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If painting, staining, or replacing your wood cabinets is out of the question, try one or a few of these ideas for a fresh look.
1. A white subway tile backsplash
White subway tile can brighten and modernize oak or maple cabinets, making a dark kitchen seem lighter.
RV owner Morgan Conner used peel-and-stick subway tile in her RV kitchen, pictured below:
RV owner Patricia Pradmore used real tile in her RV, shown below. Flexible grout (available at most home improvement stores) is recommended due to the motion of the vehicle.
2. Gray walls
Gray is a trendy choice for wall color (“the new beige”), and it happens to complement amber colored wood nicely.
Dark slate walls are bold choice that may be too dark for some spaces, but with light floors and plenty of natural lighting, the look can be stunning. (Need advice for painting RV walls? Check out my article where I wrote about tips for painting RV walls and cabinets.)
We chose a light gray (A Benjamin Moore color called “Into the Gloaming”) for the walls in our own RV to compliment the maple cabinetry. (See more pictures of our RV here.)
Dark gray peel-and-stick subway tiles and stainless steel hardware and appliances give this RV kitchen a sleek look.
3. Accent with stone or brick
A stone or brick backsplash or accent wall makes light wood seem rustic and earthy.
Although real stone is likely too heavy for an RV, a look similar to the one below might be achieved using a faux stone veneer.
Removable peel-and-stick wallpaper offers an affordable and reversible alternative. The RV kitchen pictured below features this wallpaper.
After what was deemed an unsuccessful attempt to paint a “brick” backsplash, this homeowner ended up using brick wallpaper and was very happy with her results.
Brick wallpaper was also used in this RV kitchen.
4. Mosaic tiles
A popular choice for many RVers a peel-and-stick tile backsplash, like this one that RV owners Emily and Barry installed in their kitchen, pictured below. You can see “before” photos at their blog. Smart Tiles and Tic-Tac-Tiles are both peel-and-stick tile brands I’ve heard RVers say positive things about.
Another RV kitchen upgraded with a peel-and-stick backsplash:
5. Colorful walls
Try choosing a wall color that contrasts with honey colored wood.
Alternatively, oak blends nicely with a neutral wall and gold accents in this bathroom.
6. Replace the hardware.
Dark, modern cabinet hardware can give a kitchen a richer look.
If you don’t want to spring for all new hardware, you could try spray painting your old hardware, like this RV owner did. The paint may chip off over time, but this method can at least get you by short term.
7. Add a decorative insert
This RV owner added sheets of imitation black leather contact paper to the panels of her cabinets. Chalkboard contact paper or any other type of contact paper would work as well.
For more kitchen makeover ideas that don’t require major renovations, check out my blog post about backsplash ideas or this one about RV refrigerator makeovers. For clever RV kitchen organization ideas, read this blog post.
Thinking about painting your cabinets instead? Check out my blog post “RV Owners Who Painted Their Cabinets” to see some photos.
So many great options. Honestly, I am far too lazy to paint the cabinets. I’m just painting the walls and that is enough work for me. 😉
That’s a big reason I haven’t wanted to paint our cabinets either! I want to wait and see if we end up keeping this RV long term before I go to all that trouble. For now I’m working with the wood, although I’m seriously considering painting our crown molding and perhaps some of our overhead cabinets to match our walls or perhaps a shade darker than the gray of our walls just to cut down on the AMOUNT of wood color.
Hmmm, maybe I should have read this before updating our cabinets, haha. Great tips, especially for those who don’t want to pour a lot of time and money into a project!
Yeah well its nice to see every ones makeover ideas for a camper myself though I’m not even creative don’t and can’t get the help live on family property so camper is right here to I bought it really cheap and so had. Family worker look at roof said it was really bad and the floor inside I know needs repair I’m really just sad about the whole thing family member won’t let me bring helpers on there property to see if salvageable which they see its junk oh my shot down before the beginning ugh poor camper been sitting over 2 years before I got it lol jokes on me guess any thoughts about this dilemma please encourage its a 2006 I think pull behind needs Tlc thanks for input disabled.Military veteran with no where to turn on this one
So sorry to hear about the problems with your camper! From what I’ve seen, renovating a camper is a big job that requires some serious construction work (especially one with roof damage, which is also likely to have water damage and dangerous mold problems). Unless you’re up for that kind of a challenge or are able to get help, unfortunately I’d say it might be best to give up on that one and look for a good deal on one that isn’t quite so damaged. Best wishes and hop you can find something you love that meets your needs!
Thank you for the ideas. How did you clean the walls and remove the border wall paper before applying the peel and stick backsplash?
I would like to add that to the kitchen and possibly behind the bathroom sink.
I want to avoid problems later of it peeling off.
Any thoughts on how to remove the wallpaper border without messing up the original wall? I don’t want to paint the walls but want the border gone.
Thank you so much.
Marsha
Hi Marsha, it’s Ashley, the author. I have not personally applied a peel-and-stick backsplash in an RV (this article is a round-up of photos from other people’s RV’s). However I would recommend just using water and maybe some dish soap to clean the wall. If there are grease splatters on the wall that don’t come off with soap and water, I would recommend TSP (be sure to wear gloves) or TSP substitute (safer), followed by plain water to remove all chemical residue. As for removing the wallpaper border, I have done that before. You basically just get an edge up and start peeling. A hair dryer can be used to help loosen the glue so that it comes off more easily, and then Goo Gone is what I used to remove the residue after peeling off the border. Good luck!
It’s good to see an article about ‘keeping the wood’. Thanks for the idea! Everyone is so intent on painting their campers white at the moment. I feel like it’s going to date quite badly in the long term.
Well, many people aren’t too worried about “long term” with campers, but my philosophy is that you should decorate your camper however you like! If that means painting your interior white, then by all means go for it, but if you prefer natural wood or just don’t like the idea of taking on a giant painting project, then I think wood cabinets can look great too! 🙂
I’ve been looking for ideas to cover/ replace glass panels in cabinets over headboard in bedroom of our camper. We painted the cupboards white. 2 doors have glass panels, frosted grayish with an outdated design. Any ideas? Thanks
Hi Sara, I have seen people replace the glass with punched tin or beadboard paneling. I’ve also seen people cover it with fabric, peel-and-stick wallpaper, or decoupaged paper. Maybe someday I need to publish an article with ideas like that! 🙂
Thank you for the ideas!
Thanks for your post on keeping the wood cabinets. I love seeing all the makeovers of others RVs but that’s just not for me. I personally I enjoy the rustic decor we’ve gone with and really enjoy not worrying about all the touch ups in the beautiful white interior. I worked in an automotive paint shop factory for 20 years so every spot would drive me insane.. We do look forward on our adventures to find nice pieces to add to the themes we have chosen. I did however remove the window valances from all the windows. They were just awful. Lol. Thanks for all your information and safe journeys
You’re welcome! It’s been four years now since I wrote this article, and since then I’ve seen many more great examples of RV’s which were updated but with the wood cabinets left alone. That’s my personal preference as well actually. I have been meaning to update this article or write another one with more examples!