Hi! Glad youre here 🙂
In this blog post you’ll find a breakdown of each project, including materials & cost, that we did to transform our 1993 Travel Trailer from drab to fab.
But FIRST…PICTURES!
Keep scrolling down if youre just here for the deets.
Love ya’ll!
BEFORE DIY TRANSFORMATION
AFTER DIY TRANSFORMATION
REAL QUICK BACKSTORY
How does two, young parents that have never camped before suddenly get the urge to purchase a travel trailer, renovate it, & then take their THREE children…ages 3, 2, & INFANT camping?!
EASY! Global Pandemic, post partum hormones, & boredom! 😛
One afternoon I was scrolling Facebook Marketplace, as one does, & came across this musty, 1993 Travel Trailer for $4,000.
I messaged the person who listed the trailer & asked if we could come see it but I was too late. She already had several people lined up to go look; her day was full of potential buyers.
With a stroke of fate though, her very first appointment CANCELED & none of the other people lined up to go look could come any sooner.
She asked us. We went. & the rest is history.
We lugged our 3 babies an hour away to see this trailer &, after our baby girl climbed into it like it was hers & sat at the dinette like she was just waiting on pancakes….we bought it.
EVERYTHING inside that trailer was ORIGINAL. The carpet, the couch, the mattress…. we knew we had our work cut out for us but couldn’t have possibly anticipated that the transformation process would become our most cherished, core memories as a new family of 5.
Even after countless late nights, LITERAL blood, sweat, & tears, I have ZERO regrets. We still take “Ms Sunny” (that’s what we named her…fitting because she’s a “Sunnybrook”) out every chance we get.
Here’s a list of all the projects we did to transform our Travel Trailer. I broke down the cost & supplies of every project just in case not all of it applies to you!
I hope you find something you love!
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SUMMARY OF PROJECTS
To see details about each project scroll down to sections below
- Demo – (Total Cost: Blood, Sweat, Tears, & Sleep)
- Prime & Paint – Ceilings, Walls, & Doors – (Total Cost: ~$450)
- Faux Shiplap – (Total Cost: $500)
- Door Hardware Refinish – (Total Cost: ~$60)
- Cabinet Refresh – Paint, Modification, Hardware (Total Cost: ~$300)
- Bathroom Tub/Shower & Sink Epoxy – (Total Cost: ~$100)
- Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring – (Total Cost: ~$400)
- Bunk Beds – (Total Cost: ~$500)
- Custom, Memory Foam Cushions (Couch & Bunks) & Custom Reupholstery (Couch & Dinette) – (Total Cost: ~$1000)
PRIME & PAINT – CEILING, WALLS, & DOORS (~$450)
- Prime Paint
- NOTE: I have become a HUGE fan of STIX primers. It is ESPECIALLY grippy so if Im painting anything but drywall (i.e. camper walls which are covered in a vinyl wallpaper) I default to STIX. It is pricey but, if you’ve ever primed & painted something & then the paint didn’t hold up then, you know as well as I do that a reputable primer is KEY.
- Paint Type: Stix Acrylic Waterborne Bonding Primer
- Quantity: 3 Gallons
- Price: ~$70 per Gallon
- Ceiling, Wall, & Door Paint
- Paint Type: Valspar, SIGNATURE, INTERIOR PAINT + PRIMER, Eggshell
- Color: Sherwin Williams, Alabaster
- Quantity: 3 Gallon
- Price: ~$45 per Gallon
- Paint Supplies (i.e. Paint brushes, paint trays, paint tape, plastic covers/tarps, etc): ~$100
- Paint Rollers, Paint brushes, Foam Brushes
- Plastic Drop Clothes
- Paint Tray
- Paint Tray Liners
- Handy Pail
- Handy Pail Liners
- Paint Tap
FAUX SHIPLAP (~$500)
*NOTE: cost does NOT include the cost of the power tools; if you dont have these tools & dont want to purchse, consider borrowing, renting, or outsourcing.
- Process Steps:
- Purchase 1/4″ plywood sheets
- Sand (if necessary), prime, & paint entire sheets
- Cut plywood sheets down to 8′ L x 6″ H strips (our neighbor let us use his table saw but I believe Home Depot will cut sheets for you if the specifications are simple enough!)
- Cut plywood strips to length & adhere plywood strips to the walls with a brad nailer
- We did try to use a construction adhesive as well as the brad nailer but the construction adhesive did NOT work & it turns out it was NOT necessary.
- We used pennies as spacers between shiplap rows.
- Touch up paint after install
- Supplies:
- 1/4″ Plywood Sheets
- Paint Supplies
- Brad Nails
- PPE
- Power Tools:
- I HIGHLY recommend inquiring with Home Depot about having your plywood sheets cut at the store. Otherwise, you will some way to cut the 6″ strips yourself (tricky, AT BEST!)
- Orbital Sander
- Chop Saw
- Brad Nail Gun
DOOR HARDWARE REFINISH (~$60)
*NOTE: cost does NOT include the cost of the power tools; if you dont have these tools & dont want to purchse, consider borrowing, renting, or outsourcing.
- Process Steps:
- Remove Hardware (be sure to lay out the hardware in an organized fashion so you can re-install correctly)
- Scrub hardware with Steel Wool
- Spray paint hardware & screws Shiplap Primer
- We used several cans of Oil Rubbed Bronze
- HACK: to spray paint screws, push them through a piece of cardboard & then you can easily spray paint the head of the screw!
- Power Tools:
- Power drill
CABINET REFRESH – PAINT, MODIFICATION, HARDWARE (~$300)
*NOTE: cost does NOT include the cost of the power tools; if you dont have these tools & dont want to purchse, consider borrowing, renting, or outsourcing.
Cabinet Paint
- Process Steps:
- Remove Cabinet Doors & Hardware
- Degrease & remove gunk buildup
- Sand & clean off dust
- Prime
- Paint (probably 2 or 3 coats)
- Reassemble
- Paint – Primer
- Paint – Cabinet Color
- Paint Type: Valspar, Tintable Cabinet and Furniture Paint Enamel, Semi-gloss
- Color: Sherwin Williams, Alabaster
- Quantity: 2 Gallon
- Price: ~$63 per Gallon
- Paint Supplies:
- Goof Off Degreaser
- Hand, Block Sander
- Paint Scraper (to help remove gunk)
- Paint Rollers, Paint brushes, Foam Brushes
- Plastic Drop Clothes
- Paint Tray
- Paint Tray Liners
- Handy Pail
- Handy Pail Liners
- Paint Tap
- Power Tools:
- Hand Held Drill (to remove hardware & cabinet doors)
- Orbital Sander
- Lessons Learned:
- Above ALL else, this job requires…PATIENCE! Wheeew! There’s a reason people pay thousands of dollars to have someone ELSE paint. It is a loooong, tedious process but, for me, this was aaaall the way worth it.
Cabinet Modification – Replacing Glass with Decorative Aluminum
- Process Steps:
- Purchase decorative aluminum sheets
- Spray paint decorative aluminum sheets desired color
- Remove glass inserts from cabinet doors
- Cut decorative aluminum sheets to fit cabinet doors
- These could be cut with utility scissors
- Place aluminum sheet on inside of cabinet door & adhere with clear silicone
- Supplies:
- decorative aluminum sheets
- Spray Paint
- clear silicone
- Caulk Gun
- Hammer
- PPE
- Power Tools:
- Power Drill
Cabinet Hardware Refresh
- Process Steps:
- Remove Hardware (be sure to lay out the hardware in an organized fashion so you can re-install correctly)
- Scrub hardware with Steel Wool
- Spray paint hardware & screws Shiplap Primer
- We used several cans of Oil Rubbed Bronze
- HACK: to spray paint screws, push them through a piece of cardboard & then you can easily spray paint the head of the screw!
- Power Tools:
- Power drill
BATHROOM TUB/SHOWER & SINK EPOXY (~$100)
- Process Steps:
- Process Steps:
- Remove Cabinet Doors & Hardware
- Degrease & remove gunk buildup
- Sand & clean off dust
- Cover/protect surrounding Area
- Spray Tub & Tile Epoxy (WARNING: very strong fumes! Wear a mask!)
- Process Steps:
LUXURY VINYL PLANK FLOORING (~$100)
- We found LVP from LL Flooring for less than $2 per square foot!
- LVP is SUPER DIY friendly! It doesnt require power stools either as the floor can be cut to size by simply scoring the floor & then breaking.
- Its a floating floor thats flexible (which is critical for a moving vehicle lol) & its very easy to clean.
- If you’ve never installed this floor before, I HIGHLY recommend spending some time on youtube watching tutorials.
BUNK BEDS (~$500)
- We found LVP from LL Flooring for less than $2 per square foot!
- LVP is SUPER DIY friendly! It doesnt require power stools either as the floor can be cut to size by simply scoring the floor & then breaking.
- Its a floating floor thats flexible (which is critical for a moving vehicle lol) & its very easy to clean.
- If you’ve never installed this floor before, I HIGHLY recommend spending some time on youtube watching tutorials.
CUSTOM, MEMORY FOAM CUSHIONS & REUPHOLSTERY (~$1000)
Cushions
- We DID outsource this part; THANK GOD!
- Custom, Memory Foam Cushions for the Couch & Bunks were from Verlo Mattress in Peoria, IL
Reupholstery
- We outsourced this too!
- We used Custom Designs Upholstery in Peoria, IL & he did FABULOUS work!
