This morning I made it over to Sundeleaf Painting in Milwaukie to pick up my cabinets. They look and feel awesome! The plywood edge layers are still visible for that authentic, hand-made retro aesthetic.

Master Craftsman Eric White says the process involves an undercoat, followed by two coats of “conversion varnish.” This is a special paint mixed on-site that includes the pigment, the varnish and a catalyst. This job took about 22 hours of labor and cost $900.

We left two top surfaces unfinished, so that my retro laminate will adhere to the raw maple plywood. The main piece is the countertop, of course. The piece you can see with the rounded corners is the bottom of the dinette table. (Yep, the bottoms and backs are all finished for weather-proofing goodness.) It will also get some chrome edging once I router the slot and apply the laminate. I also have some rounded chrome corners made by Fender, to attach to the sharp corners on the berth bases. Those will prevent any bloody shins.

I can’t reassemble the woodwork just yet. I need to finish the wiring, the insulation and the galley plumbing first. So I might just keep the cabinets in my SUV for safe-keeping.

When I arrived home, the RETROpad’s front gate had magically appeared. I just need to ramp some crushed granite gravel up against the entrance now. And as you can see, the slab is still not cured enough to park on.

Not taking any chances… Patience…