To paint, or not to paint the interior: that was the next question at hand: … Overall, the inside construction of the Scamp was in decent condition. The dingy white walls and ceiling were covered in a gray film of tacky grime and years of water stains. Interestingly, sometime after 1984, the Scamp Company decided to change the interior by adding “carpet” all over the walls and ceiling during the builds to help with regulating indoor temperature and sound. Our walls were “rug free”. Fortunately, the tall fiberglass storage cabinet was in great shape so cleaning was all that cabinet required. The sink cabinets and cabinet doors, on the other hand, were rough and needed extra attention. I researched various philosophies regarding painting, or leaving as is, and a decision was needed soon.
If you closed your eyes and ran your hand over the walls and ceiling of our Scamp you could imagine that the texture was similar to the feeling of sticky elephant skin - rough with wrinkled ridges. I attempted a thorough cleaning of this surface to lighten the drabbiness. After what I deemed a considerable amount of scrubbing effort the decision was made to paint the walls and ceiling a lovely fresh shade of white. The surfaces required several coats of Biz Primer followed by about 2 gallons of paint to achieve the coverage and look I was after. The walls and ceiling look fabulous. What a difference!
Choosing a color for the upper and lower kitchen cabinets was a challenge. In retrospect I might have thought more about painting them white to remain with the historical color of the original Scamp. At that time, we both preferred dark blue, a non-traditional choice. After sanding, applying five layers of paint, and topping with three coats of polyurethane I was at the point of no return. They are now and forever: BLUE!
To complete our cabinets, the compressed board doors needed refinishing. They were covered with outdated peeling wood panel laminate. After gluing, sanding, priming, and many cans of gray spray paint, the doors have a fresh new life. With the addition of lovely ceramic knobs, the interior was starting to resemble the cozy image I had imagined for the Scamp!
Coddiwompling “To Travel in a Purposeful Manner Towards a Vague Destination”
“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.” -CLAUDE MONET