I stained my cedar ceiling and I think I hate it // school bus conversion part 56

This week I finally got back to my ceiling and stained the cedar. I can't decide if I absolutely hate it or if it's pretty okay.
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[@patriciaharkin1571]

Great job Emma. If the ceiling above the bed really bothers you, you could always add fairy lights to it and the light and shadow effect will hide any imperfections. 😊😊

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

ooh good idea!

[@tedpreston4155]

I was astounded when you started singing "A Whale of a Tale". I know that song from my childhood, and I haven't heard it for almost fifty years, except when I sing it to myself. Thanks for the memory! 🙂

[@jb158t]

Looking amazing! I was waiting for the sneeze attack in all that dust!

[@76Scutter]

I love how in almost every video atleast once you say "should I do this instead?.....NAH screw it it'll be fine"🤣🤣🤣 I'm the same way alot of times

[@cathyisaac7041]

I like it. It had a pink look on the video before the poly. It’s great now though. Keep up the good work!!!

[@neilchilds7555]

The bus is coming along nicely

[@matthewlunnon4456]

After filling, I wipe over the area with a small wet sponge to avoid the need for sanding.

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

oh dang that is a good idea

[@iamhe999]

You are a delight to watch as you figure things out in conversation with your self. my wife and i will soon start our Schoolie project... One day you will have your own home. make sure it has a place for your schoolie..... You will find it a vey happy vacation visiting places and attending music/dance/camping festivals and going on trips..

[@76Scutter]

Love your facial expression when you noticed the sawdust on your forehead🙂🙂

[@yveserichot2304]

I just found & watched some of your videos. You’re an inspiration for anyone who has the willingness to fulfill their dream. It was nice to see you ready to learn, smile from your mistakes & move on to the end. Keep your positive attitude, thoughts & happiness. Proud of you!!!😊

[@jayu724]

Emma you're doing a fine job!..I agree with your choice of tinting..(hard to tell from the screen).. All your work is paying off! Need more singing! You're "Audrey Hepburn" In a bus!....Amazing!🙂👍

[@skytechbits]

Nice gifts 🎁 so maybe a closeup of the tube from Lithuania. Wow, you worked hard on that ceiling. Great job. I hope you like it.

[@mrmotofy]

Off road survival tips If you're goin offroad in remote conditions...ya wanna prepare, your life may depend on it. First off, make sure you have a good map, compass and directions of the area. Make sure you have adequate food and water for extended periods and water purification abilities. A very recent story happened to Ron & Beverly Barker in Nevada April 2022. Driving an RV in rural mountainous roads and got stuck out of phone service. They unhooked the car to drive to safety, then got that stuck. Being elderly they couldn't walk to safety and sat in the car for about 9 days. Ran out of gas, had no water/food she had to use a walker and a mask to gather and melt snow to survive. Ron couldn't walk after a few days and died of dehydration in his wifes arms only 1/2mi or so from their RV. She sat there for 26hrs waiting for rescuers who finally arrived after a search. Make sure your vehicle has good frame mounted tow points. Get something like a 12k Badlands Winch either installed or portable mount on your vehicle by a hitch mount etc. Have an air compressor that's at least $100+, so it doesn't take 3 days to fill a tire. Carry a Jerry can of fuel, a little $20 fuel pump and hoses with power wire with clamps, long enough to reach your battery allowing transfering fuel. Have some basic recovery gear, traction boards, 30' strap/tow rope, (4-5) 3/4" shackles, soft shackles, (2) 8' tree saver straps, a 50-100' steel cable with a snatchblock, even a cumalong may come in handy and watch some vids on using them, practice with them. Watch vids on burying a log or tire to use as a land anchor if there's no trees. Always have plenty of food/water and fire making tools in case. Have a couple of water filtering straws and purification tablets. Make sure to have a short handled shovel. And a set of 100% Copper wire jumper cables. NOT CCA(Copper Clad Aluminum) Luckily these days we have technology to aid us. So use it to our advantage. The electric scooters these days have miles of range and may get you down a road faster and easier to safety. They also make a great option for travel while in a city. Giving you miles of range for activity or small errands. They're also very compact taking little space. If you have a diesel in your vehicle think and plan for cold weather hard starts in the middle of no where. Most of these diesels have or can have a Block Heater installed. They draw about 1000w and can greatly increase the likelihood of your engine starting in the cold. Plug it in for 3-4hrs before starting and it will help a lot. The problem comes from being able to supply that much power if you're off grid. I always recommend a generator backup. Many can run on Propane which won't go bad from storage. Diesel Generators like Onan are also a good option, common on motor homes. Otherwise kits available to convert almost any gas generator over. Gas these days doesn't store well and goes bad drying in the carburetor leaving powdery deposits which may prevent it from starting when you most need it. At a minimum turn the fuel supply off and let it run out of fuel, use a gas stabilizer. Another good option is wire in a battery maintainer. Then plug it in for a few hours so your batteries are nice and topped off when you try to start. Having your batteries at full charge greatly helps turn a cold engine over. They only cost around $25 and are usually automatic. So when batteries reach full charge it will shut off. It's a very off grid friendly option. A 1.5A auto maintainer will draw around 30 Watts while charging so very minimal draw even on a small battery/solar system and a minimal investment. The cold drops the battery voltage as the temps drop. So keeping them on a battery maintainer keeps the voltage topped and your best chance of starting a cold diesel engine with minimal required. There's also Personal Locator Devices for fairly cheap these days, some even have messaging capability. Use an Android App like GPS Status or similar that can get your Exact coordinates without phone service. Do a Screenshot of the areal view of the area so you have some idea of direction. Toss a compass in the glovebox. Get a Phone Booster like WeBoost and install it properly. If you're gonna be in a state for a while look up and join a FB group called 4x4 Rescue (state name). They are a group o f mostly experienced offroad volunteers that help rescue people either off road or on the road with basic break downs. The groups are only for rescues though not general chat. You can also join the car and truck groups for the state or area you're in. Ask around for reputable service locations etc. When you're miles out in the middle of nowhere with questionable communications. YOU are responsible for yourself and can't rely on someone coming along to give you a jump start. Or waiting for your engine to magically start. Plan backups for your backups, 2 is 1 and 1 is none. People have died agonizing deaths being trapped out in the middle of nowhere after a break down etc. I've seen multiple vids of Digital Nomads stranded out in the middle of nowhere in snow and cold when their diesel wouldn't start. The life you save may be your own. Or hopefully everything will be just fine and you may run across someone else needing help. I was recently on a long roadtrip. 1 point I was in a fairly remote National Park. Nobody but me and them out there. I was leaving the following morning. A family in a full size bus got stuck in some mud. I was prepared for myself, so grabbed a strap and yanked em out saving them a $4-500 Tow bill.

[@justplaintommy63]

Nice. It's not easy picking a wood tone unless you have a really large, finished example for comparison. I feel like you did okay 👍

[@iamhe999]

next time consider a lacquer finish, a tung oil finish or a Mimwax stain/polyurathane finish.... use a roller on a broom stick to apply.. one coat. One more thing, you could always leave it alone, it will change its look at it ages naturally...

[@diegomartin3272]

I love your videos! You are incredibly skilled and you are doing great. Keep going, it's looking wonderful!! 🤩

[@darkfactory8082]

OK, Emma, here's the deal: I'm absolutely love your experience in building stuff, which is a big boost in life, but sometimes some things you start with are not really adequate.. Well, this is pointing towards your arched supports for the ceiling. Those were flimsy and the next step got harder for you. (the tongue and grooves) If the supports were a bit more "meaty", it would be easier and stronger to hold screws and nails plus those would be sturdier... =) It's not a critique, it's a cheer for you in the future! Remember, the better you do the first step, the easier will be the second and every other down the line. Ya, the stain is a bit tricky as it rarely gives you the exact tone you're looking for. The tip I can give you is to stain always in enough daylight and to try a bigger test area (not just 1 board) and use some scrap cutoffs. After dry, bring it to the spot of yout main work and check the result, compare and adjust accordingly. I think a little more reddish should be nicer, although is not bad at all. Are you varnishing it on top? If you do, it will change a bit again. My opinion: Emma, you're great, fearless and still a hard blast to me. =D Keep on, you're getting closer.

[@charlesbrunner258]

Your outlook on things are GREAT keep up the great work

[@florathebus5873]

You did great! If it still feels dark, and you don’t like it, you could hit it with some white wood oil. Weatherwash makes a white oil that will just lighten it up a touch. I love the way everything is coming together :)

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

oh that's good to know! thank you!!

[@stevengregory8686]

Emma, you should Paton the stain for your ceiling on your bus. Looks good to me!!

[@500mos]

20.000 leagues under the sea. kirk douglas sang that song. Your doing a great job and you look stunning. Keep up the good work.

[@jasonjones5213]

The bus really is looking amazing.Even if you don't think so, I think you've got a talent for this sort of thing.I like the color.

[@warrendelay]

Looks GREAT!!!! You're super enjoyable to watch with a perfect combination of humor, determination and talented capability. Thank you!!

[@D_R_Martin]

You are doing a great job. The good thing is that it will fade a bit over time anyway, so you can always try another shade later. Enjoy the ride.

[@daviddefrees9883]

You need a portable heater as it will always come in handy for you. It will also help do dry all you stain and paint.

[@francoisg1393]

In the bus builds, I've always preferred the ceilings to be more on the pale side, it just makes it look more spacious, which is nice in a limited space like a bus. And staining wood just seems like a lot of work. My back hurt just watching you do it! If you're not sure you like it, just keep it mind that you're probably over analyzing it because you're in the thick of it. When there are walls, and decorations and everything, the little imperfections might end up your favourite parts of the build, it will be the texture of it all. And you'll have stories to tell(for those foolish enough not to follow your channel!!).

[@JayCollins2013]

Your doing fine I like watching you work

[@erikgeorge3770]

it will grow on you. I have found that I generally don’t like any stain, so I usually just polyurethane the wood to keep most of the natural color. keep up the good work ❤️❤️

[@charlessmittenaar2317]

If you decide you really don't like it, re-do it with Mineral Oil. (basically, the same thing that is used on cutting boards.) The mineral oil will not darken the wood only highlight the grain. Otherwise, you are doing a great job.

[@scotegertson2300]

More singing, please. You have a beautiful voice! Love watching your videos, you have such a good attitude about doing difficult things. Keep up the good work.

[@nealmurphy647]

It does look great on camera! It looks very warm and cozy.

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

thank you! 😊

[@JB-dz1zc]

Enjoy the ride! You getting something put on the bus? It's all looking great Emma! 🚃👍🚃👍🚃👍🚃👍🚃👍

[@carls4552]

You're going to have to let us know why you lived in Lithuania now and how you ended up in Utah. The ceiling looks fine on camera. If you really hate it, you can always paint it. Thanks for sharing with us Emma. Loved it.

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

i'm from Utah! Went to Lithuania for grad school 😊

[@carls4552]

@@EmmaBuildsBirbie You're such an interesting person Emma. Thanks.

[@normanleitholf6750]

Hang in there Emma, It looks great!

[@marthajameson1319]

The color is very pretty! I’m sure it will grow on you.

[@exploringwithjeremy7794]

It’s coming along Emma! Awesome work!

[@norm5785]

You have completed a lot, thank you for sharing this with us today from Henrico County Virginia

[@daracus1202]

You can slightly tint the clear poly, then it would have been easier and quicker. Most of the manufactures do this to their varnished wood, then it's sprayed on, you can try this on your next bus.

[@briandavis9975]

Emma it looks beautiful I really mean it well done girl, well done. Look at how far you've come I'm so proud of you, I never doubted you for a minute and your talking to us through it was hilarious your videos are so cute. Thanks for including us in your vision it's been a blast.

[@silence692]

Wonderful job looks great

[@paulcoulsonpauline.gcoulso7953]

One thing to remember you are looking at it in a raw state and it always looks too much, but after you add more colour's to it like curtains wall colour's plus floor colour it will tone it down and you may surprize your self.

[@Snipedog1978]

Your welcome for the saw horses, glad they been able to help you. Just couldn’t watch anymore as you were cutting your plywood on the ground anymore. They should also come in handy when u finally get on the road

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

They've come in handy so many times already!

[@Snipedog1978]

I am so glad just Please try and not cut your wood on the ground, lol😃😜

[@SuperJerbot]

It's gorgeous!

[@thefilersjourney]

From what I can see of the color, I like it. Wait until you put a finish on it, I think you'll be happy with the final product.

[@TheKingrat50]

The ceiling looks Great, your hard work paid off. Hope you enjoyed your trip.

[@ribbleslipscomb5171]

Hey Emma, and KZbin crew. I love hazelnut stain, too, but it is dark. The mix seems to be a good compromise. I like it and I hope you learn to love it, too. Have fun.

[@jerrybrashear5562]

Another amazing job and another amazing video...keep up the great work! Have a super great terrific day!🙂

[@TroyGabe]

I think it came out looking great. Great Job with mitologie and the roof looks real nice.

[@taco-lover]

I wished I was there to help you on your bus build!

[@MelissaMalzahn]

I think your ceiling looks good. It's hard to find a good color. Great jobs.

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

thank you!

[@rkh9000]

Hearing you singing 'whale of a Tale' makes me feel slightly less strange since I find myself humming that song very often while working All because of a 50's movie I happen to like...

[@kennethtomlinson9617]

Good job ma'am....best of luck

[@debijeffries43]

I love the color of the ceiling. It looks very rich and homey. I hope you learn to love it also 😍

[@JayCollins2013]

I love the stain color

[@hayneshvac2]

In the future, If you wish to maintain the original wood color, maybe consider a clear coat with no stain...

[@Christina0623]

I'm a pretty new sub and really enjoying your channel I've thought a couple times, boy she needs a saw horse 🙂 that was very cool that someone thought so as well. Good luck with the build. I'll be watching! 💙🚐

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

thanks so much!

[@realMDizzy]

Looked much better after it dried out a little!

[@andrewrogers5289]

Looks excellent. Well done

[@susanmuriellittle]

You done a good job love the colour

[@zaftra]

pant/ stain over lap will bug you forever, it did me when i was painting

[@jereschweitzer9195]

I like your ceiling came out awesome

[@MKDSime]

shiny shiny pretty pretty :) It really suits this finish with the tone of the lights. 👏

[@tomellyturelly7267]

Hahahaha....... You are a trip! I think it looks quite well. ♥️It!!

[@dallasczechgal5332]

I LOVE THE CIELING!!!!!! REALLY :)

[@goodandgreen]

that ceiling is going to look so good with white bead board walls!! just wait!

[@janlint7434]

I like it! Good 👍 job Emma!

[@dawnteaches]

It looks great!

[@chadmutchler5062]

Awesome Emma!!

[@ronaldseitz3677]

Emma,you are doing a great 👍 job on your bus.the ceiling looks very nice.what is your plan around that awesome sky light

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

not sure yet!

[@r8edrv4fun65]

Fine-sanding the darker spots will remove some of the color because the rough appears darker, more surfaces with stain.

[@stevenmoomaw6173]

Nice work

[@sethpeters3]

Looks good. You can always paint the inside.😘💞💕🍺

[@jeffreythomas9106]

Looks really nice. You are doing a great job with your bus. Keep up the good work 😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@rlmast]

just put glowie stars everywhere and it will look amazing!

[@keithburkett9448]

Great Video Emma 👍👍

[@JustAskingAndCurios]

Looks great! COming along!

[@williamcabana5326]

Looking good!! 👍😃

[@remoil983]

Thank you for your videos

[@joeyyoung1279]

Bustastic 🚐🤣🚍

[@davidm6553]

Lookin good!

[@Howdy529]

I think your ceiling stain looks great.

[@-...Patricia...-]

Oooh I LOVE IT!

[@BlueYiperoo]

Use a mask when sanding to prevent breathing in fine sawdust particles. 😊 Use a clear stain, ummm no color at all!

[@nisar6339]

Ahhhh, don’t sand without a mask! 😳 It looks great with the poly coat on!

[@MrStingraybernard]

Bear makes colored stain ,bunch of colors /shades

[@clintkay5860]

Could paint the hole thing off White, it Will make the bus feel bigger in a lighter Color. But it looks good all the same.

[@haileypease3584]

lol at the person who sent you a saw horse, you could probably use that as a foldable outdoor table! also: you lived in lithuania?? sorry but i'm going to need a story time

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

went there for free grad school 😂

[@terryflint7557]

Are you doing this all on your own or are you being coached by someone? Either way I am very much impressed. I've only just started watching and I'm glad to subscribe. You go girl.😃

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

thank you! I've got people to call when i need to :)

[@AB-C1]

Hey Emma, Good job very funny video (but where is your MASK!?) You WILL regret breathing in that dust and chemicals it's REALLY not good! Always wear a mask! I know people who have been REALLY messed up from wood dust and breathing in fumes and also sanding chemicals like stain etc.. Great job on the wood though! One thought I had, IF you don't like it just SAND the WHOLE CEILING and then apply a clear varnish or clear stain?? START again in other words it'll take am extra day but be so worth it so you like it! It will also give you the option of painting it instead if you decide against natural wood finish.. You'll also then have a uniform surface to apply the finish to so it'll be even all over.. just an idea!? Before you get all your stuff in and then can't redo it!! (But wear a mask PLEASE!) GREAT progress! And Great video Emma! Love your energy and ingenuity!! Cheers from London England 👍😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

lol absolutely not, learning to like it will be way less work than sanding the whole ceiling haha

[@sonjadlong7554]

The stain color is almost like inside a cedar chest. I was not a fan until the gloomy day. It's very cozy. Enjoy

[@stevegillingham4781]

Awesome ✌

[@neilchilds7555]

You look so cute in your beanie you are cute but with the beanie

[@waynejones9726]

that 20,000 leagues...

[@mikehollydennis1879]

Maybe paint the roof?

[@tomnellis]

Don't overthink the color, it looks great on vide anyways. Ur doing an amazing job, what are you thinking about a/c? I'd like to know what ur thinking for that...

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

I'm thinking either a little window unit or nothing 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@tomnellis]

@@EmmaBuildsBirbie yeah the simpler the better right? I might do the same in my bus

[@jemma_19988]

I f you do not like it leave it for a while and see if it grows on you I have done a lot of work over the years where I initially did not like the end finish but grew to love it over time

[@beachlife9419]

Cool 😎

[@Plamukaroy]

haha, you're just a woodworm,,with all that wood dust,,you’re a cute one 😂

[@remoil983]

Stain is tricky because there are like 4000 varieties

[@no_worries_van]

Paint it white 😁

[@jamescoffman8096]

Consider the spots "birthmarks"