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Tips on how to update an RV
You are here: Home / Camper remodel / 5 Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy

April 9, 2020 By Conny Karavolias 18 Comments

5 Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy

Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy if you have no time and money.

We bought this old and tired looking camper because it ‘spoke’ to me and was waiting for me to make it pretty. I heard him say “buy me and take me home” and this is what we did.

The next day I started making color schemes, searching for ideas, and hunting for material I could use for the remodel.

If you start deciding on a light color scheme, getting all the material and then staying focused on the job, you can do this remodel within a week. There is no need to overthink it, painting is easy and done pretty fast.

Unfortunately I had absolutely no idea how to update a travel trailer/RV but this didn’t hold me back.

Within a week and a very tight budget our little camper came back to life.

This is how he looks after the remodel:

Camper remodel
Nice and bright colors

Get ready for summer and go on fantastic adventures

Now is the best time to buy a used Camper or RV, especially if you are planning some road trips and you just want to drive along and feel the freedom.

So read on how to update an older travel trailer easy and of course without going overboard on spending.

5 Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy

If you are thinking about buying a used camper or you have one sitting in your driveway but it definitely needs an update, here are my 5 Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on the remodeling either. So go for it – you have nothing to loose.

All campers we looked at during our search were brown or beige on the inside. Not very appealing to me.

We looked at really bad ones and some looked sort of o.k. At the end of our search we decided to buy a 10 year old “FunFinder”, 18 ft. long, in decent shape with no leaks.

Here is a before picture of the inside:

how to remodel a camper easy and cheap
how to remodel a camper easy and cheap


Easy steps how to update your Travel Trailer/RV on a budget

How to start updating your RV/Camper easy and cheap:

  1. First, we removed all the ugly brown valances and just left the blinds on the windows.
  2. Then I decided on a maximum of two main colors. White, light grey, light blue is always a good option to start with.  I picked a light blue paint for the walls. Check out how to decide on a color scheme here.
  3. After this, I painted our cabinets with milk paint. No need to sand them down which will make your life so much easier. Here is a fast read on how to paint cabinets and walls.  Camper Remodel How to paint camper walls and cabinets
color scheme example
Camper kitchen cabinets painted
how to remodel a camper easy and cheap
Kitchen cabinets before the remodel.
  1. I added some glam with teal backsplash tiles in the kitchen area. It took me almost a whole day, because I tiled it without grouting and it was a little tricky, but so worth it. It is easier and much faster if you buy self-adhesive tiles, just stick them on the walls, line them up, and done. That’s what I did in the bathroom. You can add color and a pattern and it is an easy Camper remodel tip.
  2. First I thought I would keep the floor, but the brown beige color sucked all the light in and didn’t look good with all the other colors. So I added a new light grey vinyl floor. I glued the new self-adhesive vinyl tiles on top of the old linoleum.  It looks great. It took me (with the help of my husband) about 5 hours to get it done because some of the tiles had to be cut to fit. How to lay new floor in your Camper
white floor tiles - easy RV remodel ideas
  1. Of course the couch was brown/beige also. First I cleaned it with a carpet foam and brushed the stains off. There are ready made covers to buy at Amazon, but I covered the jack-knife-sofa with a white/grey sheet. Added some velcro strips at the back of the sofa so it stays in place.
  2. I added some splashes of color with a tiny rug, pillows, sheets and a curtain. Most of the items I didn’t had to buy. Treasure hunt in your own home or check out Thrift Stores.
textiles add color to a dated look - Update your RV easy
how to remodel a camper easy and cheap
Couch before the makeover
pictures of a beautifully renovated Camper.

Here is the deal starting a Camper remodel:

Painting the cabinets took the longest because you have to paint and let dry and paint again. But with my method of painting, you skip the sanding and the priming step, which helps immensely on cutting time.Camper Remodel How to paint camper walls and cabinets

cabinets after painting make such a difference - easy RV update

And it can go fast if you stay on the job and work consistently. It is so much fun to watch the transformation from ugly to beautiful.

If you have decided to glam up your camper, check out all the resources and links I have collected in this Ebook:

If you want to make your brown/beige Camper prettier, but you don’t know how, here are all my resources for you. And trust me, you can definitely do this too.

Just follow all of my steps I am describing in the Ebook and you are going to love your Camper.

Update your camper with light and bright colors

Get everything you need to know about updating an RV in this Ebook. All my tips and links are combined and makes it easy to follow.

After pictures of the Camper remodel below:

Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy

.

kitchen cabinets remodel - stunning backsplash for easy RV remodel
Camper remodel - easy update ideas

New vinyl tiles in white. It makes everything look so much bigger and brighter. Underneath you can see small parts of the old floor. Install them in a pattern, start with a full length plank and the next row with a half length plank and so on.  The tiles are still holding up great. 

how to remodel a camper easy and cheap - floor makes everything brighter.
how to remodel a camper easy and cheap
New curtain, love mirror and cushions make this remodeled Camper a happy place.

Do you need help remodeling your camper? It is so much better if you have help and advice on the way.

In the meantime, I remodeled my camper the second time.

Follow along with me in my Camper makeover and see how to paint walls, cabinets, floors, add peel and stick wallpaper and so much more:

Updated Camper in black and white theme

How long did the Camper remodel take?

It took me about 1 week to get it done. I worked in between 2-4 hours every day on it.

It wasn’t a hard job to do. If you can park the camper right next to your home and you are able to work on it consistently, it can be done within a week.

Of course this camper did not had any leaks or major renovation issues. The only thing I had to do was making the inside prettier. But it is so much fun to watch it looking better every day, the more brown and beige disappeared the happier it looked. Also it looks so much bigger now which doesn’t hurt at all.

So far we did four trips with our little camper and a cross country adventure trip. It was a lot of fun.

Is a 18 ft. Camper good for long time trips?

There is not a lot of space, especially for cooking or washing dishes, but you get used to it.

The camper works for two people and a dog, because we are mainly outside anyhow. It can get cramped when everybody is inside though. Especially our dog uses a lot of space.

We drove across country and lived in it for 4 weeks. It was manageable if you don’t pack a lot of stuff, stay organized and use the outdoor as a living space also.

Can I bring my pets with me in the Camper?

Your pets can travel with you

The best thing about traveling with a camper is that you can bring your pets with you. No need booking a doggy camp or going into a highly priced pet hotel.

But of course you need a spot for the pets. We bring our dogs’ bed with us into the camper so she has something familiar and feels good in the new environment.

Because our camper is very small and our dog uses a lot of space it can get pretty tight inside. But normally we are outside anyways, so it doesn’t really bother us that much.

So now I am just happy to have my little fur baby with me whenever we decide to take a road trip or go on a weekend getaway.

More information about what to bring with you to make your dog comfortable is right here

Where can you buy the material you need for the Camper remodel?

And because I get asked so often where I bought the material I used for the remodel, here are some links.

Where can you buy the material I used:

You can actually order everything you need to start your updating.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. 

For painting the cabinets and the doors I used Milk Paint in Seagull Grey. No sanding or priming required, just two coats of paint, let it dry and then apply 3 coats of Top Coat which goes pretty fast. Read the full tutorial about how to paint the cabinets and doors right here:

How to paint camper walls and cabinets

You can use the same paint for your kitchen cabinets. This is actually where I started using Milk Paint, it works so good. Here is my kitchen if you want to see the makeover:  Paint your kitchen cabinets without sanding and priming DIY

The links for the Milk Paint as well as the Top Coat you need to apply after painting are right here. Of course there are other color options available too:

Looking for a pretty backsplash?

And here are some floor examples:

If you are looking for more tips and much more details about how to update the interior of your Camper, get the Ebook with all the information you need to know.

E-Book Cover
Everything you need to know is combined in this Ebook.

Summary of ‘Best tips how to update your Travel Trailer/RV easy’

Don’t wait to start with the remodeling of your dated Camper. It is so worth it. Get rid of that dated and dark look and just make it pretty. You are going to love it.

If you are thinking that you can’t really afford a remodel, start with painting the walls. It makes such a difference if you have fresh and bright walls. A gallon of paint doesn’t cost a lot and won’t take a lot of time either.

Just work step after step. After painting the walls consider painting the doors and cabinets or just exchange the light bulbs to LED bulbs. What a difference.

Add an accent wall with peel and stick wallpaper for more atmosphere. There are so many options you can get pretty reasonable.

I hope you get started tomorrow making a glamper out of your camper.

Conny xoxo

Do you want to remember ‘Best tips how to update your Travel Trailer/RV easy’? Just pin it to your favorite Pinterest board.

Best tips how to remodel your Travel Trailer/RV easy
remodel a camper
Kitchen updated in Camper

Filed Under: Camper remodel

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    January 10, 2021 at 11:43 pm

    Thank you for all of this great information and helpful tips! Your camper looks lovely 🙂 Quick question: what did you do to update the counter top? I can’t quite tell from the before and after pictures… did you just paint it as well? Or did you replace the counter entirely?

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      January 11, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      Hi Nicole, thank you. I painted the countertop with the same paint as the cabinets (Milk Paint). I added 3 coats of top coat from General Finishes. It has been a couple of years since I did this and I had no issues at all with chipping.
      Hope this helps. Links are in the article if you need them.

      Reply
  2. Rose says

    October 2, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    Hi your remodel looks Great!! We just got a 1965 camper & will be gutting & painting it. What do I use to paint a stove, fridge & table? Any suggestions would be very helpful and appreciated.
    Thank you!
    Rose

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      October 3, 2020 at 10:49 am

      Hi Rose, thank you. I would use Appliance spray by Rust-oleum. Works really well. Just be careful with the paint running when you spray a fridge. If you have to do larger sections, get the roll-on paint for Appliances. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  3. Sari Goldman says

    August 27, 2020 at 9:35 am

    Love what you did. We have a carpeted ceiling…any ideas how to make it look fresh and new? It is old and showing the glue bleeding through. It is not water damage. I would appreciate any help.
    Thank you
    Sari

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      August 27, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Hi Sari, thank you.
      Well, there are a couple of options. Either you remove the carpet and hopefully, you will get the glue off the ceiling or use white paint and paint over it. Maybe get a small can of spray paint first and see how it looks. There is also textile paint available, but much more expensive. Chalk paint could be another option to use. You probably have to go over the glue bleeding a couple of times to get it all covered. But as I said, removing is the cleanest version. Hope this helped. See you, Conny

      Reply
  4. Ae says

    July 26, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    Do you have an itemized list for materials costs?

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      July 28, 2020 at 11:11 am

      Hi Alexa, sorry I don’t.

      Reply
  5. Tawna says

    April 14, 2020 at 12:49 am

    As a full-time RVer I hear of people doing remodels like this! The breakdown and pictures really help me visualize what it is like to get an RV back in shape. I have also wondered how much it impacts the value – either positive or negative – when you get ready for sale. Do you have any stats on that?

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      April 14, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      Hi Tawna, yes often it is hard to visualize how it will look afterwards. I have no stats on resale, but it all depends whom you are selling it to, how they appreciate an update. If you do a good job, the resale goes up.
      Thank you for your comment.

      Reply
  6. Lorraine says

    April 13, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    What a great trailer, it’s amazing what a little paint and a new floor will do to transform the look of a trailer. It looks so fresh and bright! Great job, pinned it!

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      April 14, 2020 at 6:15 pm

      Thank you Lorraine, yes paint helps a lot if you want to update a Camper or a room.

      Reply
  7. Jen Towkaniuk says

    April 13, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    Oh my goodness! What a difference! I love how the flooring made it look bigger and those blue tiles behind the stove!!! Gorgeous. Silly question. Where did you get that cutting board with the owl on it? It ‘s adorable.

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      April 13, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      Hi Jen, thank you so much – glad you like my remodel ideas. I don’t remember where I got the cutting board, Target maybe??

      Reply
  8. Kathy says

    April 13, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    These are all great ideas!
    I have a travel trailer and sometimes just a few small changes can make a world of difference. My camper is wood tone however I like it that way but it needed some color so I added pictures and accessories to make it brighter. All these ideas are good and I always wondered what kind of paint to use if I ever wanted to paint the camper.

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      April 13, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Kathy, yes sometimes cool updates can be done with pillows, wall art or some colorful accessories. Our camper was just very dated and dark, so it needed a lot of attention. But painting is actually very easy. Thank you.

      Reply
  9. Kimberly Anne De Jong says

    April 10, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    These are beautiful ideas. Thank you so much. I hope to be buying a used RV soon and honestly never thought of going so bright and pretty.

    Reply
    • Conny Karavolias says

      April 10, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      Thank you Kimberly, glad you like the color choices. It is so important to light the Camper up and make it pretty to feel good.

      Reply

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