We put a lot of work into our RV makeover in the weeks leading up to it getting totaled. (More about that here.) If I had known what I know now, I would have taken a lot more photos. There was still some finishing work to be done, but these before and after photos of our RV home on wheels give you a good idea of where we were going with the project.
First, here’s a look at where we began after picking up our 2003 Mirage by Thor 39′ 5th wheel RV. It was typical of most RV’s made in the early 2000’s with a tacky wallpaper border, a combination of linoleum and carpet flooring, and brass hardware. As ugly as it was, everything worked and the generous amount of space was appealing. We also got a smoking deal on the camper because the seller was moving across the country the next day. Score!
RV Makeover
We began the RV makeover by painting every surface possible. When I say ‘we’ I really mean Dave. I was pregnant during that process, plus I just don’t like painting so that was convenient.
The paint was Behr No VOC from Home Depot. It included primer and covered every surface in the RV nicely whether it was wood, laminate, or wallpaper. I chose two shades of grey, a lighter one for the walls and a darker shade for the trim and cabinetry. Neither color was as dark in person as it shows in these photos. Clearly, I’m not a trained photographer.
I made all the insulated curtains myself. There is a separate post all about that: RV Window Coverings. The flooring is sheet vinyl and there’s a detailed tutorial on how we installed it over here: How to Install RV Flooring. It was fabulous for the week that we were able to enjoy it.
This area became my sewing and craft area. More details can be found here: RV Craft Space.
There is also a post about replacing the faucet: How to Replace a RV Faucet. The white subway tile back splash is peel and stick tile. If you look closely, you can see a sheet of stainless steel mounted above the oven. We added that because the corners of the peel and stick tile began to come up from the heat. I still loved the look of the tile, but that is something to keep in mind if you are considering adding the product to your kitchen.
We upgraded all of the lighting to LED fixtures: How to Replace LED Lights in a RV. Just before the wreck we updated the entry light, put a ceiling fan in the kitchen, and replaced the light over the vanity in the bathroom. Too bad I don’t have pictures of any of those. Womp womp.
The bathroom and bedroom got a coat of lavender paint. I’ve always liked purple, and my husband is a hardcore LSU fan, so the color choice was obvious. We never installed a washer/dryer, but it was nice to have the extra storage space.
A couple of cabinets were being repaired while this photo was taken, but you can see the new hardware on the drawers. We replaced all 48 brass and ceramic handles with brushed nickel pulls. I highly recommend the 50-pack from Amazon. You can’t beat the price. Trust me, I did a ton of research on them.
The faucet for the bathroom sink was switched to brushed nickel as well. You can vaguely see where Dave began painting the skylight over the shower too. All of the plastic items were yellowed, and we had planned to spray paint those with Plastidip.
I made the quilt using leftover fabric from the window coverings to tie the whole RV together. One corner of it was torn in the wreck, and I’m hoping I can fix it. A sewing machine is on my short list of things to buy. I’m happy to hear your recommendations on that.
Those white curtains were a placeholder after removing the mirrored closet doors. I couldn’t find any I loved with the proper length, so I cut off a bed sheet to make these. My plan was to buy more fabric and make something, but I never got around to it.
There has been some discussion in the RV forums about how a RV makeover affect the resale value of a RV. We were pleasantly surprised when GEICO took the renovation efforts into consideration while calculating the settlement cost after the RV was totaled. My opinion on the subject is to do whatever you’d like to make yourselves happy. You never know when it will all be taken away!