New Cadet/n126/Niewadiow Owner: Help please!

[ClareL]

Hello, I am in victoria BC and just purchased this 1986 cadet. It has the original interior (yuck!).
After reviewing other posts I would like to do a quick and cheap "refresh", but I do not have time/capacity to do an entire rebuild down to the fibreglass. I realize there may be some mould but the floor seems intact and there is nothing obvious. I am a single mum with three kids and enjoy camping but am deathly afraid of bears and cougars so this will literally be a bed on wheels I will probably keep it for the next 5 years until my kids are grown.
My goals for the trailer are to have a place to sleep and store camping equipment. I will not cook inside and don't anticipate needing electricity or running water.
So what I would like to do is:
- remove and replace all interior cushions and curtains
- make a permanent double bed with storage underneath (so not need to to take up and down the larger table)
- paint the cabinets
- remove water and stove
- use existing cabinets for storage with baskets and store a portable cooler and Coleman stove which I will use outside
- add a large awning/tarp over the door
My questions:
- what can i do with the walls? They currently just contain the under-fabric that is glued to the fibreglass. I was looking up stick-on foam board but it won't stick to the fabric, will it?
- what paint should I use to paint all the cabinetry?
- any suggestions for a mattress for the double bed?
- should I remove the stove and sink or just cover them?
Thanks and please respond with any other ideas!

[Menno]

Hi
Me too just picked up a 1987 Cadet, today I gutted the whole thing down to the Fiberglas, it had the original red velvety stuff on the roof and walls, looked like a brothel on wheels.
I removed all benches, counter , closet and upper cupboards and shelving.
Ripped out the old Lino even though it looked pretty good but when I started yanking on it the plywood underneath had mold, So I will be replacing that.
The trailer came with a brand new roll of foam backed vinyl but the colour is gold / mustardy so we are thinking of installing it and then paint the vinyl.
To remove the benches and cupboards and kitchen cabinets it was a real pain in the ars, them polish people used the stupid screws where you need a flat blade screwdriver.

So to answer your question, for the double bed just keep the rear table down and keep that as a bed that what we will be doing.
If the stove and sink still work I would leave it and cover it, if sell down the road others might like a stove, and too if the weather is crappy at least you can make your self a cup of coffee or bowl of soup.
As for cushion covers you can get cushion covers on Amazon they slip right over the old cushion just get the right size.( we did this in our big camper )
For the wall coverings I would leave it an see if you can clean it with dawn dish soap, it really doesn’t look that bad.
For paint the cupboards you would need to sand them down as the veneer is pretty shiny, use a bonding paint first or Kilz and then use a good latex paint.
Other than that congratulations on your new camper, they are super light and easy to tow.

[ClareL]

Thanks so much and congrats to you too!
I’ve spent the day removing the soft furnishings and tossing the old fridge (which was not original).
Wiped down interior and spray painted a few areas of wood that looked old.
I found some peel and stick beadbord wallpaper at my local Canadian tire and am going to experiment with that. But the BEST find from CT today were these long bench cushions which are very think foam, have zipper covers, water resistant and were relatively cheap!
They fit snugly on the bench seats and snaz it up a bit!

[Menno]

Even if you have a Habitat Restore in your are, you can find lots of deals and treasures there, like flooring or paint for not much money.

[Rusty01]

Congratulations Clare,
One of the things that helped me was getting a long shanked flat screwdriver. I found one at Home Depot made by Stanley. For what ever reason the long screwdriver works much better than any of the short ones. Otherwise there were screws that I would never have gotten out. There is nothing wrong with getting a couple of battery powered led puck lights even if you have electricity. I have a small 20 watt solar panel and battery so I can use my laptop and charge my cellphone but you could easily carry a small rechargeable battery unit since so many are available. I finished my Cadet during covid and I love it. Best of all have fun doing it.

[ClareL]

Thanks so much for your responses!
I spent the weekend removing the old soft furnishings, cleaning and sourcing materials.
Here are some pics of the progress thus far with my cosmetic facelift:

PS: all products purchased at Dollar Store or Canadian Tire here in Victoria, BC. The bench cushions from Canadian Tire are a snug PERFECT fit and are a thick, firm foam with zippered covers:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/c...p.html?loc=plp

[ClareL]

Just came back from first overnight in the camper and we LOVE it! What a dream to tow and I LOVE the huge windows (and that I can see the traffic behind me through both of them).
My ultimate goal is to remove the "kitchen cabinet" and tall cupboard and put in a permanent queen sized bed.
I know with Bolers the furniture is structural- but not so in a cadet, right? There is no risk to destabilizing the structure by removing the wooden cabinets?
Also, any tips on easy hacks for making a queen sized bed with storage- I was thinkg Ikea wooden slats on a basic frame?