5 Ways to Make DIY Wood Countertops In Your RV or Van
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Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
Replacing your RV countertops can be a daunting project. There are multiple options to consider: peel-and-stick covering, faux concrete, stone, laminate. Many RVers even use flooring! But by far, DIY wood countertops are the most popular in recent RV renovations!
And luckily, they are cheaper than conventional countertops too.
Here are five DIY wood countertop ideas for your RV.
1. Butcher Block Countertop
Butcher block is by far the most common wood countertop material I've seen used in RV renovations, and with good reason. It is both beautiful and practical! If it becomes too scratched or nicked, you can just sand it down and re-stain it.
A piece of solid butcher block can be pricey, but you could go with a wood veneer instead (like these from Ikea).
Just remember that butcher blocks require care. Condition them regularly! Lee Ann added butcher block to her kitchen and bathroom and uses this:
- Exceeds US FDA regulations for direct and indirect contact with food
2. Stained Plywood Counters
You might be thinking, “A plywood countertop? No thanks!”
But you would be surprised how beautiful plywood can look after it's been stained and sealed!
Here's a video that details the process of staining, sealing, and installing a countertop made from 3/4″ plywood.
Here's another plywood countertop, but the owners of this RV glued 1″x2″ spruce boards around the edges to give the appearance of a thicker countertop. It looks very similar to a butcher block!
3. Pine Boards
A beautiful, solid wood countertop doesn't have to be expensive. Just look at how gorgeous this countertop turned out:
Swipe through the photos above to see how they even restained the pine boards when they re-did the kitchen.
This 20″ solid pine board was cut to allow people to navigate around the toilet and through the interior and exterior doors of this RV. The owner, Chantal, used four coats of polyacrylic to seal it.
This can be an easy and inexpensive way to replace your countertops—especially if you opt for an on-the-counter sink.
In the video below, vanlife YouTuber Eric a.k.a. DualEx demonstrates the process of using plain old lumber to assemble a gorgeous wood countertop in his camper van.
To add extra character to your kitchen, you could use reclaimed wood or even free pallet wood.
4. Hardwood Flooring
Eric and Katie of Mountain Modern Life chose to use hardwood flooring to create beautiful wood countertops when they gave their motorhome a rustic modern makeover. You can read their extremely detailed blog post about the process here.
And in this video they talk about how their countertops have held up over time and how they feel about them two years later.
5. Live Edge Wood
I'm obsessed with the rustic look of live edge lumber, as seen in this gorgeous camper van, which you can read more about at the Brown Bird & Co. blog:
I also love how live edge countertops look when you cover them with clear epoxy, as seen in this bathroom makeover photo:
DIY Wood Countertops
For more DIY countertop ideas, check out: RV Countertop Ideas and Options to find ideas for beautiful countertops to fit any budget!
