with this portion of the project, I am 'giving back' a considerable amount of the weight saved with the doors. That's OK.

More later on all this nonsense!

Cheers to all!

Rb
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Old 09-09-2010, 09:24 PM   #6
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Beautiful!
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Old 09-10-2010, 08:14 AM   #7
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Beautiful!

Thanks for posting your pics, Rob. I love love love your new doors!

Remember us when you get your table pics, too - I'm very interested to see what you're doing for under the bed (the big dinette), as we really do use ours as a dinette at least part of the time (if weather's bad and we're cooped up indoors, mostly).

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Old 09-10-2010, 10:20 AM   #8
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Beautiful! Are you up for another project? I can have my trailer there next week! I despise the press board doors. I suppose I could actually tackle the door project but the wall project would make me nervous. Great job!
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Old 09-10-2010, 03:07 PM   #9
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Beautiful! Are you up for another project? I can have my trailer there next week!
It's kind of funny... as I started the door project, I was thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe there's a real 'business opportunity' here! " A week or so into the work (and up to my waist in sawdust and planer shavings ), I had a serious change-of heart-and-mind! I'm afraid that this would be a big-buck endeavor... I'm sure that I'd wait a long time between "customers!"

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I despise the press board doors. I suppose I could actually tackle the door project but the wall project would make me nervous. Great job!
Thank you very much!
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Old 09-10-2010, 04:05 PM   #10
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[QUOTE=Rob and Linda;222820]It's kind of funny... as I started the door project, I was thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe there's a real 'business opportunity' here! " A week or so into the work (and up to my waist in sawdust and planer shavings ), I had a serious change-of heart-and-mind! I'm afraid that this would be a big-buck endeavor... I'm sure that I'd wait a long time between "customers!"



Can I relate----2 yrs. ago I bought a wool sweater, felted it (shrunk in hot water) and made a darling purse. Thought "I could go into business making purses"! Well, now there are 100 plus felted sweaters in my craft room all waiting to be transformed into something stunning---and I'd rather be camping! Whoops!

Love your work! BTW--"wife of 50 years"----did you get married when you were 10?!?!?!?!?!?
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Old 09-10-2010, 04:44 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob and Linda View Post
It's kind of funny... as I started the door project, I was thinking to myself, "Hey, maybe there's a real 'business opportunity' here! " A week or so into the work (and up to my waist in sawdust and planer shavings ), I had a serious change-of heart-and-mind! I'm afraid that this would be a big-buck endeavor... I'm sure that I'd wait a long time between "customers!"


Can I relate----2 yrs. ago I bought a wool sweater, felted it (shrunk in hot water) and made a darling purse. Thought "I could go into business making purses"! Well, now there are 100 plus felted sweaters in my craft room all waiting to be transformed into something stunning---and I'd rather be camping! Whoops!

Love your work! BTW--"wife of 50 years"----did you get married when you were 10?!?!?!?!?!?
Well, we were exactly twice that... just days before my 21st birthday and a couple of months before hers. Anyway, after fifty years, she's still my drop-dead cutie-pie!

Photos from our 50th anniversary (on the very day)... we took our new Casita to Galveston to "celebrate!"

The two of us on the beach...


All dressed up for dinner, pretty nifty for "I'll be 71 in 28-days," huh?...



And - of course - the Casita, we had our very own palm tree... 'bout 3' tall!...



OK, now I'm just being a bore!!
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Old 09-10-2010, 05:05 PM   #12
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Not bored at all!!!!! You are styling, Linda! No polyester purple pants for you!

You guys are a great couple! I'm 58, hubby 61, will be married 40 years in Jan.

You ROCK!
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Old 09-10-2010, 08:54 PM   #13
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, I had a serious change-of heart-and-mind! I'm afraid that this would be a big-buck endeavor... I'm sure that I'd wait a long time between "customers!"

I understand , but dang I would love those doors and that wall! It's great!
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Old 09-11-2010, 12:10 AM   #14
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You and me both!

I wouldn't mind looking that happy and vibrant at 70 either
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Old 09-11-2010, 08:29 AM   #15
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I wouldn't mind looking that happy and vibrant at 70 either


I can only hope................
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Old 11-09-2021, 04:06 PM   #16
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Love the doors! I cannot understand why they would use those horrible mdf doors on such a great trailer! Yours really rock! You gave me some awesome ideas. I have been considering replacing my doors as well. Just wondered if you had any issues hanging the bathroom door? The walls are pretty thin, Im thinking the frame around the door on the wall may need some beefing up? I have seen glass doors (obsure of course) on the bathroom in other trailers and may need to make my own too! Thx!
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Old 11-09-2021, 05:08 PM   #17
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Love the doors! I cannot understand why they would use those horrible mdf doors on such a great trailer! Yours really rock! You gave me some awesome ideas. I have been considering replacing my doors as well. Just wondered if you had any issues hanging the bathroom door? The walls are pretty thin, Im thinking the frame around the door on the wall may need some beefing up? I have seen glass doors (obsure of course) on the bathroom in other trailers and may need to make my own too! Thx!
Thank you MeanJeans for your generous compliments! I had a lot of fun with the (nearly never ending) Casita projects.

No problem at all hanging the bathroom door... same hardware as the originals.

There were a LOT of mods after that post from 2010. You can see many of them in our FLICKER album. Check 'em out here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rfpd30...57626742329244

There are 106 photos in the album. I hope you do the door (and other stuff) project!

Robert
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Old 11-09-2021, 05:09 PM   #18
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A few years ago, I built paneled doors for my 1999 Standard Scamp 19’. I, however used cherrywood and 1/4” cherry plywood. Like yours, it was a great improvement over the original MDF
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