This is what the “kitchen” looked like before we started the makeover. There was no backsplash there, and we really wanted something to make the kitchen feel a little more like its own area. Mohave was small, so we needed to make the most of each space. We sketched out a quick plan and got to work.

We started by cutting a piece of leftover MDF to the size we wanted. I wanted the backsplash to be the length of the counters and roughly about 18″ tall. Originally, we had used 12″ square tiles on the backsplash, and I made the board about the height of one and a half tiles.

Because we were using those vinyl tiles, and I was concerned about how the adhesive would hold up in the Arizona heat, we applied glue to the MDF before we laid the tile. I figured this would really hold everything in place.

Then we laid all the tiles on the board, staggering the cuts. We used Floor Pop tiles we purchased on Amazon, because they had such great reviews. I’d originally wanted to incorporate them into the flooring, but since I was unsure how they’d hold up, I figured this was a good compromise.

To finish out the edges, we purchased an L-trim molding from Lowes. It was pre-primed, and we just painted it with leftover white paint from the roof job. Then we mitered the ends and framed out the backsplash.

To attach the trim, we used a bit of Gorilla Glue and our nail gun. We did NOT frame out the bottom. I wanted the backsplash to appear as though it was a residential backsplash you’d find in a kitchen, so we left the trim off the bottom.

Then we filled our nail holes and seams with a bit of wood filler, sanded it smooth, and touched up the paint. Easy peasy.

We attached “legs” to the back of the backsplash to hold it in place. Using 2 x 2 pine board, we cut each leg just tall enough to span the backsplash and the cabinet on which it sits. Then we beveled the ends so you wouldn’t see the tops of the legs over the board. We used clamps to hold everything in place so we could mark the proper position. The legs just touch the top of the cabinet behind the sink and are attached to the backsplash board with nails and wood glue.

To hold the legs in place, we added wood blocks to the bottom kitchen cabinet. These blocks create a channel for the leg to sit in. This makes the backsplash pretty stable on its own. but we added sash locks to the sides to make sure everything is nice and tight.

To attach the sash locks, we set the backsplash in place and marked the spot where the sash locks fit perfectly. We screwed the lock into the cabinet and the catch into the leg. (We painted the bottom half of each leg the same color as the cabinets so it would blend in seamlessly.)

To cushion the edge of the backsplash and protect my new countertops, we applied a rubber window seal to the bottom of the MDF. We added it to the side with no L-trim–the part that would sit on top of the counters.

And project complete! Or so we thought…

After a summer in Arizona, the Floor Pop tiles began peeling up. Even the extra adhesive couldn’t keep up with the intense heat. We ended up pulling those tiles off (yuck!) and using some extra lattice boards we had hanging around from the table we built. We staggered them to make a chevron type pattern and used wood glue and the nail gun to keep them in place. It was a much better solution.

To finish things off, I added a towel bar from IKEA and a cute metal sign from Target. The towel bar has little hooks for mugs and cooking utensils, and we added a cup to hold flatware or a fun faux plant. I just love how it turned out.

To put the backsplash up when we set up, we slide the legs into the channel behind the sink and lock the sash locks. To remove it, we unlock the sash locks and pull up on the backsplash. It lifts up out of the channel, and we store it on the folded dinette during travel.

All in all, it is pretty easy to set up and take down. It takes up no extra space on the dinette, really, because there isn’t much we could store there anyway. I set a folded sheet or extra blanket on top of the cushions to protect them, just in case. I can’t imagine the backsplash would do any damage, but I like to be careful.

I’m so thrilled with how well it turned out. It doesn’t affect the structure of the folding kitchen at all, and it adds so much character to the space. It is a little heavy. If you are planning on following our instructions, make sure you’ve accounted for the weight. The nice thing, though, is that is is removable, so if we are packing heavy one trip, we can always leave it behind.

Have you built a backsplash for your pop up camper? We’d love to see pictures! Tag us on Instagram, so we can check out your projects!

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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Why We Went to the Darkside

Yes, we still have both pop up campers–for now. And yes, we’ll probably always own a pop up camper. I absolutely love pop ups, and the Santa Fe was my first foray into the world of RVs. I can’t imagine ever getting rid of her. The kids have big plans to use that camper, and we’ll probably use her ourselves for stays inside the national parks. It’s a little easier to find space for her than for a big rig. So if you are wondering why we bought a motorhome after so many years of pop up camping, here’s the story.

In a nutshell… our babies have left the nest. Our girls are both off in college, and honestly between work, school, and pets, it is really hard for us to get out as a big family. Our oldest has already graduated college and moved out on his own with a real job. It went so fast, and I am so grateful we bought the pop up camper when we did and soaked up those last few years of their childhood. We had some amazing adventures. When I tell you all to enjoy the kid years (and yes, even the teen years), I mean it. It goes by so quickly.

So now that we have no kid schedules to accommodate, Justin and I can hit the road for longer. We can both work remotely, but having a Zoom meeting in a pop up camper is less than ideal. That requires real desks and real walls–and a motorhome just seemed to work best for that. We couldn’t afford a fancy, brand new rig, but on the bright side, we also don’t have the payment that would come along with it. We’re just going to roll up our sleeves and make her into the coach of our dreams.

The Desert Rose (Desi)

Here she is in all her glory. When we were first shopping on Craigslist for a motorhome, we came across some sketchy listings. On one outing to see a rig, I texted a friend and said that if things went south Forensic Files style, he should look for us at The Desert Rose Motel and RV Park. We didn’t end up buying that motorhome, but from then on, we knew whatever rig we bought was going to end up being called The Desert Rose by our friends. So we embraced it.

We’ve Got Big Plans

We’ve got big plans for her. In fact, we’ve actually done quite a bit of work on Desi already. We’ve even taken her on the road a couple of times. Of course, every trip has had a setback, but at least we know her inside and out now. If you follow along on Instagram (I’m never gonna shut up about that, right?) we’ll be posting some progress pictures along the way.

Here’s a little sneak peek of the bathroom remodel, which we just finished up over Labor Day weekend. If there is one thing remodeling our pop up campers has taught us, it’s that you don’t have to rush your renovation. You can take it a little at a time–and you can use your camper in the middle of a remodel. In fact, I’m glad we did. After using Desi on several road trips, we had a good idea of what we wanted in the bathroom before we ripped out anything useful. It allowed us to make good renovation decisions. I’m so pleased with how it turned out in the end.

What’s Next?

We’ll probably be writing a few posts on the RV remodel here on the blog, but we will always be posting about pop up campers first and foremost. We love being part of this RV community. We’ve met so many amazing families who’ve renovated and traveled in their pop up campers. Many of those first-time campers moved on to bigger RVs after they realized how much they loved camping. Some of them even remodeled those bigger rigs because of their experiences remodeling their pop ups. We think that is awesome and have enjoyed sharing in their adventures.

We hope you’ll stick with us for the next part of our journey, and let us know if there is any content that you’d like to see more (or less) of. And if you are only here for the pop up camper content, don’t worry, we’ll still be posting tutorials and features here.

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HOW IT ALL STARTED

If you’ve been around awhile, you’ll know that this is what we started with. Mohave came to us from friends of my brother and sister-in-law. She was wasting away in their backyard, and they knew we could restore her to her former glory. She needed a lot of work. You can see all the before pictures and read about how we acquired Mohave HERE.

So much behind the scenes work went into getting this girl back in shape. She needed a new roof (you can read about that HERE), new lift cables, the bed slides had to be straightened out–I could go on and on. She really needed so much work, and I can hardly believe how far she’s come.

FLOORING, CABINETS, AND COUNTERTOPS

We completely gutted this little trailer. Mohave got brand new sheet vinyl flooring, which you can read all about HERE. Once the flooring was in, we completely rebuilt her cabinets. We just couldn’t salvage the old ones, as they were pretty water damaged. Since we were rebuilding them anyway, we updated the doors and gave them more of a shaker look.

Since our Santa Fe had white cabinets, I really wanted to incorporate color in the Rockwood. We were going for a desert theme anyway, so I picked Dunn-Edwards Fresh Thyme. It reminded me of the cacti we have out here in Arizona, and I love green anyway, so it was a no-brainer. We selected an alkyd paint, which is much more durable than latex. Then we grabbed some pretty new hardware from Home Depot. You can read all about the cabinet rebuild HERE.

The countertops were in bad shape as well. They were water damaged and the Formica was peeling away from the boards underneath. Since I really wanted to lighten up the camper, I cut new countertops and used a faux marble painting technique to give them a clean modern look. You can read all about how we made our marble countertops HERE.

THE CANVAS

Although it doesn’t look it, the canvas was actually in really great shape. It was just really dirty and needed to be revitalized. Since we had the canvas removed anyway for the roof rebuild, we soaked it in a bathtub full of soapy warm water. Then I meticulously scrubbed every inch of it with LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner, which did a good job with the dirt. Since our “canvas” was vinyl, we treated the outside with our favorite ProtectAll vinyl cleaner.

It’s really important to determine what type of canvas your camper has before you treat it with anything. We use 303 High Tech Fabric Guard on our Santa Fe, but it would be disastrous to use it on Mohave, as it etches vinyl. The right cleaning products are essential for prolonging the life of your canvas. If you need more information on cleaning and protecting your canvas, make sure to check out our post HERE.

THE GALLEY KITCHEN

In the little kitchen, area we replaced all the electrical outlets with USB combo outlets. We removed the broken fridge and replaced it with a brand new dorm fridge. (The one we purchased is very similar to this one.) This means we can only use the fridge when we are hooked up to shore power, but the 3-way fridge in our Santa Fe is so unreliable on propane and battery, that we rarely use it anyway. We figured this one would be much more reliable when we have hookups, and we can use an ice chest when we are boondocking.

The furnace grate got a coat of high-heat black spray paint, and we put in a digital thermostat. We replaced the pump faucet with a beautiful brushed gold bathroom faucet from Lowes. Of course, we had to add a water pump in order to use the water from our fresh water tank, but it was worth it. I hated that ugly pump faucet, and it was definitely not staying.

THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE: THE BACKSPLASH

You may remember that when we first put in the countertops, we had built this backsplash with an adhesive Floor Pops tile on the front. Although it was pretty, it was a major fail. We had to take a several months long break from working on the camper, and when we opened it up to get to work again, the tiles were falling off the backsplash. The Arizona heat really destroys adhesives, which is why we never lay adhesive tile on the floors of our campers. We were really hoping this would work, though we had no such luck

We had to come up with a new plan, since I was already attached to the idea of having that backsplash. There was no way we were scrapping that plan. I was really inspired by a couple of my favorite RV renovators on Instagram. @karleeandweston and @troopnashville are the bomb, and you should be following them if you aren’t already. They had both done natural wood wall treatments that I adored, so I incorporated something similar for the pop up camper backsplash. We’ll be sharing how we built the backsplash on here very soon, so keep an eye out for that.

THE DINETTE AREA

And the last major project for Mohave’s interior was the table. I wanted something that was unique and had the southwestern feel we were going for, and I think this really fits the bill. We’re pretty happy with how it turned out. You can see how we made this awesome little table HERE.

The cushions were covered in a faux leather that I purchased at Hobby Lobby. I added thin luan plywood to the back of each cushion and covered them using a method I learned from Christina over at TheDIYMommy.com. You can find that tutorial HERE. She used this method on her camper cushions, and I loved the way they turned out. You get a crisp, tailored corner that you just can’t get with the wrap and staple method, and you don’t have to mess with zippers either. Win-win!

MATTRESSES, BEDDING AND DECOR

With all the heavy lifting out of the way, we got to move onto the fun stuff. Beds are always a priority for me. The whole reason we moved from a tent to a pop up camper was for comfort, so I want my beds to be posh. That meant the old, stinky mattresses had to go. The original roof had leaked, so the mattresses were full of mold. I didn’t want to deal with trying to clean that up, so we just replaced them altogether. We were lucky enough to find mattresses that fit our bunkends on Amazon. (These are the ones we purchased, although they come in and out of stock frequently.)

I love the bedding on both beds, even though they are very different. Because of the dark brown canvas, I was certain that we needed light bedding. Since I didn’t watch to be too matchy-matchy, I only bought one set of the white bedding. Even though it was on sale, it was from Pottery Barn Teen, so it was a bit of a splurge. It was really one of the first things I bought for this remodel, and it’s called the Mohave Cutwork Bedding. I loved everything about it–right down to the name, which is where this little camper got her moniker.

But that beautiful bedding was discontinued, so I was on the hunt for something to coordinate with it for the other bunk. When I spied this black bedding at Target, I had to have it. It is from the Nate Berkus collection, and it was darker than I wanted to go, but I think it works. The fun fringe pillow is also from Target. It really ties in the brown of the canvas. Most of the other throw pillows came from HomeGoods, as did the mattress pads we used to protect the beds. I love the extra cushion they add, and these pads are very similar to the ones we purchased. If you want tips on how to make your pop up camper beds more comfortable, be sure to check out our post on that HERE.

THE CURTAINS

I removed the ugly valance and opted not to replace it. We added a decorative trim to the roof when we rebuilt it, so there was really no need for a valance. The side curtains are my very favorite IKEA Ritva curtains, hemmed to length. I sewed curtain track tape (like this) to the tops of the curtain panels and used the original curtain track to hang them. The bunkend curtains are Hearth and Hand by Magnolia shower curtains from Target. I found them on sale for $12/each and added the curtain glide tape to those as well.

THE DOOR AND EXTERIOR

The door was in pretty sorry shape as well. The bottom panel was rotted out and the screen was missing. We replaced the bottom panel with a sheet of luan plywood, and I used Mod Podge to adhere a piece of shower curtain I had laying around to the front. Several coats of Mod Podge later, it is perfect. It wipes clean easily, and it adds a little visual interest to the door. We repaired the screen with a repair kit we found at Home Depot, and you’d never know it isn’t original.

We also gave the exterior a big makeover, which is so intensive, I’ll have to detail it in another post. It turned out better than we ever thought it would. We used single stage automotive paint on the Santa Fe, and it was a huge undertaking. This time rolled on an exterior alkyd paint (after using an aluminum primer), and it was actually pretty easy. She looks like a brand new camper!

WAS IT WORTH IT?

As I’m looking over everything, I realize just how much work went into this camper. It was definitely a labor of love, as I don’t know that we could ever get out of her what we put in–especially when you consider the time we spent on remodel projects. It’s a good reminder, though, that if you are taking on a pop up camper project to remodel for resale, make sure you buy one with good bones. Projects like roof rebuilds and cabinet construction are big drains on your budget.

Would we do it again? Probably. We really enjoyed the project overall. We’re always game for a good remodel, and once you are finished, you tend to forget how hard the process was when you were in the thick of it. I’m sure we’ll have another remodel going before the end of the year.

See anything we missed? If you’d like to know more about a project or where we sourced something, feel free to ask in the comments section. You can also follow us on Instagram, as we post a lot of sources and tips there. Thanks for following along. We hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did.

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

The post Meet Mohave: Our Pop Up Camper Remodel appeared first on The Pop Up Princess.

Since it has been so long since we started this project, here’s a little before picture to refresh your memory. This is what we inherited when we brought home the Rockwood. (You can see all her lovely before photos HERE. ) She was in decent shape on the inside, but oh so ugly. We knew that we’d eventually have to replace that table. It was made of MDF, so the screws had started pulling away from the underside of the table. This means not only was the table ugly, it was also pretty wobbly.

We’re no strangers to building new camper tables. We built this little farmhouse table for the Santa Fe a couple years ago. There’s really not much to them, you just need the appropriate pair of folding legs. It also helps to use the original table dimensions, if you want to be able to turn the dinette into an extra bed.

CUTTING THE TABLETOP

Since we wanted to be able to use the dinette as a bed if needed, we took the original table top, removed the legs, and used it as a template to cut our new table. The original table top was cut from 3/4″ MDF, so that is what we used for the new table.  Then we marked the center of the table with a t-square, so we’d have guides for our wood strips.

Something to note: If your table has one corner cut off to make sliding into the far bench easier, take note of which side it is on. We realized when we had finished the table top, that we flipped the template and the cut is now on the opposite side. This makes it a PITA to get into that far bench, but it is what it is. Learn from our mistake!

ADDING THE CHEVRON OVERLAY

Once we had the new table cut, we decided to use 2 1/4″ pine lattice, which we purchased at Lowe’s, to make a chevron pattern. We were inspired by the woodworking art pieces of Aleksandra Lee. If you haven’t seen her stuff, you should definitely check it out. She has a great tutorial here on the chevron art she makes. Since I wasn’t entirely sure how I wanted my pattern to look, I cut some pieces at 45 degree angles first to lay them out while I brainstormed.

I definitely wanted the very center pieces to be white, so I started with those. To paint the wood lattice, I took some acrylic craft paint and watered it down a bit so the wood grain would show through. I painted some pieces white, some black, and a few gray. All the natural wood colored slats got a coat of my favorite Minwax Driftwood stain. Then I began laying out my pattern until I was satisfied with how it all came together.

To attach the lattice pieces, we put a bit of wood glue on the back side of each piece and popped a few brad nails in to hold them in place while the glue dried. I actually liked the rustic look of the nail holes, but if you aren’t a fan, you could either fill them with wood filler and repaint or leave weights on the slats until the glue dries. Be extra careful with your nails on the tiny end pieces. They tend to split easily if you get too close to the edge.

ADDING THE TRIM

We let the glue dry for 24 hours, and then it was time to trim out the edges. We weren’t concerned with neat edges when we were building the table, because we knew we’d get a cleaner edge if we trimmed everything up at the end. I placed a clean towel on the work bench, flipped the table top over on top of the towel, and Justin used our circular saw to clean up the edges.

It worked out great! Thank goodness Justin has a steady hand and a Kreg Jig circular saw guide (you can check that out here).  It made short work of the job. Now we had a perfectly straight edge to attach the trim.

For the trim, we used 1″ pine stop from Home Depot, which I have since been unable to find at my store. Otherwise, I’d include a link. That cutoff corner made Justin get a little crafty with some of his cuts, but he made it work. The other three corners had easy 45 degree miters, so they weren’t a big deal. Once we had our trim cut, it got a coat of the black acrylic paint, too.

Then we used wood glue (here is our favorite), a few clamps, and some brad nails to attach it to the edge of the table. TA-DA! A couple coats of matte polycrylic, and she was ready for her legs. (Note: We like to use this matte polycrylic, which you can find at Lowe’s, because it wears well, and it doesn’t yellow over time. If you use white paint on your table, make sure to use a water-based topcoat to prevent yellowing.)

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

We reused our original table legs, because they were still in good condition. Folding table legs are great, because they make taking the table down for storage easy. If you need a new pair for your table project, we like these on Amazon. They are about $50 for a pair, but they are great quality. You can check out our farmhouse table post if you need to see how they are attached. Unfortunately, we put the camper away before I got any pictures of the underside. Isn’t that always how it goes?

The table folds up and stores away in the dinette when we close the camper. It also serves as an additional bed. Our original table was 3/4″ MDF. The new table has a 3/4″ base, and the wood lattice strips are 1/4″ thick. That means the new table is 1/4″ thicker than the original. If you don’t want your dinette bed to be 1/4″ higher in the middle, you’ll have to adjust the table braces on the dinette benches to accommodate the taller height. Depending on your cushions, you may not notice the difference, but since we were building our cabinets from scratch, we opted to take that extra 1/4″ into consideration when placing the braces.

It’s also worth noting that the new table is slightly heavier than the original. We replaced our old heavy foam mattresses with lighter ones, replaced the heavy fridge, and made the new cabinets slightly lighter than the originals as well. This helps us stay within the recommended weight for our trailer, but if you are making a new table, you should always take weight into consideration.

Overall, we are pretty pleased with how it turned out. I mean, other than screwing up that cutoff end, it’s pretty perfect. It’s also a pretty easy statement piece. Everyone who pokes their heads into this tiny camper comments on the table. With a space this small, you definitely need a statement piece, and this little table fits the bill perfectly. Stay tuned for the big reveal of the entire camper. We hope to have it up next week. If you can’t wait, be sure to hop on to our Instagram account. We’ll be posting sneak peeks there.

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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Britney and David are one such family. David is a middle school science teacher. Britney recently left her part-time job to stay home with their two little boys and make the most of their time together before their oldest heads off to school. With Covid closing down most of the family’s summer activities, they finally made the decision they’d been toying with for years–to get a pop up camper and start exploring the country. Though both had been tent camping some as kids, they were RV newbies and are amazed at how much they have learned in just a few short months!

Britney and David purchased a 2013 Palomino Real-Lite 1206 and were immediately ready to make it their own. They had some extra paint from projects around the house, and wanting to save money, they used that as their jumping off point. Britney gave the cabinets a good cleaning and sanding. Then she coated everything with that light gray leftover paint. She finished the cabinetry off with a few coats of matte polycrylic.

Britney said she learned a few lessons firsthand. Take the time to prime so the paint can adhere to the surface better, even if you have a paint and primer in one. She also says she learned she should have waited longer between coats especially in hot/humid weather. After a few touch ups and some extra curing time, it’s held up pretty well. They love how paint really brightened everything up! Need more tips on painting your cabinets? Check out our tutorial here.

She then tackled the countertops. Britney loved all the remodels she saw that used marble contact paper. She used the thicker PVC-type paper, hoping for a little more durability. Then she coated the countertops in the same matte polycrylic she used on the cabinets. Another lesson she learned through experience–the texture of the matte topcoat holds onto dirt and grime, so she’ll eventually have to add another coat of glossy polycrylic to make the countertops easier to wipe clean. The flooring is a peel and stick vinyl plank from TrafficMaster in Walnut Ember Gray. They purchased it at Home Depot.

Britney says the countertop edges had a learning curve. She started by wrapping the contact paper around the edges, but those curves just weren’t looking as sharp as she was hoping. She ended up trimming the edges flush with the countertop, then she painted the t-molding trim. (As a side note, we recommend replacing the t-molding altogether. In our experience, paint may not hold up to the changes in climate and abuse from kids. You can read more about that in our painting post here.)

Britney decided she wanted to keep her bottom cushions, as the faux leather material was easy to wipe down. They have two little boys that bring in all the dirt, and needed something simple to clean. To break up the brown, she found upper cushion covers to tie in the rest of the décor. Dining chair covers are an amazing way to cheaply (and quickly) change the look of the camper. They are also removable–again, to make clean up easy.

The curtains were more of a challenge for Britney, as she hadn’t used a sewing machine since junior high. She wasn’t a fan of sewing back then either. She loved the idea of salvaging the sliders and mesh of the old curtains for the boys’ bunk, and used stitch witchery to connect them to new blue curtains. It was hard to get the seam straight, and in the end, it turned out pretty frayed. She recruited her mom to give her a refresher course on the sewing machine. Britney used her long lost sewing skills to complete the rest of the curtains. She wants everyone to know it’s not as hard or intimidating as it seems. They turned out beautifully, didn’t they?

The accent wall under the bunk is Britney and David’s favorite part of the camper. It was an adhesive tile that was pretty easy to apply. It really ties it all the colors in the camper together. The leaf pattern is a nod to the beautiful outdoors around them. What a fun accent wall in this cute little PUP!

Britney hit a local thrift shop and scored a lot of the décor that you see in the camper, including the bedding, lamp, and blackout curtains. She fell in love with one of the blue mountain throw pillows, and was on the hunt for items that coordinated. She had a blast shopping for the pop up, and searched for items with different textures to add dimension and make the space feel cozy.

Britney and David were intentional about having a lot of meals and rest times in the camper while it was set up in their driveway to help their boys get comfortable with camping in it. Their first night sleeping in their PUP was in Camp Driveway. It’s been a hit for the boys ever since. Mom and Dad don’t mind it too much either. It definitely is their home away from home.

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Growing up, Kristin always loved camping. Her family owned an RV, so they would pack up and go several weekends every summer. Her husband, on the other hand, was a “grab a bag and walk into the woods” type of camper. When their children got older, they would pack up the minivan with their huge tent and head out for a weekend here and there. Kristin found it was SO. MUCH. WORK. The packing and unpacking was barely worth the 48 hour camping trip.

After a few summers of packing up the car and pitching a tent, they decided it was time to hunt for a trailer. After a family vacation was canceled due to COVID, a pop up camper landed in their laps and they knew it was meant to be. Kristin and her family jumped on it. They got an incredible deal on a 2006 Fleetwood Niagara, which they promptly closed up for the winter. During those winter months, Kristin researched, pinned, and dreamed of what she would do in the spring to make that camper a little home away from home.

They finally popped it open when the weather hit about 40 degrees, and there was no chance of rain. That’s spring in the Pacific Northwest. The wheels in her head had been turning all winter, so Kristin cranked up the heater and removed cushions, draperies, and cabinet doors and drawers. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

Because she has little kids and little kids like dirt, Kristin’s number one priority was durability. Sure, she wanted cozy, comfortable, and cute, but she knew her kids wouldn’t be as kind to the camper as she would have liked. She decided to remove the laminate covering on the cabinets before painting, and it took many, MANY hours to remove all of it. About half way though she debated if it was worth it, but she feels like it was.

Once the laminate was removed, Kristin gave everything a quick sand, a couple coats of primer, and then settled on Benjamin Moore’s Satin Impervo Paint. Kristin says if you’ve never used this paint before, get ready for a gut punch when they tell you the cost per gallon, but she feels like it is worth the expense. She says there is NO WAY her kids are destroying these cabinets! Kristin installed new cabinet hardware and magnetic hinges, and the cabinets were complete.

If you’re looking for more tips on painting your cabinets, be sure to check out our post here.

Then it was on to flooring. Kristin researched flooring options quite a bit. Her original linoleum floor was peeling in quite a few places, so she used a heat gun to soften the adhesive and pull it all up. She had all of the flooring out in less than 30 minutes. Then she installed Traffic Master’s floating plank flooring in Khaki Oak from Home Depot.

Since Kristin was going with a black and white theme, she wanted to get rid of all of the brown trim. She removed all of the bathroom trim pieces and any metal trim in the camper. Then she sanded, primed, and spray painted all of it black. This was no easy task, and for a while she says she regretted doing it. It was a lot of work, but it really ties the camper together.

For the time being, they’ve decided to keep the original countertops, because they matched nicely and were still in good shape. They did replace all of the t-trim with a new white trim (you can find that here). What a difference that made, and it is so easy to replace.

Kristin wanted a splash of something fun, but it need to be durable. She settled on this peel and stick wallpaper, but also used a wallpaper adhesive to make sure it would last through extreme temperatures. The adhesive took quite some time to set (but she says that could be because she was impatient and installed when it was 40 degrees outside ). Once it finally set, she also sealed it several times with polycrylic. She is happy to report that it seems to be holding up very well so far.

Kristin almost spent a good deal of time sewing cushions covers until another glamper opened her eyes to the world of chair covers on Amazon. (Kristin used the large sized sofa cushion covers.) They were inexpensive, so she figured they were worth a try. She is SO glad she went that route. The covers took up no time at all and stay put so well. Best part? She can throw them in the washing machine when her kids get them dirty.

For the dinette, Kristin tasked her husband with building a new table. You can find a tutorial on this table here. I’d say Kristin’s hubby did a pretty awesome job with it, right? They added the anti-fatigue foam mats to the bunk ends and memory foam toppers on their beds. They opted for sleeping bags instead of bedding, which makes it much easier to separate the king bunk into two beds for the kids. Want more tips on sleeping comfortably in your pop up camper? Make sure to check out our post here.

Last, but not least, was the canvas replacement. Kristin’s canvas still had some life left it in, but with some holes in the screen and a few rips starting to rear their heads, they decided to bite the bullet and replace the whole thing. They used Bear Creek Canvas for the replacement and could not be more pleased. Bear Creek delivered the canvas more quickly than Kristin anticipated, and when a few of the panels didn’t fit just right, Bear Creek had the pieces picked up, fixed, and shipped back to them within the week.

It was about $1,200 for the entire canvas, and Kristin says that was well worth the investment. They only paid $3,900 for the trailer itself, so even with the brand new canvas, it was still a steal. They called Papa to come and help them remove the old canvas and got the new one installed in about a half of a day.

After a deep clean, Kristin and her family headed out for a weekend test trip. What a difference it made to have everything packed and ready to go! Not having to unpack anything but food and clothes when they got back made camping so much more enjoyable. They loved every moment of that weekend and have several more trips booked for the summer. Lovely job, Kristin! Thanks so much for sharing with us.

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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Nick and Betsy have four children–all boys–who love adventure, getting dirty, hiking trails, and s’mores. Camping is absolutely perfect for them. They had always been tent campers, but this last summer they decided to take the plunge and buy a pop up camper. The main draw was that a PUP was as much as they could haul with their minivan. Sound familiar to any of you pop up camper people?

While Betsy loves being a mom of all boys, she is still very much a girly girl. She loves to make things pretty, and the new pop up camper was no exception. She seized on the opportunity to pick out paint, buy new pillows, and put her design touch on this new little home on wheels.

After a good cleaning, all the cabinets and walls got a sanding and a good coat of PPG Gripper primer. It is actually one of my favorite primers, and we’ve used it on our own pop up walls and the walls and cabinets of our motorhome. It’s awesome!  With the primer coat finished, it was on to paint.

Nick and Betsy used paint from the Sherwin Williams Emerald line. The creamy white on the cabinets and walls is the color Alabaster. Need some tips on painting your pop up camper? Make sure to check out our post here. Next, Betsy wanted to give the walls the look of shiplap without the weight of it, so she used a Sharpie to draw those lines on the walls. From a distance, it looks like real shiplap!

The dinette and sofa cabinets got a coat of Sherwin Williams Vogue Green. Nick and Betsy spray painted the cabinet hardware gold and replaced the flooring with an adhesive plank vinyl. To cover the cushions, they used neutral fabrics and the “wrap and staple method.” I love the deep brown against the green dinette cabinets. Betsy had a friend make the basket light above the table, and the black and white rug really ties the space together.

The curtains were off-the-shelf panels from Target. Betsy removed the tabs from the old curtains and sewed them on to the new panels. This allowed her to use the existing curtain track. The new curtains coordinate well with that fringe lumbar pillow from Target, right? I love the boho look Betsy pulled together for this camper.

After they finished their first pop up camper, they had the itch to do another. Betsy found herself scouring websites to find another camper to give a little TLC. They soon sold the first pop up, bought another one and began the renovations immediately. It’s become a fun hobby, and they have renovated eight pop up campers to date! If you want to see all their beautiful camper remodels, make sure to follow them on Instagram @poppin_up_pretty_. You’ll be amazed. I promise.

Nick and Betsy absolutely love working together on these camper projects, and they make a really great team. Betsy really feels like they are fulfilling a dream they have always had of flipping houses, just on a smaller scale–a much smaller scale.

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Chelsa Jo purchased her 2011 Coleman E3 in June after over a year of shopping. It is a pretty new camper, by pop up camper standards, and some people would be intimidated by that. It is easy to take a well-loved camper and give it a facelift. Tearing into a camper that still looks brand new takes some guts.
Chelsa Jo started by painting the cabinets. She read up about how best to do this. If you want to see our best tips and tricks, make sure to check out this post. Chelsa Jo prepped and prepped. Then she prepped some more. This is key to a great paint job. She started by sanding the cabinets. Then she used an oil-based Zinsser primer.Then it was on to paint. Chelsa Jo really wanted to paint all of her cabinets black. She was worried that the end result would be an overly dark camper, so she broke it up a bit. Some of the cabinets got three coats of sleek, black semi-gloss latex paint. The rest of the cabinets got a semi-gloss white to lighten things up a bit.

To tie in both the black and white cabinets, Chelsa Jo layed a penny tile print linoleum tile in the dinette. She found these cute FloorPops tiles at Joann Fabric locally. She said installation was a breeze, and she was able to lay the dinette flooring in just under two hours with only a utility knife. Then it was on to the rest of the floor.Chelsa Jo has kids, so she wanted something durable for the main flooring. She installed a rubber coin material from RecPro right over the top of the existing linoleum. It comes in 5ft lengths, so she ordered one roll, thinking it was just enough. She was short less than six inches! She had to order another 5ft which added $150 to her renovation costs. There is also a line where the two pieces meet. Lesson learned! Chelsa Jo says to always measure twice before ordering this flooring. To install it, she initially used a vinyl glue. That did not work well, so she ended up adding Liquid Nails to really get it to stick.She replaced all the cabinet and drawer fronts with 1/2 birch plywood. I love the contrast and warmth it adds. The plywood was about $40/sheet. She used her miter saw to cut the pieces to size and ended up using about a sheet and a half for all the fronts. She sanded each door with 150 grit sandpaper, then 300 grit sandpaper. The sanded doors got sealed with three coats of clear matte polyurethane. Chelsa Jo used the original hinges, but she upgraded the hardware to matte black knobs from Amazon (available here).
The bottom seat cushions were a nice grey so she kept those. For some visual interest, she ordered new fabric for backrest cushions from Fabric.com in Berber Basketweave White & Black. Chelsa Jo insists that she is an amateur sewer at best, and was a little intimidated by the cushion covers. She dug in anyway using the previous cushion covers as a guide. Look at how awesome those covers turned out! She says this is the project of which she is most proud–and with good reason!

Chelsa Jo had a whole box of curtains from an old house and was able to repurpose them in the camper. She used them to replace the ugly brown original curtains. The original mattresses were in great shape, so she kept those. She did add anti-fatigue mats (see our post on sleeping comfortably here), and those have been a game-changer for keeping warm and comfortable!
She used 3/4 inch birch plywood on the countertops and table to tie in with the cabinet fronts. Chelsa Jo used the same sanding and sealing method she did on her doors. Since the table would get a bit more use, she actually applied ten coats of polyurethane to the top of it, sanding lightly between coats. The she attached the original folding legs to her new table top. The original black sink was in great shape, so it stayed, but she did upgrade the faucet to a chrome utility faucet she found at Home Depot.
The fridge cover is actually a removable wallpaper sticker from Etsy. Chelsa Jo emailed the designer and gave her the fridge dimensions. She was able to create the wallpaper sticker in the right size. Chelsa Jo says this is her favorite part of the remodel. It love the little pop of color it adds.

Chelsa Jo was kind enough to include a cost breakdown of her pop up camper remodel for all you budget-minded campers, too.

Paint – $150
Floors – $320
Cabinet/countertop plywood – $150
Fabric – $70 (not including the pieces I already had)
Pads for the mattress area – $100
Faucet – $23
Hardware/knobs – $45
Dining floor – $40
Fridge sticker – $25
TOTAL: $923

Not bad, right? She was able to completely revamp her camper for under $1,000. It took her eight days, and was definitely a labor of love, but Chelsa Jo and her family are so pleased with how it turned out. I’m sure they’ll be having all kinds of fun adventures this summer. Thanks so much for sharing all your hard work, Chelsa Jo! Happy Camping!

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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Shannon and Jared didn’t want to spend their summer cooped up inside, so they purchased a pop up camper to help them get out and enjoy the great outdoors–social distancing style. They managed to get their hands on a 2001 Coleman Tacoma. It was in already great shape, but when Jared suggested they fix it up a bit, Shannon was all in!

She started by painting all the cabinetry. Shannon decided to use a paint and primer in one. She selected a gorgeous semi-gloss white and gave everything three good coats of paint. The fridge got a coat of chalkboard paint to make it stand out. Want to know all our very favorite tips and tricks for painting your own camper cabinets? Be sure to check out the answers to all our frequently asked cabinet questions here.

Once the paint was complete, Shannon turned her attention to the cushion covers. She selected a charcoal colored waterproof canvas duck cloth for all the cushions. Shannon made “envelopes” for each cushion. Then the foam went inside each envelope. The sides were folded over and stapled to the wood backing when possible. She stitched the envelope closed by hand if the cushion didn’t have a wood insert.

Then it was on to the flooring and countertops! For the flooring, Shannon and Jared selected an adhesive plank vinyl in a warm brown. Shannon says this was by far the most time consuming project in the camper. Look how it turned out, though. Gorgeous!

For the countertops, Shannon used adhesive vinyl paper that looks like marble (you can find it on Amazon here). It’s a little tricky to apply, but the results are amazing. She added some new white t-trim to the edges where she could. (Shannon had to buy two different sizes of t-trim, so she is still waiting on the remaining edging to arrive. She plans on replacing all the trim eventually, though.)

The Wight’s were going for a camp theme, but they also wanted to pay homage to their Canadian roots. Shannon based the design for her camper on the classic Hudson Bay Point Blanket, and the Wights nicknamed the trailer “Hudson.” They added pops of primary colors from the Hudson Bay color scheme around the camper.

The dinette table got painted with a coat of the same paint she used on the cabinets. Then Shannon used Waverly chalk paint to add those classic Hudson Bay stripes, before finishing it all off with a coat of varnish. She even made cute decals for the exterior and fridge that tie in with her theme.

Shannon found an inexpensive clamp light (available here) and gave it a coat of green spray paint. She can hang it on a hook in her camper, and it can be easily removed when packing up. Best of all, it just plugs in to the outlet near her dinette.

And how about those curtains? Shannon took inexpensive curtain panels from Walmart and cut them in half. She attached the curtain slides and hemmed them to size. Then she got creative with her tie-backs. She used hardware from her local home improvement store and leather cord she already had on-hand. Shannon says these new tie-backs make it easy to open up the windows and let the light in. She added coordinating leather door pulls, which she found on Etsy, to the cabinets.

Then her little remodel project was complete. I love how Shannon created individual bed spaces for her kids by using separate sleeping bags. She even used a cute picnic basket to create a nightstand of sorts. It’s cute and functional, but also portable and easy to pack away. Genius, right?

And now the Wights have a gorgeous camper that suits their needs and tastes. It’s the perfect getaway for the pandemic summer, because they can easily socially distance and let their kids experience an amazing summer vacation. I love it! If you want to see more pictures and follow along with the Wight’s, be sure to check out their blog post here. Thanks so much for sharing, Shannon! Enjoy your new summer home.

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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I love this makeover, because I get asked all the time about skipping the cabinet paint. Believe it or not, you can make quite an impact in your pop up camper without even cracking open a can of paint. In fact, here’s a link to some of our favorite unpainted makeovers. We are definitely adding Shelly’s camper to that list!

Shelly had toyed around with the idea of getting a camper for awhile, but nothing serious ever came of it. When the pandemic hit, after sequestering 24/7 with her husband and two college-aged sons, this mom needed a getaway project. Her family purchased a 2005 Fleetwood Utah, and Shelly turned her attention to remodeling it—with inspiration from all the amazing Reader Features here.

Her new camper was in great shape, but it was ugly.  Because Shelly lives in Arizona, and it is brutal here–no joke–she decided to start with some indoor projects. She sewed cushion covers from canvas drop cloths (we like these on Amazon), which are easy to find at any home improvement store and inexpensive to boot. Initially, Shelly used Velcro on the sofa back but wasn’t happy with the results.  She ended up buying cheap upholstery tack strips for the other cushions, and they worked like a charm.

The tack strips allowed her to really pull the fabric tight. Then she used a hammer to pound the sharp tacks into the thin edge of the cushion board. To add some flair, Shelly hand-sewed a French seam around the dinette backs. She made matching buttons, which she used to add tufting to the sofa back. She says she loves how they turned out, but won’t be sad if she never has to sew another cushion cover in her lifetime. 

Shelly bought inexpensive sheers for the bunkends and shower curtains for the other windows. She cut them to length, hemmed them, and added tassels for some visual interest. She pulled the tabs off the old curtains, glued little hooks to them and added little rings to the sheer curtains for hanging.

If you would like more information on this curtain method, be sure to check out our tutorial on curtains here. The shower curtains already had slits at the top for the shower curtain rings, so they hung perfectly on the little hooks. There was no need to add the rings to those panels.

For the dinette window, Shelly had planned to make the magnetic roman shades that were featured on Caterina’s Pop Up Camper Makeover. Since she was running out of speed, and she couldn’t get into the camper for exact measurements, she made a roll-up version instead. Shelly lined some gorgeous floral fabric with leftover drop cloth. Then she put Velcro tabs at the top to hang on the bump-out frame. She used the leftover material from the bottom of the shower curtains, to make the ties. Didn’t it turn out amazing? I’m definitely impressed.

Shelly’s last sewing project was to sew corners into each new comforter so that they would lay nicely and not hang over the ends of the beds. Then she sewed the bottom of the fitted sheets to the bottom of the flat sheets. And because I know you’ll all ask… Sorry!   Shelly doesn’t have any pictures of this, but she says it makes the beds so much easier to make in the mornings. Sounds brilliant, right? I’m going to have to give that a try.

Shelly got lucky, and Arizona had a random weekend of temperatures in the mid-90’s! That never happens during our summers. So Shelly took full advantage of it and enlisted the help of her good friend to finish up the interior. They had to start at 5:00 am to beat the heat and put in a couple of long days, but they got it done. Shelly and her friend gave the camper a good cleaning before adding peel & stick wallpaper (available on Amazon here) to the lower walls and door.

Because Shelly opted not to paint the cabinets, she decided to go bold with the flooring. She selected a neutral plank vinyl for the main flooring, but the dinette got a fabulous faux cement tile. She purchased both at Lowes and says this was by far the hardest part of her makeover. The tile itself wasn’t too difficult to work with, but it was so hot the adhesive backing was melting all over their hands. Everything they touched got glue on it. In the end though, that flooring pulled everything together, and Shelly couldn’t be happier with the results.

She added 2-inch memory foam toppers (these are our favorites) to the camper beds for added comfort. You can see more on how to make your camper beds more comfortable here. Shelly and her friend have already been glamping in her new camper—which they’ve christened Lady aEthelflaed (a nod to fans of “The Last Kingdom”). Shelly says it sleeps like a dream.  They even have plans for three more girls only trips this summer. And just so her husband isn’t left out, she has two trips planned with him as well.  Not a bad way to spend quarantine, eh?

I hope Shelly’s makeover has inspired you to take on a camper quaratine project or two of your own. I know the wheels in my brain have been turning ever since I saw this gorgeous trailer. Thanks for sharing, Shelly. Enjoy your new home away from home!

Disclaimer:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  The Pop Up Princess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  This means that if you choose to purchase an item from a link in this post, The Pop Up Princess earns a small advertising fee to help pay for future projects and posts…  so thank you!

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