Camper Wall Repair: How to Fix Walls and Replace Wallpaper in Camper Interiors

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Dealing with camper wall repair and damaged wallpaper can feel overwhelming, whether you’re fixing a small issue or completely rebuilding your camper’s interior walls. From sagging wallpaper to water-damaged wall panels, RV and motorhome wall repairs require specific techniques to ensure lasting results. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about fixing camper walls, replacing RV wall panels, and handling common wallpaper problems in your recreational vehicle.

If you’re wondering what to use for rebuilding camper walls or how to replace wallpaper in RV interiors, you’re in the right place. We’ll cover proven methods for repairing various types of wall damage, from simple fixes like reattaching loose wallpaper to more complex projects like replacing entire wall panels. Whether you’re dealing with moisture damage, aging materials, or just want to update your camper’s interior, our step-by-step instructions will help you tackle your RV wall repair project with confidence.

Before diving into specific repair techniques, it’s important to properly identify the extent of the damage and gather the right materials for your camper wall repair project. Many wall issues in RVs can look minor on the surface but hide more serious problems underneath, so we’ll show you how to assess the damage and choose the best repair approach for your situation.

Signs That RV Walls Need to Be Repaired

What Causes RV Wallpaper to Wrinkle, Bubble, or Peel Off the Walls

If the vinyl on your RV walls is wrinkled, peeling, torn, or bubbled up, there’s a very good chance that water got into the walls of your RV and was absorbed by the paneling, causing the adhesive to fail. 

The bad news is, if that did happen, it’s also possible that there’s mold behind your walls. If you see small raised bumps under the wallpaper, it’s possible those are mold spores.

The only way to know for sure whether or not mold is growing inside your RV walls is to cut through the vinyl and possibly the paneling to see what’s happening behind it.

You’ll also want to make sure there’s no moisture still inside the walls. One way to determine this is by using a moisture meter, (available on Amazon).

The good news is that camper wall repair is possible. Once you’ve identified and stopped any water leakage and resealed any areas, you can begin fixing camper walls.

Mold is a dangerous health hazard, so it’s essential to thoroughly and regularly check your RV seams and sealants; even the tiniest holes can let water in!

After you’ve identified and sealed the leak, it’s time to repair the RV wall’s water damage.

Identify and Repair Water Leaks

In addition to repairing your camper walls on the inside, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve identified and stopped any water leaks by checking all sealants on your RV exterior for cracks and gaps and resealing as necessary.

Here are some of the most common places leaks occur that you’ll want to be sure to check:

• Along exterior seams—check for sealant that has cracked or peeled away
• On the roof around vents, skylights, and air conditioning units
• Along the edges of the roof
• Along the edges at the tops and bottoms of slideouts
• Along the top of the curved “nose” of a trailer

Even a tiny pinhole can result in major water damage, so it’s important to regularly check the condition of your RV sealant and reseal the seams.

If you find a leak in your RV roof, read our step-by-step guide about how to fix a leak in an RV roof.

How To Repair Camper Walls

The first step for fixing camper walls is to cut out and remove any damaged wall panels. If you are certain there’s no moisture or mold, you can also just repair the panels instead of replacing them.

How to Fix RV Wallpaper

If you want to try to fix the walls of your RV instead of replacing the paneling, your options will vary depending on what has occurred. See more about each type of camper wall repair below.

How to Fix Peeling Wallpaper in an RV

If the damage to your RV wall is merely cosmetic, such as torn or peeling wallpaper, this is a pretty simple fix.

If the vinyl wallpaper is peeling off of your RV walls but isn’t torn, use spray adhesive to reattach and smooth out the wallpaper.

If any parts of the vinyl are torn, cut and remove the loose pieces, then gently sand the area to smooth the edges.

If you’re planning to paint or wallpaper over your walls, you can use spackling to level out the area where the wallpaper was removed. If you want to match your RV wallpaper exactly, you’ll probably need to replace a larger section of the vinyl, which I’ll explain later on in this article.

How to Repair Sagging Wallpaper in a Camper

If you’re sure there’s no mold or moisture behind the bubbled wallpaper (you might check this by looking at the back of the panel through an access area), a simple repair method involves using a needle or safety pin. Gently poke a tiny hole in the center of the bubble and press out the trapped air. Then, take a credit card and smooth out the wallpaper, working slowly from the edges toward the center.

This technique helps the vinyl lie flat with minimal visible damage. If the wallpaper still doesn’t adhere, you can apply a small amount of glue through the hole to secure it.

How to Fix Wrinkled RV Wallpaper

Just like with bubbled up RV wallpaper, wrinkled wallpaper can also be caused by water damage, but wrinkles can also be caused by the RV shifting and twisting during travel.

If you’ve determined that there’s no mold or moisture behind your wrinkled wallpaper, you can try using a hair dryer or a heat gun on a low setting to melt the adhesive and smooth out the wrinkles using a credit card.

How to Repair a Small Hole in a Camper Wall

If you’ve removed your RV’s factory-installed window coverings, decor, or furniture, you may end up with ugly holes in your RV walls.  If you’re planning to paint or hang fresh wallpaper, these can be filled with sparkling after first trimming or pushing into the hole any raised edges of vinyl to create a level surface.

If you are not planning to paint or cover the holes, I would suggest using wood filler tinted to match the color of your RV wallpaper. This will make the holes barely noticeable from a distance, especially if they’re covered with curtains or wall decor.

What to Do if Those Fixes Don’t Work

If you’re unable to repair your RV wallpaper but don’t want to completely replace the wall panels, there’s another option. Try using a razor blade to make a vertical cut from floor to ceiling on both sides of the damaged area. Remove the entire section of the vinyl that includes the damage, then replace that section of vinyl with new matching wallpaper. Then, cut a 1-inch wide strip of wallpaper to cover the seam (if you look closely, you’ll see this is how RV manufacturers cover seams between RV wall panels).

How to Replace RV Wall Panels

If your RV walls are badly damaged or you do find mold behind them, you will likely be looking at camper wall replacement.

What to Use for Walls in a Camper

Sourcing a single sheet of RV wall board for replacing paneling in a camper is not easy. So far I’ve found just one place to order wall paneling for campers online, and that’s at RV Parts Nation. Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of color choices, and they require that you order at least 15 panels.

One thing you could try is contacting a local RV repair shop in case they have some small pieces of extra paneling leftover from another job that they would be willing to sell to you .

Another option is to replace the damaged wall panel with a sheet of thin plywood from a home improvement store and then cover it with wallpaper to match the paneling in your RV.

That’s exactly what was done in the case of this motorhome wall repair. First, the damaged paneling was cut out and replaced with sheets of luan plywood. Next, joint compound was smoothed into the seams. The drywall mud was sanded, and then the new paneling was covered with a textured wallpaper adhered with Roman’s E-Z Hang spray gel wallpaper paste.

Below you can see the same wall before and after the camper wall replacement. After all the walls were painted throughout the RV, the repair was not noticeable.

How to Match RV Wallpaper

After your camper wall replacement, you have a few options for how to match the new wall to the rest of the wall in the camper.

Option 1: Buy the Revive RV Wallboard kit.

If you have a newer model of RV, you can order the Revive wallboard kit from the Camping World website. It comes in several different patterns that match the wallpaper used in lots of the recent RV models.

Option 2: Find a different brand of RV wallpaper to match.

If you do a search for “RV Wallpaper” on Amazon, you’ll find several brands of wallpaper that look very similar to those used in campers, many of which are far less expensive than the Revive RV Wallboard Kit. One example is this Norwall brand wallpaper that looks a lot like the walls of older RV’s.

Option 3: Match the texture and paint all of the walls.

This is what was done in the example above. The motorhome owner knew she was going to paint all of the walls, so she didn’t worry about matching the color but instead found a peel-and-stick wallpaper with a similar texture to the rest of the walls in her RV. Below you can see another RV with painted walls. Of course, you don’t have to paint your walls white; you could also do a colorful RV makeover.

If you’re not sure whether you want to paint all of the walls in your camper, take a look at these pictures of RV’s with painted walls and unpainted cabinets for some inspiration.

Option 4: Create an accent wall

Instead of trying to match RV wallpaper, another fun option is to intentionally make that wall different by creating an accent wall, like was done using brown pineapple wallpaper in the camper shown below.

For more accent wall ideas, read our article 9 RV Wall Covering Ideas to Create a Unique Accent Wall.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fixing Camper Walls

Can you paint over RV wallpaper? 

In short, the answer is YES! You do not need to remove RV wallpaper prior to painting. We have a whole guide on how to paint RV walls. 

Is it better to paint or wallpaper RV walls?

Neither is better! Both can be inexpensive and depending on your end goal, one might be better than the other. Paint is permanent but can be painted or wallpapered over. If you’re thinking about choosing wallpaper, read our article about tips for hanging wallpaper in an RV.

How do you makeover exterior camper walls?

Replacing exterior RV walls or painting them, for that matter, is a whole other beast, but it can be done! We have the info for you here.

How to Repair a Camper Wall: Conclusion

Repairing camper walls and replacing RV wallpaper is a manageable project with the right approach. From fixing sagging wallpaper to replacing damaged panels, success depends on proper assessment, appropriate materials, and correct techniques. Remember to address any moisture issues before starting repairs, and take time to prepare surfaces properly. With these steps and guidelines, you can confidently restore your camper’s walls and enjoy your improved RV interior for many camping seasons to come.