Tips for Painting Your RV Interior

04-13-2018

Author:  in RV Repairs / Maintenance / Upgrades

Tips for Painting Your RV Interior
If you are the owner of an older RV, you may find yourself looking around at your rig and wondering how you could spruce it up. After all, times have changed, and with them, the styles have changed as well.

Fortunately, there are many great ways to give your older motorhome or travel trailer a more modern feel. One of the most effective ways to go about this is to give the RV an interior paint job.

That said, the idea of painting your home-on-wheels might feel a bit intimidating. I know I was intimidated by the process, anyway. The fact that RV walls are made from different material than residential walls scared me, and the glossy faux-wood the cabinets are made out of didn’t seem like the most paint-friendly surface.

Related Read: Painting Your RV Walls


Luckily, painting these surfaces is perfectly feasible, and with the right tools and information, you can have a fresh new look in your RV in no time.

Here are my top tips for painting your RV interior.

Remove Furniture

Because RV furniture is bolted to the walls and floors, you might be tempted to leave everything in place when painting. Although this is probably fine when it comes to things like cabinets and bed bases, it is best to remove chairs, tables, couches, and other smaller pieces.

This is because space is limited in an RV, making painting more difficult than it might be in a house. Adding furniture into the mix—along with the nooks and crannies that come along with it—is just asking for a pain in the neck.

Besides, if you replace the furniture at a later date, you will want all the walls covered. Removing the chairs, tables, and other pieces for painting will ensure you cover all wall space that might be revealed when making that switch.

Related Read: 5 Upgrades Every Fulltimer Should Consider



Sand Everything

Because the walls and cabinets in an RV are smooth and glossy, they don't tend to hold paint very well. That said, this is an easy enough problem to fix. Simply break out some medium-grit sandpaper and sand everything you plan to paint until it is just slightly rough to the touch. This will help give the primer and paint something to cling to.

Add the Right Primer

Another important step on the road to making sure your paint stays put after being applied is to use primer. The right kind of primer can make a world of difference, so make sure you purchase wisely. Personally, I recommend the Glidden brand Gripper Primer. This stuff sticks to anything and holds the paint in place for years.

By following these simple prep steps, you will have a stress-free painting experience and a wonderfully updated rig to show for it. Happy painting!

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Chelsea Barron

Author: Chelsea Barron

Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son's classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family. Check out her blog Wonder Wherever We Wander.