1990 Dolphin - Total Makeover... from Old to Chic!!!

[B&B]

This Dolphin was purchased less than a year ago, in August 2015. Renovation began immediately, with complete removal and replacement of the floors, upholstery, refrigerator, toilet, kitchen countertop, swivel chair, lights (to LED), cushions, handles & hinges, curtains/blinds, and new paint throughout. It's gone from 80's style to modern in 3 months of renovations. We had it completely re-plumbed and we resealed the roof. We worked day and night to make it our own (total DIY)! Enjoy looking through the before and after pictures of our project. Let us know if you have any questions, we'd be happy to answer them!! Thanks for looking!  

B&B

 

Edited April 17, 2016 by B&B

[Maineah]

It's amazing what white paint will do for 90's floral wall paper! They are so dark inside I did pretty much the same thing to mine painted over all the fake wood. Looks good you'll have fun with that.

[jjrbus]

Great job, looks good.  3 months?   I have been working on mine for,  hmmmm 16 months.  Not exactly night and day, more like now and then . Thanks for the pictures.

[Dolphinite no longer here]

Lovely work.  It's a different world in there...

John

[bobblefrog]

Very inspiring!  That was a heck of a lot of work but the results are amazing.  You have the floorplan that's on the top of my list - what do you think of that j-shaped dinette?

[B&B]

@bobblefrog, Thank you so much! We love the J-shaped dinette! The place feels more open and airy. Perfect for entertaining.

@Dolphinite, Thanks! It really is! It's like day and night. Bonus, it smells new!

@jjrbus, thank you, lol, it's probably the perfectionist in me, and if I start something, I have to finish it soon, even if I have to lose a few hours of sleep before I have to go to work. Crazy, I know   Good luck with your RV! Can't wait to see the before and afters.

@Maineah, White paint is amazing! So much more light and it looks new and clean too!

[bwolfgti]

Looks amazing, like a brand new camper.  I keep debating on whether to do the same to the inside of the sunrader......

[payaso del mar]

I kind of think that painting the faux-woodgrain white is one of those decisions you'll never regret.  I have yet to see one of those that looks bad or hear someone wish they had left the interior the way it was.  just clean the bejeezus out of the surface first, scuff lightly with abrasive, reclean, and mask obsessively.  you can also "shade" the mood slightly by lightly tinting the paint, warm tone or cool tone as you prefer.

B&B, lovely job.  nice "70s-ectomy"!  my wife would want to dognap your kid, tho......

[bobblefrog]

That "kid" is a cutie, no doubt!

[Jaunt]

looks awesome, how did you paint the interior?  spray?

[DirtyPatches]

Did you just paint in the shower or put up material? How is it holding up? Cant believe they put wall paper in the shower in both of the Toyota RV's I've had. Just started working on one with very similar floor plan, great inspiration. You did an amazing job!

[B&B]

On 5/7/2016 at 4:26 PM, Jaunt said:

looks awesome, how did you paint the interior?  spray?

Thanks! We painted the interior with just rollers and paint brushes, since we used different paint for the cabinets than the walls.

On 5/20/2016 at 5:03 PM, DirtyPatches said:

Did you just paint in the shower or put up material? How is it holding up? Cant believe they put wall paper in the shower in both of the Toyota RV's I've had. Just started working on one with very similar floor plan, great inspiration. You did an amazing job!

Thank you! We cleaned and scrubbed the whole interior, then we primed and finally we used oil-based paint for the walls. The cabinet paint that we used was a Rustoleum kit for cabinets from Lowes. If there were loose parts of the original wallpaper, we took that part off and used spackle/filler to smooth the line between the cut wallpaper and the wall. The paint is holding up great. Hope this helps!

[Ctgriffi]

Very nice job; thanks for posting all the great photos. Looks just like what we're hoping to do someday.

What material did you use for the new countertop?

And, what did you end up sealing the roof with?

[B&B]

On 6/10/2016 at 7:00 AM, Ctgriffi said:

Very nice job; thanks for posting all the great photos. Looks just like what we're hoping to do someday.

What material did you use for the new countertop?

And, what did you end up sealing the roof with?

Thank you!

We just bought a wood board from Lowes that fit the width perfectly. We cut the hole for the sink and two strips to fit around the stove. We sanded, sealed/stained everything to make it splash-proof.

As far as the roof, we bought a gallon of Elastomeric Roof Coating by KST Coating on Amazon. We also bought EternaBond (awesome product) for the top side edges and any emergencies. 

[Jaunt]

great stuff, thanks for the info!

[neubie]

having this to reference is great. i am not even down dissassembly to the shell yet, but white is what I had in mind. Its black and red right now. Links to specific paint products would be quite helpful and much appreciated.

[markwilliam1]

Hey BB! I gave Grannie a face lift also though not to the extent of yours! Your original post was what inspired me to paint my interior also. You did Beautiful work! I posted pictures also. What a difference it is getting rid of that dark fake wood. Makes the inside bright and more roomy look! I used a cream color and added oak strips and molding. Looks like a Swiss Chalet inside LOL. I'm sure you'll inspire others!

[okn]

WOW! Great Job!!  I have the exact same year and layout.  How did you do the floors?  Did you just cut the carpet out and float the wood with some quarter round moulding?  Did you stop the wood right before the cab?  How did you do the toilet area?

[Derek up North]

B&B hasn't logged in since last December. Hopefully someone else will share their experiences.

[neubie]

On 7/12/2017 at 11:54 AM, okn said:

WOW! Great Job!!  I have the exact same year and layout.  How did you do the floors?  Did you just cut the carpet out and float the wood with some quarter round moulding?  Did you stop the wood right before the cab?  How did you do the toilet area?

Pretty much everyone stops at the cab. Yes, some kind of moulding is more or less necessary.  The toilet generally gets taken off, the flooring extended all the way and then the shitter put back on the new floor. At least as far as I have discerned.

I am in the middle of it right now. If you start doing this, you realise that you will only be able to stop when you get to the osb, everywhere.  Pretty much everyone gets to this realisation the moment they start taking a peak underneath the flooring.

There are two possiblities once you have cleaned up. The osb is flat enough, or you are unlucky and things are still mushy and not level.

In the first case, you can get an underlayment and then plank flooring quite easily. Some glue, others self stick. Or go the original route of tiles even easier. The second reality wants a plywood plank to get to some sort of level surface before you can go further. Then the moulding part may become different. These are the sum total of all renovations. There is the odd exception of people putting a new floor right on top of the old linoleum.

I am halfway between the twonoted  options. Its not totally flat, and its not ruined enough to need a new floor. I will have an underlayment and planks. Somehow I will also have a level surface. Not yet sure if its addition or subtraction that gets me there.

Hope this helps. Pictures are in the other thread.

Edited July 14, 2017 by neubie
added things.

[gringostar]

Where is the new refrigerator pics?