Overall, we’ve been happy with our Airstream Classic. Although the company makes hipper models with contemporary interiors, we also like the “old school” experience of Airstream camping.
Sure, the decor is a bit long in the tooth, but it channels generations of Airstream campers who have preceded us. It’s more of a country cabin than an urban apartment, and that’s okay. It’s plush and cozy. The cabinetry and countertops have a reassuring solidity. It all seems built to last.
With that said, there were a few items in our camper that we wanted to change. “Retro” is good. “Dated?” Not so good.
PART ONE: SHINY KNOBS AND YELLOW LABS
The first priority was the bathroom. The wallpaper, a standard neutral pattern that Airstream’s been using for years, was fine. It’s plain as a mayonnaise sandwich, but it’s fine.
The shiny faucet and towel rack ? Not our fave. There was nothing “wrong” with these items per se, but we preferred to see a metal with a more subtle tone.
In truth, the original factory faucet was a pretty terrible choice for our Airstream. The faucet handles were fat knobs that crowded against the wall. Turning on or off the faucet required grasping the knob with one’s entire (and often wet) hand. Over time, this meant the wallpaper backsplash was damaged from waterlogged wear and tear. It needed to be changed.
PART TWO: BRUSHED NICKEL OR BRONZE?
The good news was that our Airstream uses standard faucet hardware just like you find in Home Depot. Nothing special needs to be done to swap it out, although there were obvious size constraints. In reality, although stores offer lots of “off the rack” faucet selections, only a handful are appropriate in this space.
CAVEAT EMPTOR: All you do-it-yourselfers need to consider the pressing issue of the sink overflow valve. You know how most residential sinks have a little hole at the top that serves as protection against overflow? The drains are designed accordingly to receive any overflowing water. Our Airstream sink has no overflow valve, so we needed to modify the drain to avoid leaks. This entailed wrapping it with a rubber gasket and a healthy amount of rubber tape. You could also purchase a different drain part; the trick is finding one small enough to fit your RV. In our case, it was easier to modify the drain that came with our faucet.
PART THREE: THE BIG FINALE
What about backsplash? Wallpaper would work, but it would also deteriorate over time. To install tile and grout would be tempting fate. While it’s theoretically possible, it’s not hard to imagine tiles popping off the wall. We’ve traveled over 40,000 miles with our Airstream, and many of those miles have been bumpy ones. At times the entire rig resembles a horizontal martini shaker. No matter how much you try to avoid the bad roads, at times you simply have no choice. So we ended up choosing a wallpaper alternative for the backsplash. In essence it’s a fancy piece of plastic, but hopefully it will age better than a fancy piece of paper.
Once we got started with the faucet and backsplash, we couldn’t resist finishing the job with matching door handles and knobs. We liked the new look in the bathroom so much, we decided to extend it to the kitchen and living areas. We thus bought new door pulls and knobs for all of our Airstream cabinets. The overall cost of the bathroom remodel was $250; the door pulls and knobs for the kitchen and living area cost an additional $100.
A few money saving tips: although we purchased all of these items at Home Depot, we applied 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, & Beyond on the towel racks. (Home Depot will honor competitor’s coupons if they carry the same items.) These coupons saved us about $20. Also, thanks to a helpful comment from a friend here on LongLongHoneymoon.com, we learned that shortly after we bought it, our model of faucet went on sale at Home Depot’s website. We called Home Depot and they agreed to refund us $50 on the purchase of our faucet!
At a total of $350 ($300 after the $50 kickback), these updates delivered a lot of bang for the buck. The bronze accents of the new hardware are nice updates that are more in keeping with the current style selections in the Airstream Classic line. There’s no accounting for taste, but we prefer the bronze to the shiny gold that came standard.
SPECIAL THANKS to Kristy’s father Harry, who once again demonstrated why he deserves his own home improvement show!
Also thanks to our “Airstream Guardian” Falcor for his guest appearance in this video. Falcor is owned by Kristy’s parents.
OH YOU DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET US HANGIN’ IN THE WIND! Hurry hurry!!! I need more moon. Nice cliff hanger.
We are headed to Home Depot and/or Lowe’s this weekend to check out our faucet options. Because of the size constraints, we won’t have many choices. But I think they have one that we like.
More pressing problem is the backsplash. That’s a bad space for wallpaper. We may go with a sheet of simple aluminum, but hopefully it won’t look weird. Anything’s better than the existing mess, though! (It looks pretty bad in that video — worse than it does in real life!)
We have a stick-on mirror sheet behind our faucet. It’s the kind of thing you find in the automotive area to fix a broken side mirror. The wall paper was fine, but our youngest son is too short to see himself in the medicine cabinet mirror. He said it’s hard to brush his teeth well without looking in a mirror. I don’t think it really improved his toothbrushing skills, but it made him happy!
Ginny, the stick-on mirror sounds like a smart idea, especially considering your son. That’s one of the fun aspects of RV ownership — customizing it to your liking. Can’t exactly do that to a hotel room!
We worked on our faucet and backsplash tonight. I will pull together a “part 2” of the faucet video.
In part 3 we will add some matching towel racks and door knobs to complete the look. You know how it is… once you start changing/upgrading a room, it’s hard to stop with one item! We need to change a few more things to match everything up just right.
Ok ok ok ok so string me along I got it…ok you win. Damn I hooked and I can’t turn away! The back splash looks great! I love the faucet the color it just the berries!
Hummmmm how about changing the thermostat too. what about the kitchen faucet too. Gotta show the kitchen some lovin’ too. Thank you so much for taking the camera to the Depot so we can all enjoy this process!
Now hurry up with part trois!
One more installment and we’re home free! Eventually I will copmbine all of these into one video, but there’s something to be said for doing it this way.
I guess this is my attempt at doing HGTV. 😉 I do find the “before and after” shots pretty compelling. Overall it seems to have turned out well. I’m especially impressed by the bang for the buck. We’ve made a pretty dramatic difference in appearance for a reasonable amount of moula.
In fact, I have a feeling that “upgrade fever” may extend to the kitchen area and throughout the camper. It’s pretty easy to swap cabinet hardware, and the end result is quite dramatic. (The faucet would’ve been easy but for the drain and its residential overflow valve….)
Part trois on the way!
Love the faucet ..I saw today they are on sale at Home Depot online for $48.
Your efforts really made a big change in the appearance of your bathroom. Great work!
Thanks Tibbar! That’s interesting about the sale. It seems like every time I buy something, it goes on sale the following week! I wonder if they will kick us back $50? We paid $99 for our faucet.
We eventually got the drain to work by using an additional rubber gasket around the overflow valve. Anyone buying a residential faucet should consider the overflow valve issue — otherwise it all worked out great.
We are so pleased with the bronze door pulls in the bathroom that we’re going to also install them on our kitchen, living room, & bedroom cabinets (that’s 17 door pulls & three knobs!). Those things cost $4 and $3 respectively, so that’s another $80 to do the main area. But the difference in appearance is dramatic and more to our liking. Sometimes it’s just satisfying to customize these things to your own preferences. Cheers!
AHHHHHH much better (sitting back smoking) looks great! Time to change the wall paper! 🙂 This ole trailer here we come. I see under cabinets on their way. I did that with mine I put rope lighting under the counter top so the kids would have a nice night light and we would have light to go to the bathroom and not kick the dog. I tied into the 110v plug so it will only work when we have shore power so hillbilly deluxe!
Ha! Well, we did decide to change out all the door pulls and knobs in the main living area (kitchen, bedroom, etc.). It’s amazing what a significant difference that small change (from gold to bronze) makes.
Good idea on the rope lighting! I’m not sure what we’ll do next. The carpet, at the very least, needs a good steam cleaning. We’ve thought about switching to hardwood, but there’s something to be said for the cozy feel of carpet.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the way everything looks now, but who knows… if we come across some really fun ideas we might give ’em a shot.
Nice improvement. Looks great for that era. We had the same problem…However, we put some metal behind our basin like you did.. and found that unless its stainless… you will rub your nuck’s on the metal every time you turn on and off the valve. This then causes the metal plating or protection to wear off… then came the awairness that the metal was plated stamp’d tin.. which started to rust…and/or change color… poooo…
So the choice was stainless steel or go with something else…
We changed out the fixture to a delta single lever… this got rid of the knuckle buster rubbing… and then went to a thin multi layer’d formica back splashboard that , being plastic, didn’t cause any problems. It looked like the orginal without any paper or plated metal… Had the art shop over at the studio do some engraving into the layers and put a nice looking design into it. .. What even made it more .. oh wow… was when they embeded some LEDs into it.. and it lights up… when you now turn on the light switch… (just a little rewireing) it now has a light in the dark area over the sink… almost enough that you don’t need the overhead light on… and its in color…
Airstream has lots to learn from feedback of owners… only problem is .. they don’t listen… or seem to care… which is one reasion we had the Toy H made up and eventually will be the trailer of choice… AS is nice but, leaves a lot of new tech to be desired. new materials and products are walking away with new designs. At the last location… now only 3 AS left. even some of the “golden people” that bought new ones have gone to trailers with more room, better construction and NORMAL fixtures.
If yours is like ours.. after 20 years… you don’t even need to take it on the road for things to start falling apart… they start doing it on their own
We had to have the hull taken off the frame and new plywood floor put in due to wood rot ….the leaking between the riveted panels. Seems the goop that they use to seal it was applied.. but the leak appeared to be patched over (at the factory) where the sheets were rivited at the front bulkhead. When we asked airstream how much… they said…cost of repairs exceeded the cost of the unit… basically …. new trailer…
well that didn’t set well
Sooo.. we took it to the local RV repair place and they got a good aircraft sheet metal mechanic… along with a carpenter… to do the wood work… and they removed the hull.. replaced the floor.. and drilled out the old rivets… exposing a lot of corrosion between the alu…in and around the upper and bottom attachments… replaced the old panels with new.. re-sealed with a more modern sealant… and re-rivited the stuff like factory… expensive but turned out nice…
Our thoughts were that we would keep the trailer for a longer time.. but, after the hass- about trying to get parts from AS (which they no longer make) we have other ideas now.
Alu is nice.. but it has its problems too… and wait till the guys who buff ’em down to mirror finish find out they have a maintenance nighmare on their hands… as AS put that dull finish process on for a reason…. but, no matter what you have… putting a rivet through two sheets of alu… sets up diss metals… and the corrosion starts from day one…no matter what you try and do. I was told that the new ones have a treatment that the older didn’t get to try and slow the process down… but, then again maybe that is why they cost twice as much as the toy H did…
In all… you get what you think you pay for… 😀
Thanks GMAs. Wow! Maybe we should have sent our backsplash over to the art shop at the movie studio? Oh wait, my movie studio is in my basement… 😀
We are really happy with the results in the bathroom. With the new faucet hardware, I don’t think we’ll have the hands-rubbing-backsplash problem any more because now we can adjust the water much more easily. The original factory choice of faucet was terrible for a camper – go figure!
I must admit that we have been thinking about doing some more cosmetic improvements to our interior. By changing (1) wallpaper (2) accent fabrics and (3) MAYBE the flooring we could dramatically update our Airstream. Our Classic interior is nice and plush, but it’s a little bland. We could keep the elements we like while updating those we aren’t crazy about. It will make for some fun video and we’ll end up with an Airstream that’s just a little more hip and fine-tuned to our tastes.
Did you ever see the Ralph Lauren Airstream interiors?
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8Hsa86DTRR4/SQR0wlh6oQI/AAAAAAAAADE/m1ykHl0_WYs/YZ2P9308.jpg
They were over-the-top nice. While we wouldn’t end up with something to that extreme, for a relatively small investment I think we could significantly boost the wow factor of our Airstream. We spend so much time camping, it makes sense. We’re going to talk to some Airstream customizing shops and see if there’s a deal to be found. We’ll bring our video production skills to the table. 🙂
Indeed… one needs to remember its a CAMPING trailer and not a TajaMa Hall or “we got it all in” camper. Some have a problem knowing when home ends and the camper begins.
So next comes the improvements to the PU truck?
I notice that you still don’t have a camper cap to protect the stuff in the back from the elements… and help on the gas mileage when running down the road.
We just got a neat … wireless camera with sound… that someone is now going into production with for RV’s. i.e you can not only hear but see where the back of the trailer is going… and.. its IR so it almost sees in the dark… now one would think… that is great. but wait their is more… seems that you can have up to 5 others.. making it a total of 6 cameras that will be wireless , stick ’em up anywhere… and you can see the wheels /side of the trailer…. top view both forward and back… so you don’t hit them low hanging limbs… I guess… have one inside the trailer so you can see whats going on as you go down the road… and the trailer hitch area… now thats neat….
They also make a little sensor that is also wireless which goes on each of the trailer wheels…and PU… and alerts you to if you have a soft tire…
What a deal huh….
Ya we have a little duck pond engraved into our backsplash panel… that lights up in color… and gets rid of the dark areas under the cab by the sink… pretty neat.. but, you can have it done so I understand at any engraving shop.. they can even do the glass… so you don’t have to have stickers… on the trailer…
We had the rear window frosted so it lets light in but no view… the others we had re-done with a privacy glass also… after we found out where AS was getting their windows… shortly their after they started putting ’em in the new ones too…
The biggest problem that we had with the AS was the moisture… if you don’t vent the trailer.. it will sweat on the inside and run down to the attachment on the wooden floor… this then causes wood rot… as they did nothing in that area to keep it from happening… The second biggest area was the vents for the refrig , heater and water heater… where it seems the water heaters only last about 5 years and start seeping without you knowing it… and….
the back storage area… seems to get a lot of moisture when towing down the road in the rain/and/or again coming into the boundary area where the wood floor meets the trailer bonding. The enterance door floor gets a work out too when its raining… that we found after we had the hardwood floor put in… which was a mistake… again its a camper not a house… kinda thing.. you have to keep reminding your self about…
We never knew anything about the problem till one day we noticed the soft floor area… and investigated it…
Ya the trailer is 30 years old.. but then again… all of these problems start from day one…
Now if you really want to improve the systems.. get the 6 gal propane/elect water heater… when we are camping and plugged into shore power.. we never have the water heater come on using the propane… and the extra cost of the unit actually pays for itself in use… but, when both the electric and propane are working.. wow… almost contenious hot water for them long showers.. 🙂
Now if you really want to improve the system…. get rid of the univolt inverter and put in one of the sinewave inverter/charger/power units. Here we not only can charge the battery on shore power (now provides 70 amps of 12 volts) but it has a built in DE-SULFINATOR… as well as when your boondocking will provide 120v AC for the microwave, etc from the trailer batts. and…. ITS REAL QUIET unlike the univolt electron crusher…
While your at improving the onboard electrical.. might want to look into putting 3 -48 watt solar panels up their… we did ours so that the top one is flat and the two on the sides curve with the trailer… now when the sun is out… not only do we get 120 watts of power to recharge the batts but also it helps keep the trailer cooler in summer and warmer in winter…due to the exposure of the roof. Now the vent fans keep the insides at a constant vent by auto open and running off the solar cells… why you can go off and leave the trailer parked and it takes care of its self… no more mustyness etc…
and… of course you can put the trailer on a electrical useage diet… by going to the LED’s for lights… too…
Lot of things to invest in… all it takes is one of them green growing trees out back… I just got a new hybred ben franklin tree..that is supposed to grow them larger bills… The Jackson tree is getting old and delapatated and not producing as much anymore… 😀
Hmmm Ralph’s trailer appears to be a 31 footer…about in the 70’s era… but, it does look like it has some functions to it… like the fish pole hangars.. and eyebrow covers… just LOL about the stuff over the couch… but, I’ll bet that leather couch is much more comfot than the old AS stuff… just that you lose the storeage under it… and its so cold in the winter up by the window… poooo… 😀
Great article Sean. We are still learning things about our “new” Travelaire but Michele already has made a few “It would be better if ….. ” comments meaning I will be making some changes. As you know we are very much newbies at this and we are going slowly. I DID however discover that it is a HUGE improvement to have the proper adapter when try to insert the tank draining hose into into the drainage system at our RV site. “Squishing” the hose and putting a brick on top to keep it down was my original solution until my neighbour came over and showed me the error of my ways. RVers are so helpful!! Anyway, we love the improvement to your bathroom. It certainly has Michele …. er I mean us thinking 🙂
GMAs, you offer several great ideas…
With regard to moisture inside the Airstream, that’s something I’m particularly concerned about. Ours is stored outside, and late this summer it endured a Biblical amount of rainfall. We’ve had a few issues with leaks, and even when we don’t have leaks we have extreme humidity. The interior gets quite musty and I’m afraid the excessive moisture invites mold and other undesirable deevelopments. At the very least I’d like to find a good dehumidifier. (You don’t have this problem in California!)
I like the wireless camera idea too. It would be really nice to have something that simplifies the hitching process. Hmmm, maybe we will mount a cam above the hitch ball and see how that works.
With regard to our interior, I’d like to jazz it up without spending a fortune. Those items I mentioned — mainly wallpaper & flooring — would make a big difference. And what the heck, maybe we’ll do the kitchen faucet too. 😀
Restless, over time you will find a lot of functional improvements are possible. I guess the obvious suggestion is to start with the functional stuff first — the items that make camping more enjoyable and comfortable. There’s an old saying that “form follows function,” and it applies here! In the case of our faucet, we were able to improve form and function, so that was ideal.
Hmmm, with regard to the pesky sewer hose… Truthfully, each visit to the dump station is a bit of an adventure. You never know what you’re going to encounter. It makes sense to think about every aspect of that process, so as to minimize its impact on your travels. We have a storage bin for the hose beneath the trailer — that’s a good thing. and I have the longest hose available that’ll fit in the bin. Finally, the hose itself is one of the more durable type, and it’s got a little reinforcement tape around the end to secure the adapter to the hose.
Next year I plan to work on some videos detailing these processes.
As “newbs” to all this RV-ing stuff we have to say that the most problematic process we have had to learn, other than actual towing, is the sewage, dump station, connection stuff. We seem to have come to terms with it but some articles such as the type you are considering would certainly have helped.
We need to pull together a big “Dump Station Spectacular!” episode… or something along those lines. 😉
We actually shot video of our first experience at a dump station. I’ve got the footage in my library somewhere. I had no clue what I was doing. Naturally, there were three or four people standing around watching me. It always works out that way! I recall being generally fearful of the whole process.
Over the years, I’ve had a few unpleasant experiences. Each is seared into my memory – LOL But in pretty much every case, the problem was caused by ME getting in a hurry and making a mistake. If you go deliberately and take your time, you will avoid 99% of problems. If you get in a hurry, you better pack a changes of clothes. 😉
Hi, looked like your orginal tap had a tap aerator in (the flow was white – is full of air bubbles), but your replacement possibly didn’t.
Aerators replace water flow with air – so you use less water but get a better spray of water; also means you use less hot water, so save (heating) energy too. Aerators can be used in taps (depends on the diffuser fitting at the outlet) and shower heads. Sensible modifications whether for house or mobile.
Check: http://alchallis.com/products/water/UniversalTapAerator.php; and http://alchallis.com/products/water/AgAnitBacterialShowerhead.php.
Thanks Don, I will check out those aerators. I agree — anything that helps save water is wise, especially when camping! Cheers…