Renovating an RV Without Breaking the Bank

Time to re-share the first RV we ever renovated! Come see this $1000 early-90s RV renovation on a budget. You’ll learn how to paint oak cupboards, reupholster camper cushions and seating, refinish an RV bathroom, and do every other project you will need to update an old travel trailer and get it ready for its first road trip. With a little hard work, you can make a huge difference in the look of your old RV. Let me show you how!

By far one of the most asked about DIYs on my blog and YouTube channel is our first RV renovation. I totally get it – we LOVE it too! We have made so many wonderful memories in it, and I love that we didn’t spend a ton of money to create a functional and beautiful little home on wheels for our summertime adventures.

We started renovating our fifth wheel in May of 2017 and finished it in 2018 with the bathroom remodel. It was a ton of work and there were so many steps involved, so I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of exactly what we did from start to finish in one giant blog post! Plus, these photos of the camper by Tracey Jazmin were too cute not to share. I love that they show how well everything has held up!

Is this the only RV you’ve renovated?

No! The step-by-step I’m providing today shows you how we renovated our FIRST RV. In 2020, we purchased our second RV. After outgrowing and selling our first one, we were ready for a bigger unit that fit our growing family. We love to camp and to go on long road trips with our daughters! So, we bought a 30.5-foot Jayco fifth wheel as an upgrade. Since I love to renovate and do interior design, I gave our latest RV a makeover over the course of a couple of years and LOVE how it turned out. Click right here to check out the entire project!

The truth is, there isn’t much difference in my process between the old RV I’m featuring here and the new one we did a few years later! No matter how big your RV is, you still need to follow the same steps to make sure your structure is sound, your soft furnishings are clean, and your walls and any other surfaces you want to paint are clean and primed. Plus, all paint, hardware, lighting, and fabric choices will be different for all of us anyway! So there’s plenty to learn from my first RV renovating project and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I will say that my very favourite space in our DIY Camper 2.0 is the pink and floral bunkhouse project I did for my daughters. When my three daughters first saw how I transformed the bunk room in our camper, they were over the moon!  I wanted to share it here to show you there really are no limits to what you can do with a camper renovation as long as you are willing to see outside the box and put the work in.

How much does renovating an RV cost?

Our 2018 RV renovation cost us about $1600 from start to finish. We did have many of the supplies on hand, and some were given to us, too. We were also fortunate because we didn’t need to replace the appliances. So, you can expect the cost of bringing new life to your own RV to be more or less depending on how much work your trailer needs, what needs to be replaced, where you get your supplies, and how much of the work you can do yourself.

Remember that this step-by-step guide is based on my experience as a self-taught DIYer. I’m not technically a professional! However, if you love to do things yourself just like I do, I think you’ll find these steps effective for doing your own RV remodel. This little camper served us very well in the time we used it, and I can’t wait to help you feel the same way after you’re done renovating your RV.

Even though my DIY Camper 2.0 was a much bigger project, the cost was similar! I spent about $1800 CAD on paint, flooring, furniture, and accessories. The used RV itself was $10,000, so for less than $12,000, we have an RV that looks and feels brand new. I think that’s pretty good, considering you can spend up to $60K on a similarly sized new RV! 

All this to say that there is no hard and fast rule about how much renovating an old RV should cost. It depends on your budget, how much you can/want to do yourself, and the materials and finishes you choose.

How long does it take to renovate an RV?

This is another question that is very difficult to answer in an exact manner. Our second RV took me a couple of summers to renovate off-and-on. But if you were doing this full-time, I think you could renovate a camper in less than a month. I wanted to putter away at it, so it took longer. Just like cost, there’s really no right answer here!

Just remember to give yourself more time than you think you need to complete the renovation of your camper. These things always, ALWAYS, take longer than you plan for, so don’t stress yourself out with a hard and fast deadline only a few weeks away. This project will be a lot of work, but you’ll be so proud when you’re done! And if you get your whole family involved, it stops feeling like work and starts to feel like family bonding time. After all, what kid doesn’t love ripping up carpet or baseboards? Or priming cupboards? The older your kids are, the more they can help!

Renovating an RV: Step-by-Step!

OK, no more questions! Let’s get right to it. I’m going to take you right back to the beginning of this entire renovation adventure, back to before we were the owners of this cute little finished home away from home. We did a lot of research upfront and thought the whole thing through very carefully. I think it’s important to take you to the start of our process so that you can do the same!

Step 1: Find an Old Camper for Sale and Assess It

There are always lots of used RVs and campers for sale on buy-and-sell sites like Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, and Craigslist. I often see them along the side of the road, too! We were lucky and found ours for only $1000. But even spending a few thousand on an old camper can be worthwhile if it’s is in decent shape. It’s still much less than a new RV, after all! When looking for a used RV, check for things like water damage (which is common), mechanical issues, electrical issues, and structural issues. Most other things, like original furniture, upholstery, and finishes, can be replaced easily. It’s also incredible what a big difference a few coats of paint can make, so try to look beyond all the original decor at this point. Decide what kinds of issues you can handle in terms of cost and labour, and make your decision based on this.

Step 2: Make Any Necessary Repairs

Once you’ve purchased your new-to-you RV, the first thing to do is address all those structural, mechanical, or electrical issues that led to you getting your trailer for such a good price! Make these necessary repairs before working on fun things like painting and reupholstering. In our particular case, we had to rip off the whole back wall of our fifth wheel and replace it because of water damage! There was water damage in the front, too, and it all needed to be dealt with before we could go any further with our plans. Thankfully, my hubby is great at this sort of thing! I admit that there were points in this process where the “easy DIY project” didn’t feel so easy, but we pushed through and got to the fun part.

Step 3: Rip It All Out!

Now it’s time to begin those huge impact changes you’ve been looking forward to! Remove anything from the RV’s interior that you want to replace, like old window treatments, carpet, linoleum, blinds, fabric panels, etc. Don’t attack your couch or dining table just yet – you can fix those later. I removed all of the old soft furnishings and the carpet from our camper, too, because I wanted fresh, easy-to-clean finishes. Dirt, mold, and other debris tend to hide in these soft furnishings, so I really recommend taking them out and going for a whole new look!

Step 4: Prime and Paint the Walls and Cabinets

The most important and most time-consuming step of your RV renovation is the painting! Start in the kitchen area. Remove all of the doors from the kitchen cabinets in your RV. Then, prime all of the walls, the ceiling, the cabinets, and the cabinet doors. Before painting, I sanded everything with liquid sandpaper, used Killz oil-based primer, and finished with latex paint that I had left over from another project.

I think that lighter colors make a small space feel bigger and brighter, so I used white paint. I painted the camper fridge the same way as the cabinets. You can also seal the cabinets with a Varathane sealant to prolong the life of the paint. If you want to go a little bit further with this update, you could spray paint the hinges and/or pulls on your cabinets. These minor changes can make such a difference in the look of your RV! Get more details on our cupboard painting and camper kitchen renovation here.

In the bathroom, you can use a paint specially formulated for painting over old bathroom fixtures to resurface your bathtub, shower, toilet, and sink if required. I know it’s tempting (especially with older RVs) to replace all the bathroom items. But it’s SO much work and increases the cost exponentially. 

Step 5: Add Decorative Surface Treatments like Wallpaper, Contact Paper, and Peel-and-Stick Tile

Next, to give your RV some personality, you can add wallpaper and/or peel-and-stick wallpaper or tile to make an accent wall or two. It can also be used as a backsplash over the sink and counter on your kitchen wall. (I recommend using a dehumidifier when applying things like wallpaper to make sure everything dries nicely.) It’s also important to prime any space where you plan to add paper or vinyl tile.

There are other little things you can do to make a big difference. One fun camper remodel project that is really easy to do is covering an old kitchen counter with marble contact paper. I love how our counter has held up! You can also replace any fabric panels in the cupboards with something more modern and durable, like decorative tin panels. I spray painted and cut some of these to suit my style. This was a fairly straightforward RV renovation project that made a big impact.

Step 6: Install New Hardware, Lighting, and Window Treatments

If you don’t want to paint the old ones, new cupboard pulls can make a huge difference in the look of your RV cabinetry for a small extra cost. Buying hardware that fits the old holes in your cupboards makes it an easy swap!

You can also use regular light fixtures in your camper if you want to make a statement chandelier. However, make sure you use light bulbs that are made specifically for RVs – they’re the 12-volt kind. We bought a pendant light, shortened it, and placed it over our dinette. Amazon has modern-looking LED RV lights for a great price! For window treatments, consider installing simple blackout blinds that will help everyone sleep a little better. We found ours at IKEA.

We also replaced our dinette table with an IKEA desktop and used the hardware and bolts from the old table for an easy swap.

Step 7: Recover, Slipcover, or Replace Soft Furnishings

Next, it’s time to deal with your soft furnishings. You can recover or slipcover the foam in your sofa and dinette if it’s still good! I’ve already shared complete tutorials on how to do this, so you can learn how to recover dinette seats right here and how to make a slipcover for a jackknife sofa right here.

However, it is not always possible to salvage the foam in your sofa or dining room benches. Replace any foam that is destroyed, and replace any old mattresses. I would seriously recommend replacing any foam that has seen better days instead of simply recovering it. The process for creating new slipcovers is the same whether you use new or old foam, and the peace of mind you will get knowing that all the soft surfaces in your camper are clean (or at least, started that way before your family moved in!) is worth the few extra dollars.

Step 8: Install New Flooring

Consider using vinyl plank flooring for your RV renovation. It’s inexpensive, light, durable, and easy to install! You can lay it over old vinyl and use a ruler and craft knife to cut it. We love how ours looks, feels, and wears! I still cannot believe the difference the new flooring has made in our camper living space.

Step 9: Add the Final Touches!

Finally, we’re at the fun part! Add some final accessories to make your RV both functional and beautiful. For extra storage I added hooks and bars to the walls (I used wood screws to attach them). Hooks added to the bottoms of your cupboards work great for mugs or pots and pans storage or decorative items. Attach art to the wall with wood screws or Command Photo Hanging Strips. Make some DIY pillow covers in your favorite colors to make your little home feel bright and cozy. And finally, find durable melamine or metal dinnerware that will hold up to the hard use it will get while out on the road!

How I styled our camper in 2017

How I styled it in 2018

Our First RV Renovation Source List:

Here’s the list of renovation materials and sources that I used to transform our first camper! You can either purchase these exact products for your own RV makeover project or just use them as inspiration and a jumping-off point for your own ideas and tastes.

• Paint: Valspar Ultra White, Benjamin Moore Simply White, Valspar Noir (lower cupboards). I love the colour Simply White for any wall anywhere! But if you have paint left over from another project, feel free to use it instead.
• Wood wallpaper: Home Depot (in-store)
• Peel & stick tile: Smart Tiles Metro Blanco
• Marble contact paper for counter
• Fabric: Shibori Design, Indigo Velvet, Indoor / Outdoor Griege Linen Look from Fabric.com
• Flooring: Allure Stayplace from Home Depot
• Cupboard pulls
• Dinette light fixture (we hacked it to make it flush)
• Dinette 12V Edison bulb
• TVs: 32″ Samsung Smart TVs from The Brick
• Mattress: Springwall Endeavour 3 Euro-Top Firm Queen Mattress from The Brick
• Melamine dinnerware: Costco, in-store
• Copper flatware: Walmart, in-store
• Copper mugs: vintage thrift store find! I cannot emphasize enough how helpful the thrift store can be in your quest for camper furnishings. Items are affordable, you won’t worry so much if you lose something or break it, and thrift store decor items that you would never put in your home might be perfect for the trailer!
• Blue enamel mugs
• Spray paint: Rustoleum Copper Rose & Oil Rubbed Bronze Metallic
• Aluminum sheet (for cupboard inserts)
• Butcher block table top: Gerton Desktop
• Black out blinds
• Hanging rods
• LED ceiling lights
• Navy bed sheets
• “Camper Sweet Camper” sign is a free printable here!

Watch my YouTube video on how to renovate an RV on a budget:

There you have it: everything you could possibly need to know to begin your own RV makeover, including my step-by-step process and all the materials I used to get my first camper looking exactly the way I wanted. We LOVED using our renovated camper, and I know you will love yours too! Our exciting, comfortable RV travel days have totally been worth all the time and work both Sean and I put in to get us to this point. I can’t wait to see before and after pics of your own project! Tag me @thediymommy with your DIY camper!

Happy camping, everyone!

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Vintage Glam RV Renovation

Looking for more inspiration? Next up, I give you my DIY Camper 2.0! I enjoyed doing the first RV renovation so much that I decided to do a camper that was newer and had more space for my three kids to sleep comfortably. Let me show you the main area makeover of the camper, plus all the steps it took to get here!