RV Bedroom Makeover

Before our RV bedroom makeover, our old cornice box, headboard and wallpaper

I freaked out when I saw the inside of our RV for the first time.

On the surface, it seemed so dated, so in need of a refresh. It took Eric a while to convince me that everything I saw could be replaced, and that the “bones” were what counted. So we made sure the batteries and tires were new, and that the roof looked good and there wasn’t any water damage.

In the year and a half that we’ve lived in Meriwether, we’ve done some projects here and there. I painted our dinette cushions and living room trim, and reupholstered our living room cornice boxes with a little help from our friends.

It wasn’t until after those projects that we decided on a nautical theme for our RV, plus our kitten tore up my gorgeous cornice boxes, so the living area is in overall need of attention. But the good news is that we hadn’t touched our bedroom, except for investing in new bedding, so we were able to build on a blank slate as we took on our RV bedroom makeover.

Our friends Dan and Lisa Brown of RV Liberty recently joined us at Haggard’s RV Campground in Pueblo West, CO. If it wasn’t for their knowledge and reassurance, we wouldn’t have been brave enough to take on this makeover. We’re indebted to Dan for his handiness and Lisa for her sewing and design skills. Thank you both for your patience and time!

Painting the Headboard

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with our headboard, but it couldn’t stay the way it was once the walls were painted and our new curtains were hung!

I considered removing it, but Eric was nervous that I would damage the wall. Plus, it does serve a purpose by sitting flush with the bottom of the window frame and keeping us from bumping our heads at night. So it was decided that I would upholstery paint it, the same way I did our dinette cushions and living room trim.

If you’re interested in more of the details about upholstery paint, read my previous article. Click the images below to enlarge.

: Please Tiffin, retire this upholstery!

: Supplies for this project include Fabric Medium, acrylic paint in your color of choice, a small paint brush, a paper plate, and painter’s tape

: Pro tip: before you apply your painter’s tape, make sure you clean every crevice well. Painting over bits of dirt and other buildup is gross!

: All finished after four coats, matching our valances

Painting the Walls

Though I’m sure there’s some way to remove wallpaper in an RV, that was beyond our skill level. Aside from a little bit of bubbling from minor water damage, our wallpaper was in good shape and we were able to paint over it with no trouble.

Supplies for this project were standard:

Painter’s tape
Paint
Drop cloths
Wet rag for mistakes (this is standard, right?)
Narrow roller with replacement brushes
Paint brushes in various sizes
Paper plate to hold paint

I did need a tiny paint brush for touchups-the kind you might use for an art project. The corners and crevices I had to get into were pretty crazy.

: Before I started painting, Eric removed the blinds and cornice boxes. It felt good to throw them away!

: We used Valspar paint from Lowe’s that had primer mixed in. It’s awesome to afford the priming stage altogether.

: Eric did an awesome job taping everything off. It was a big job!

: Our bedroom walls after three coats of paint. I can smell the sea!

Hanging New Curtains

This is the part of the project we couldn’t have done without Dan and Lisa! After my three coats of paint dried, Dan helped Eric to hang the curtain rods. We needed to buy a stud finder that could also find metal, in order to secure the rods securely.

: We hung the decorative rod for the valances, and an inexpensive, expandable metal rod hung just under it for the curtains.

: Lisa sewed our curtains in two rectagular panels with unicolor tan backing on the opposite side. The panels hang from rings with clips. Easy peasy!

: Our valances were sewed with a pocket on top for the curtain rod.

: We used “monkey’s fist” ropes to style our valances. Love this nautical touch!

After Photos

We couldn’t be more happy with the way our RV bedroom makeover turned out. It’s amazed what paint, curtains and some accessories can do to change the feel of an entire room.