How to Remodel a Tiny Camper

Refurbish a tiny used camper with a little ingenuity.

A small camper is perfect for a one- or two-person camping trip. If you get hold of one that needs updating and remodeling, there are lots of things you can do yourself to make it look fresh and modern. Doing what you can yourself may free up funds to hire a professional for more extensive work, such as wiring or plumbing.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning supplies
• Linoleum floor tiles
• Semi-gloss paint
• Self-adhesive shelf liner
• Fabric
• Needle and thread or sewing machine
• New appliances
• New mattress

1. Remove everything that you'll replace and anything that will be easier to clean outside the camper.

2. Clean the camper and all of its parts thoroughly. Treat any instances of rust or mildew and mold. A solution of bleach and water works well against mold and mildew. Rust needs to be removed, and the place where it was found repaired.

3. Make repairs to the structure of the camper, including the walls, floor and roof. Roofing medium is available commercially. This is spread on to reseal a leaking roof.

4. Remove the flooring in the camper, and replace with new linoleum squares. These are easy to clean, and most people are capable of laying them without professional help.

5. Paint the camper's walls. This is one of the easiest ways to freshen up your camper. A coat of semi-gloss white paint will brighten and modernize an outdated interior, making it seem larger as well.

6. Paint the kitchenette cabinet doors, if they are wood or metal. Cabinet pulls are easy and inexpensive to replace and make a big difference in updating a camper. An easy fix for countertops or the dinette table is to cover them with self-adhesive shelf liner. This product comes in many colors and patterns; it's also washable, which is a big plus.

7. Recover the seat cushions, and make new curtains. Both of these are sewing projects that can be done by hand if necessary and are easy enough for a novice sewer.

8. Replace the appliances and mattress if necessary. These are easy to pull out and replace. If you have a vintage camper, you may need to seek out working vintage replacements for the appliances if there are no modern choices in the right size.

9. Add storage units in any unused spaces to reduce the clutter that can quickly overwhelm a tiny camper.

References

• Best Motor Homes: Motorhome Renovation: See The Difference In Your Motorhome!
• You Tube: The Ultimate RV Camper Rebuild
• RV Road Trips: How to Remodel RVs and Motorhomes Yourself