12 Painting Mistakes Made by RV Owners (and How to Avoid Them)
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Painting your RV walls and cabinets is an inexpensive way to transform your living space completely. But a few painting mistakes can quickly turn your shiny new space into a maintenance nightmare.
In this article, I share 12 common painting mistakes so you can paint your RV perfectly for the first time.
Related: A Complete Guide to Painting Your RV Walls
1. Inadequate surface prep
Surface prep is a time-consuming necessity—as much as you may want to skip it! Even though some products and paints promise you can skip it altogether, the best way to guarantee a great paint job is to prep your surface adequately. A little elbow grease now will save you from re-painting again in the future, costing you time and money!
One RV owner learned this lesson the hard way when she painted her laminate cabinets without priming. It wasn’t too much later that the paint started peeling off!
To avoid peeling, you must ensure the surface you’re painting has a texture the paint can “grab on” to. To oversimplify it, this is the purpose of primer. It is what your paint will grab onto.
The best method for creating a surface that paint will adhere to depends on what type of material you’re painting. This brings me to the next common painting mistake.
2. Using paint or primer that’s wrong for the surface
When I was young, I accidentally used interior latex paint on some exterior trim on our house. My dad told me it would need to be sanded and repainted, but I couldn’t see the problem. Sure enough, a few months later, the paint started cracking and flaking off. That experience taught me how important it is to use the right kind of paint for whatever project you’re doing.
Read Next: The Best Paint Brands for Painting RV Walls and Cabinets
Kilz is renowned in the RV world for having the best primer. You can use it on both your walls and your cabinets. For your RV interior, you will want an interior latex-based paint. There are multiple brands that RVers recommend that world well; just be sure to prime and paint separately.
3. Not reading the instructions for the products being used
One RV owner read that she wouldn’t have to sand her cabinets as long as she used a certain kind of paint. Skipping sanding is pretty appealing.
Unfortunately, the paint ended up peeling off her laminate (fake) wood cabinets. She ended up having to strip and sand it all off. More time, more elbow grease, and even more money!
Later, she discovered that the paint company’s website said to sand first! Lesson learned. While blogs and Facebook can be great resources for gathering information, they are no replacement for reading and following the product’s instructions! What worked for someone else, might not work on your RV. Always read the product instructions before you purchase.
4. Using cheap paint brushes
You can get a value pack of several paintbrushes for about the same price as one quality paintbrush. However, using a cheaper brush can result in brush strokes showing or bristles falling out and sticking to the paint. I like Purdy brand paintbrushes, but I know many people like Wooster brand as well.
- PURDY XL PAINT BRUSHES - Purdy XL Series brushes are great for all types of environments, both interior and exterior. These paint applicators will help you get the job done right the first time.
5. Planning to fix mistakes later
Some paint was on this trim piece when we were painting our RV walls. Oops, but no big deal. It was easy to scrape off, so we figured we would worry about it later.
A few months later (ha!) I finally got around to it, only to discover the paint wasn’t quite so easy to scratch off! It cured and is harder to remove. I still haven’t gotten around to it yet!
6. Not waiting long enough for the paint to cure
Paint scratches off easily the first few days after painting and becomes more durable after it cures for several days or weeks. Avoid doing anything that might scratch the paint, like moving in furniture, until the paint has cured.
If your paint does scratch within the first week or so, don’t despair! Give it at least a week before determining whether there is a problem with paint adhesion or if the paint was just scratched before curing.
7. Painting when it’s too cold, too hot, or too humid
Temperature and moisture affect primer and paint. After leaving on a space heater while the paint was drying, this RV came back to see this:
The paint had developed a splotchy appearance while drying. Another RV owner reported a similar experience when condensation built up on her RV walls while she painted with the heater running. Most paints recommend that you don’t apply in temperatures under 50º as it affects the paint. You may think that running a heater in winter would be fine, but the direct heat and condensation heaters cause can hurt the paint.
Fortunately, the residue in this photo disappeared after the RV owner wiped down the walls with a damp rag. Avoid problems by reading your paint can and finding the optimal temperature range and humidity level. You may need to run a dehumidifier while painting in some climates.
8. Using homemade chalk paint
Chalk paint is common in RVs. One RV owner I know decided to save money by making her own chalk paint using a recipe found online. She used homemade chalk paint successfully before when painting furniture, but it peeled off when she used it to paint her RV cabinets. She didn’t know exactly what caused the problem and had to sand it all off.
I’m not saying homemade chalk paint will never work. You might get lucky, and maybe you’re on a tight enough budget that the risk is worth it.
Using a highly recommended name brand can remove some of the risks and increase your chances of ending up with a result you love. Plus, you may get a refund if your name-brand paint has problems. I actually got a refund once on some spray paint that came out drippy and uneven.
9. Painting over seams that may shift during travel
I don’t consider this a painting mistake since I’m not sure it could have been anticipated, but it was a problem faced by RV owner Christina.
When painting her RV, she covered the seams between the cabinets and the wood trim. The first time Christina’s RV was moved after the cabinets were painted, the paint bubbled up as the RV shifted during transit.
To prevent this problem, score seams with a razor blade after the paint has dried and before the RV is moved.
10. Not testing colors first
I wanted light gray when I chose the paint color for my walls, but it looked white in the sunlight! I have a friend who bought paint named charcoal, but one coat revealed that it was blue, not grey!
Avoid this by purchasing a sample size of the paint first. Any paint store will do this for a couple of dollars. Paint a test area or paint a poster board and hold it under different lighting in your RV.
11. Waiting too long to remove painter’s tape.
If you remove the painter’s tape while the paint is still wet, you might accidentally smudge the paint. If you wait until it’s completely dry, the tape might peel the paint off! That’s what happened in the RV pictured below.
Remove tape while the paint is still tacky, but not completely liquid. The tape can easily break through the paint but won’t cause it to smear. If you notice that the paint is coming up with the tape, use a razor blade to score along the edge before you pull.
12. Trying to do it all in one coat
When you’ve bought a type of paint that was advertised as requiring only one coat, it can be frustrating to see the old wall color showing through. But that doesn’t mean you should just roll the paint on thicker.
A thick layer of paint or going back over painted areas before they are fully dry, can interfere with drying time. This can result in an uneven finish or leave visible brush strokes or marks from the paint roller.
Plan on two coats for anything you paint in your RV. (Even your RV shower!) Then, if you find you only need one, you will be pleasantly surprised!
Avoid These 12 RV Painting Mistakes
Anyone can paint, but it is easy to make painting mistakes, even if you’re a seasoned DIYer! Keep these 12 mistakes in mind as you prep, paint, and enjoy your beautiful RV.
Feeling bold? Paint your RV exterior!
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.
Thank you for sharing these ideas
Glad to help! 🙂
we had a leak in our air condition which caused the ceiling of RV to show a stain, the ceiling seems to be a fabric materail, our rv is 2003 Damon Challenger wondering how I could paint it to cover the stain, any ideas
Hmm I don’t have personal experience with painting the fabric material, but generally I would recommend Kilz brand primers for covering water stains. If I was going to try painting it myself that’s probably what I would use, but since it’s fabric have you tried looking up ways to clean water stained fabric?
yes I tried all kinds of things to get rid of the water stain the fabric is almost like a carpet low pile of course, and white and where it leaked it likes rust colored… thanks I am going to go to home depot see if they have any fabric paint…thanks
How was you able to resolve your stained ceiling issues? I’ve never seen material on ceilings before. I do know th@at if carpet get stained and won’t come out, you can dye them. Too bad you can’t remove the material.
Fortunately this isn’t an issue I’ve had to deal with myself. Assuming there’s no chance of further staining (for example, if the stain was caused by a roof leak, assuming the leak is fixed), I would first try to remove the stain by looking for a product specifically designed for removing whatever caused the stain. For water stains, soaking the stain with hydrogen peroxide or Oxiclean (using a spray bottle) would both be good options to try. If the stain is caused by rust or nicotine you might try using white vinegar. And if none of those work you might try a carpet stain remover. The key is being able to identify what type of substance is causing the stain in order to create the chemical reaction to remove it. As a last resort, if you absolutely can’t remove the stain and can’t replace the fabric, maybe you could just paint the fabric using a stain blocking primer such as Kilz? It might create kind of a rough texture, but I’m sure it would look better than a stained ceiling. Hope that gives you some ideas!
I had the same problem
With my fabric type ceiling. I used oxi clean laundry spray…not the lysol one..but it’s in a blue and yellow spray container less than 4 dollars at a grocery store.. that and a good long handle brush worked great turned it from a grey black to the light tan white its suppose to be
Hobby lobby for fabric paint
We definitely made the mistake with leaving the tape on too long. We did the ceiling in our slide first and didn’t take the paint off until all FOUR coats of paint dried. Bad move! We are also in danger of #5 if we don’t stop procrastinating on fixing our mistakes.
My rv cabinets are laminate but the trim around the cabinets are covred with something like wallpaper that is peeling off in most places other places it us really glued on. It looks horrible ive pulled it off where i can but need advice on how to remove it completely. I plan on painting both the walls and cabinets and trim. We had some wirk done and now there are holes in the wall. Small ones how can i fill those holes before i paint
If you fill small holes with spackling paste and sand over them they shouldn’t be noticeable after painting. As for the peeling laminate trim, I would probably need to see a picture to be able to really advise, but I would probably just try to glue it down where it’s loose and use spackling or joint compound to fill gaps to create a smooth surface for painting.
Hi Ashley, Just found your page! I just removed all those lovely valances and side curtains in our RV. I purchased some plastic wood filler and filled the holes, but of course on the dark wood, the holes still show, so thinking I am going to be brave and paint the walls on the slides – and then put up a self adhesive shiplap wallpaper on the back wall. Question – I have filled the holes, so once I sand them, that will most likely rough up the walls, so will then have to paint – please tell me your first choice primer and then paint – satin, eggshell? We have 11 windows in the main part of the 5th wheel, the shades are a beige color, so too many to replace, thinking I will try to find a cream color paint to lighten it up, but will still match the shades and the wallpaper…any advice is greatly appreciated.
Hi Teresa, on our RV walls we used two coats of Valspar Signature paint + primer all-in-one from Lowe’s in eggshell finish, and I was really happy with how it turned out. Our walls did have a slight texture to them so I wasn’t worried about it peeling off, and it hasn’t. If you would like more info about what paint products have worked well for other RV owners, I do have a guide that goes into more detail: The Ultimate Guide to Painting Your RV Interior
Hi Angie, I hope you will see this! We have the same problem on our trim around the slide due to a water leak. I was actually thinking of recovering it with a contact paper, or self adhesive wall paper, the problem is we are in SW FL and the summers are so hot that I am not sure over time it would stay on. What did you end up doing with your pieces that were peeling off? I have also looked into pulling those boards off and buying some 6″ trim pieces from Home Depot and just staining them.
Hi Teresa, in case Angie doesn’t see this, it sounds like your idea of just replacing those pieces with new trim would work. I have also heard several RVers say they used spray adhesive to get their peel-and-stick wallpaper to stay in place, so if you don’t mind it being somewhat permanent, that might be something to consider.
Thank you Ashley! Thanks too for the tip on The FB group! So much information ! My head is spinning!
So many great tips! We had paint on our window trim for probably 4 months before actually cleaning it off because we kept thinking we would frame the windows, hahaha. Luckily that came off with a magic eraser or rubbing alcohol. You may wanna try that on your trim, but I know wood is different than metal so it may not be so easy since it’s been a while.
I thought it would be fun to try a different brand of chalk paint on our lower kitchen cabinets. To be honest, I didn’t think anything would go wrong, just that I’d gain experience with a different brand that I could share with others. Ugh, it turned out to be WAY more work, especially with finding the best sealing options, and I wish I would have used regular paint like I did on our uppers. I haven’t been able to get my photos to reflect the color right either which is super annoying. Gotta love the lessons learned from experience!
Thanks for the tip about the magic eraser – I have some paint on a window trim also so I will try it there. Also good to know about the chalk paint – can you share what made it more work than regular paint? Was it a different consistency to work with?
Thank you for all these tips! I will be applying these in our new to us Wildcat 5th wheel 🙂
Oh wonderful! Good luck with your project, and enjoy your new RV! 🙂