Our DIY Travel Trailer Renovation Reveal

I’m so excited for this reveal! Neil and I put a lot of sweat equity into this budget friendly project and I’m so proud of how our DIY Travel Trailer Renovation turned out! Read on to check out the reveal as well as detailed information, do’s and don’ts, paint colors, DIY projects, and all our decor!

Although this was a brand new trailer, I really wanted to make it feel like a second home. Originally, Neil and I thought about purchasing an older trailer to redo, however, we found this one at an unbelievably good price and chose to move forward with it! We ended up purchasing the Forest River X-Lite WildWood T267SS. The travel trailer inside was brown from top to bottom. And if ya know me…….brown isn’t really my favorite. Neil was on board with the renovation as long as I stayed within a budget. So budget, I did!

DIY Travel Trailer Renovation

Before:

After:

This project took approximately 3 weeks to complete from start to finish. Neil works full time, so we mostly worked on the travel trailer in the evenings and weekends. I’ve listed below our process and the Do’s and Don’t we learned along the way.

The Process:

PRIME AND PAINT PERFECT

First, we removed all the mattresses, dinette, shades and cabinet doors. TAPE and cover the floors if you intend to keep them. Primer is hard to scrape off if you make a mistake! It’s SUPER important to primer every inch of anything you want to paint. Since the walls aren’t standard drywall or wood, primer is a must. We also used a special primer for the cabinets. THIS IS WHERE SHIT HIT THE FAN FOR US. Yes, I said it. We ended up primering the cabinets 3 different times. Or should I say, I DID. Sand and sand some more! For the primer and paint to adhere to your fake wood laminate cabinets, you must sand prior to primer. We used 3 different types of primer before finding one that actually worked. Do not skip this step unless you don’t care about your pretty new paint peeling off on day one.

Primer for Walls:

Sherwin Williams Multi-Purpose Interior/Exterior Latex Primer/Sealer

Use two coats of this on the wall and you’re ready for paint!

Primer for Cabinets:

Sherwin Williams White-Pigmented Shellac Primer

Listen up, this stuff dries SUPER fast. I used a smooth 4 inch cabinet roller and only poured the tiniest bit into my paint pan because it will dry and get sticky. For a smooth cabinet finish, make sure to use the smooth surface rollers and don’t press too hard.

PAINT:

Walls: Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Doors: Sherwin Williams Caviar

Accent Cabinets and Dinette: Sherwin Williams Extra White

Kitchen Cabinets: Sherwin Williams Pewter Green Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel

Dinette, Bunk and Couch Trim: Black fabric paint!

DECOR AND ACCESSORIES:

I’ve linked everything we used to decorate our travel trailer below. This includes the peel and stick tiles, peel and stick backsplash, wall decals, washable, YES washable, runner rug, and all the cute odds and ends that make this boho chic travel trailer come to life!

In regards to the wood accents, we purchased 1/4 inch thick red oak planks and custom cut them to fit the shelf in the master bedroom as well as the trim that frames the dinette and couch. It’s probably my favorite part of our renovation and super easy to do. We used liquid nails, our trusty nail gun and a circular saw. We also added scribe trim throughout the kitchen to help make it look more finished.

Any accessories you see on the walls were secured using our nail gun and liquid nails. Remember, when renovating an RV or travel trailer, it’s like a mini earthquake whenever you take to the road. We made thoughtful choices when it came to the weight of items as well as how to secure them. Canvas pictures are a great way to add wall decor without the glass or weight. I also used wall baskets to spruce it up including a basket bowl which I turned into a dinette flush mount light cover!

I went to our local fabric store for the dinette cushion fabric. I picked something dark that could hide dirt and secured it by sewing the fabric into a large envelope and used velcro to make it easy to remove. HUGE TIP: Scotch Guard all your fabric before use to help prevent stains!

I found some awesome custom cut bamboo shades on Amazon. This product weighed and cost much less than brand name products. I originally wanted to DIY these as well, but I was up to my eyeballs in primer and decided to scour the internet to order some instead. These are by far the best bang for your buck. They are totally customizable and work perfectly.

We are so excited to make new memories as a family in our little traveling home! During quarantine, we spent quite a few days camping and realized just how much fun we have together out in nature!

Words of Encouragement:

I wanted to end this post encouraging those of you who are hesitant to take the leap into the DIY world, haha! After talking with my best friend today, she’s always been amazed how I, on a whim, will take on all these projects hoping they turn out the way I want them to. My advice to her as she renovates her own home was to start small. Start with the laundry room, or a small area in your home. Research and plan out exactly what you’d like to do. Once you rip the DIY bandaid off, you’ll build more confidence and projects won’t seem so daunting! Plus, my husband thinks I’m a lot sexier now that I can use a nail gun. See……I even have marriage advice.