12 DIY Camper Remodel Ideas to Revive Your RV

Looking to give your worn out RV a new look? RVer Jalin Coblentz dives into DIY projects anyone can accomplish on their RV to create a cozy, eye-popping space.

remodeled rv interior

Owning an RV allows you to see the world in style while traveling with all the comforts of home. As with any home, however, you may get tired of your RV interior and want to change things up to breathe new life into your home on wheels.

Whether you want to delve into a full-scale RV renovation or simply perform one or two updates, there are tons of great DIY remodel ideas. This article will show you some of the top RV reno options and inspire you to make some much-needed changes!

Apply Stick Subway Tile

Photo Credit: Jalin Coblentz

One of the fastest and easiest upgrades you can make to your RV is to revamp the backsplash in your kitchen. The best way to do this is with some nifty stick subway tile. This is one of the first upgrades we made during our RV remodel project, as it’s the fastest and easiest DIY project you can do.

Stick subway tile is affordable and easy to use, and even a small amount can dramatically change the aesthetics of your camper. It’s a type of wallpaper where you simply peel the back of the tile off and stick it to your backsplash, similar to a massive sticker.

Sheet Peel and Stick Subway Tile
  • Super Strong Adhesion – 3X stronger backing glue
  • More Coverage Each pack includes 10 large sheets (12.6” x 10.6”), covering 40% more area than standard 10”x10” tiles.
  • Waterproof & Heat-Resistant – Perfect for RV kitchens, bathrooms, showers, and laundry areas.

Apply Stick Wallpaper in the Master Bedroom

rv bedroom wallpaper

While you’re in wallpaper mode, go ahead and use peel-and-stick wallpaper to create an accent wall in your bedroom. As with subway tile, peel-and-stick wallpaper is fairly affordable and easy to use.

Simply clean whatever wall you plan to apply it to, peel the backside of the wallpaper, and stick it to the wall. You can also do this with a bathroom wall or in your RV kitchen! It even comes in numerous design options, such as fake wood, marble, tile, and more.

Install New Flooring

rv floor replacement

If you’re looking for a longer and more in-depth project, replacing the flooring in your camper is a good option. Most travel trailers, camper vans, and other types of RVs are built with cheap laminate flooring.

While this looks okay and gets the job done, it’s a low-quality material that’s prone to damage and isn’t completely waterproof. As such, even minor spills can lead to water damage.

However, although installing new flooring is a valuable investment, it’s labor-intensive if you opt for durable flooring, such as vinyl or bamboo. The trickiest part is installing your floor so that the slide-out mechanisms don’t rip it up anytime you move the slides in and out. If you can navigate this area, new flooring is arguably the most valuable RV renovation you can make.

Repaint the Interior

painted RV interior

Another valuable but labor-intensive DIY project is to repaint the interior ceiling and walls of your RV. Painting your camper walls and ceiling might not seem like a big project, but I can assure you that it most certainly is. This is especially true if you go the route we did and repaint all the surfaces in your RV, including the cabinets, all the doors, and the window trim.

While repainting everything takes more paint, it means less taping off edges with painter’s tape. It also means you can use a paint sprayer, which is substantially faster than using a paintbrush or rollers, which is the route we took for the bedroom.

Upgrade Your Countertops

new RV countertops and island
Photo Credit: Jalin Coblentz

Unless you have a high-end luxurious RV, your countertops are likely made of soft synthetic materials, like laminate and formica. While these materials may look decent, you’ll quickly notice that they’re not durable and sustain damage very easily.

For that reason, it was an easy decision to replace our low-end factory countertops with chopping block tops. We chose chopping block countertops because they’re durable and affordable, as long as you maintain them consistently.

You can also opt for granite, marble, and other high-end countertops. The downside is that they’re more expensive, especially for custom lengths and widths. With chopping block countertops, you can cut them to length and install them yourself.

Replace Your Kitchen Faucet and Sink

brand new rv sink
Photo Credit: CampervanHQ

Another upgrade we made to our RV was to replace the kitchen faucet and sink. We did this for several reasons. First, the sink and faucet we had was very inefficient and ineffective and actually reduced the aesthetics of the kitchen as a whole.

Second, we were going to replace the countertops anyway, so why not replace the sink and faucet for a few hundred dollars more? After all, we were going to have to remove the sink and faucet in order to get to the countertops anyway, so it just made sense.

In addition to making the kitchen more functional, this upgrade also made it more appealing and gave it a modern look and feel.

Tec Nanotech Sink

Ultra-durable 3mm stainless steel with premium black nanotech coating

Retractable faucet for easy rinsing, dishwashing, and showering

Space-saving design with an elbow drain & bamboo cutting board cover

Easy to clean—dirt and grease wipe away effortlessly

Attach New Cabinet Hardware

man doing renovation work on an RV

Replacing your cabinets for new custom ones is a great way to revamp your RV. However, it’s also extremely expensive and time-consuming, and you’ll likely have to order custom cabinets to fit your RV.

If you want to save some money on your cabinet DIY project, simply replace your hardware with new knobs, hinges, and handles. And, since you’re removing the hardware anyways, you can spray paint your cabinets and purchase new hardware to match the color.

This will make a huge difference, and costs several hundred dollars, rather than several thousand for new cabinets.

Hang a Shower Curtain in the Bathroom

new shower curtain in an rv

Most older campers come with sliding glass doors in the bathroom. In addition to being prone to leaks or breaking, these doors are also a pain to clean and look awful.

If you don’t want to put up with your nasty shower doors any longer, remove them and hang a shower curtain instead. This is one of the cheapest remodels you can make, as it costs roughly $20 for a shower curtain and rod, and another $5 for caulk to fill the screw holes used to keep the shower door track in place.

Install New Light Fixtures

rv light fixtures

If you’re not shy around electrical wiring, installing new light fixtures is a great upgrade you can make to your RV. Additionally, if you stay in campgrounds where you need to pay for electricity, high-efficiency LED lights will pay for themselves down the road.

Get Some Area Rugs

rv area rugs

Installing new flooring throughout your RV may be too daunting a task to tackle right now. In the meantime, area rugs are a solid alternative and a great way to hide minor defects while also giving your camper a fresh look.

As a bonus, area rugs are also great if you live in your camper during the spring, fall, and winter months when the temperatures drop. They help retain heat within your RV while also giving you a warm place to put your feet on those chilly mornings and evenings.

Use Wood for an Accent Wall

wood accent wall in an RV bedroom

Wallpaper isn’t for everyone, and if you aren’t a fan of using it for accent walls, you can opt for wood panels instead. For instance, we purchased two 4×8 panels from Home Depot for $25 apiece and hung them on our kitchen wall to add some life and variety. We then painted the panels with white paint to brighten things up and match the rest of the kitchen.

Liven Your Windows

rv curtains

Lastly, there are few things more drab and bleak in an RV than the blinds and valances. They’re boring enough to bring down any upgrades you make, which means you should add them to the replacement list. Installing curtains or plantation shutters will also give your camper a cozy vibe and make it feel more like home! 

Author: Jalin Coblentz

Bio:

Jalin Coblentz has spent the past three years living full-time in an RV with his wife and their Goldendoodle, Harper. They have traveled and lived in more than a half-dozen different states, including New Hampshire, Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Florida, Montana, Colorado, and Utah, living life one campground at a time. When he's not hiking, golfing, or walking the dog, Jalin enjoys writing about the ups and downs of RVing and helping others who are interested in pursuing a similar path.

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