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My Favorite RV Hack: A No-Damage Adhesive for Hanging Things on Walls

January 14, 2018 by Ashley Mann 52 Comments

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This website contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase a product after clicking my link to it.

The best strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof adhesive for to hanging decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer is acrylic mounting tape. Easy to remove with no damage.

I talk about my favorite DIY helper, acrylic mounting tape, so often, that I thought I would do a whole blog post about all the different ways I've used it in my RV.

First, what it is: it's a clear, double-sided tape that is extremely sturdy yet can be removed easily and won't damage walls or whatever surface it was attached to or leave behind any residue.

You might be thinking some brand paid me to write this post, but nope–in fact, I've tried a few different brands of it, which I'll talk about at the end of the post.

Acrylic mounting tape double-sided adhesive is a strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof way to hang decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer. Easy to remove with no damage.

It's thicker than normal tape, and it's a stretchy/rubbery/gummy material, kind of like the stuff used to stick a new credit card to a piece of paper for mailing.  Its texture gives it some flexibility and helps it grab onto a surface.

And now for a few of the ways I've used it…

First, here's a photo I hung on the wall with it.  This is a 5″x7″ frame.

Acrylic mounting tape used to hang a photo on the wall of my RV without having to drill holes in the wall. Easy to remove with no damage.

Here is a ceramic planter I hung on a curved wall (with a screw), and I used a tiny piece of the clear tape at the bottom and on the back of the planter to keep it from rattling on the wall every time my washing machine hit the spin cycle.  It hasn't budged since.  Let's all ignore the fact that this planter doesn't have any plants in it.  (Actually it does; you just can't see them because they are dead.)

Acrylic mounting tape used to secure a ceramic wall planter in my RV to keep it from rattling around during travel

This was a good idea that almost wasn't a good idea:

Flameless LED candle and vintage camper ornament on corner tension shower caddy as living room shelf

I used a tension pole shower caddy to add extra space to set stuff in the corner of one of my slides, but I had to remove a section in order to make it fit under the cabinet, and that meant I had to put one of the shelves on the top part that isn't supposed to have a shelf on it.

First of all, I used acrylic tape to wrap around the pole in order to make it wide enough to fit the hole in the shelf.  The problem was, as soon as I set a plant on the top shelf, the weight pulled down on the spring (duh, Ashley) and caused the caddy to fall over.  One of these days, I will find a way to cut the extra section of pole I removed so that it's short enough to fit the space, but until then, this was my solution (along with only setting lightweight things on the top shelf)–a piece of acrylic tape to hold the end of the pole in place.  So far it hasn't budged!

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Acrylic mounting tape has many uses in an RV.

This next one is one of my favorite RV projects just because I spent such a long time trying to think of a solution and Googling a solution (without finding one) before finally coming up with an idea that I love.

If you have an RV shower with built in corner shelves, you probably know that anything left on the shelves while the RV is moving will fall off.  I wanted to find a way to keep this from happening that would allow my shelves to be used and wouldn't require the shampoo to be used, so I made plexiglass “walls” for my shower shelves.  These plexiglass panels are stuck firmly to my shower walls (even when wet!) with acrylic mounting tape.

Plexiglass walls for camper or motorhome bathroom shower shelves to keep items from falling while the RV is moving

Another really successful project was making permanent plexiglass storm windows to cover the parts of my RV windows that don't open.  I used acrylic tape around the edges and stuck the plexiglass to that.  It's really hard (for me at least!) to take a picture of a clear glass window, but you can sort of see the plant's reflection on the plexiglass in this photo:

I made DIY plexiglass storm windows and clear vinyl Velcro screen covers to prepare my RV for cold weather this winter.

Here's another window project that's kind of silly but illustrates the ability of the tape to hold in any weather.  We let our cat go outside by climbing out this window and down this board, and I wanted to cover the window with plastic for winter, but needed to still be able to open it and have a hole for my cat to climb out, so I attached clear vinyl to the outside of the window using the tape.  I know the hole partly defeats the purpose, but at least it blocks some wind while the window is open and my cat is making up his mind about whether or not he wants to go out (after scratching at the window for the past five minutes).

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Clear vinyl used to cover an RV window to add extra insulation from cold weather during winter

Here's a closer look.  I actually had my doubts about how well it would hold because it was below freezing the day I put it up and I had to warm the tape under my hands to get it to stick, but after it did stick, it stayed firmly stuck until spring when I removed it, even through sub-zero temperatures, rain, ice, and snow.

Acrylic mounting tape works even in the rain and in extremely cold weather.

For this wall lamp, I had actually planned to use Velcro to make removable covers, but the Velcro looked so bad, I ended up using acrylic tape instead, and it worked just how I wanted it to.  I was able to remove the geometric patterned cover and replace it with the red and white one for Christmas, and the tape was still sticky enough to hold it on.

DIY Changeable lamp shade covers for my RV wall sconce

For this project, I used acrylic tape to stick wood supports to the end of this cabinet to add a shelf and utilize the space at the top that had been wasted before.  I have no doubts that the shelf will easily hold anything I would want to set on it.

Easy no-drill way to add a cheap, removable shelf to an RV

My most recent use for this tape was to use it to stick some metal tool hooks I got at Dollar Tree to the ceiling of one of my kitchen cabinets to hang pot lids from.

Metal tool hook from Dollar Tree used to hang pot lids

To help the tape stick, I warmed each hook in front of a space heater before pressing it in place, which made the tape a bit squishier.

I wasn't sure it would hold, but it's been about a week now and they're still up there.  The temperature in that cabinet gets into the 50's, too.  [Edit 3/22/18: Well this idea DIDN'T work – the hooks fell down! 😀 I'm planning on trying foam mounting tape instead but haven't gotten around to it yet.  But, since doing the pot lid project, I've since used the tape SUCCESSFULLY for at least half a dozen other projects!]

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Metal hooks from Dollar Tree stuck to cabinet ceiling with acrylic mounting tape to hang pot lids

So now that you can see why I love this stuff, let me tell you about some of the different brands I am aware of.

The first brand I ever tried was some no-name brand that is no longer available on Amazon, so too bad for them that I can't recommend them even though the product was good.

Next was Gorilla brand tape.  I bought this brand at Lowe's one day when I ran out of my first roll and needed some right away.  It worked just as well as the other brand, but costwise it isn't the best value compared to these next two brands.

Acrylic mounting tape double-sided adhesive is a strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof way to hang decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer. Easy to remove with no damage.

This brand from Amazon seller AJ Sign World is the next one I tried, and I could see no difference from the brands I had previously tried.  It comes in both a 1/2″ width and a 2″ width.  The first roll I got was 1″ wide, and I found myself cutting it in half lengthwise a lot, so for me buying the 1/2″ width was a time saver. (I told you I use a lot of this tape, lol!)

Acrylic mounting tape double-sided adhesive is a strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof way to hang decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer. Easy to remove with no damage. Acrylic mounting tape double-sided adhesive is a strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof way to hang decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer. Easy to remove with no damage.

Finally is XFasten, which is the best deal for the money that I've found so far.  And if you look at the reviews for it on Amazon you can see photos where people tested it by using it to stick things like cast iron skillets and ceramic mugs and cans of stew to the wall. 😀

Acrylic mounting tape double-sided adhesive is a strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof way to hang decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer. Easy to remove with no damage.

Almost done preaching!  The last thing I will say is that even though I can't promise this tape will work for every situation, I do believe that even if you buy it for some reason and it ends up not working in that particular case, you will still be able to find plenty of other practical uses for it–at least that's what happened to me! 🙂

The best strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof adhesive for to hanging decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer is acrylic mounting tape. Easy to remove with no damage. The best strong, removable, repositionable, weather-proof adhesive for to hanging decor on a wall or secure items during travel in a camper, motorhome, or travel trailer is acrylic mounting tape. Easy to remove with no damage.

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Filed Under: Decorating Your RV, RV Life, RV Living Tagged With: RV life

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Comments

  1. Charlotte says

    May 1, 2020 at 12:56 am

    Well, thank you for so many great ideas. I got some of the recommended tape and need some advice. First, how do you get the red backing off easily? And is there a good technique for getting the tape to evenly adhere to surfaces? I end up with tape stuck to my fingers and itself.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      May 4, 2020 at 11:29 am

      I always firmly press the tape onto the surface before pulling off the backing.

      Reply
  2. Paula says

    August 9, 2020 at 8:51 pm

    Hi there, I am intrigued…..I have been thinking about keeping my Keurig machine on my counter even when traveling. As of now I have been putting it in a cupboard every time. I had a thought of trying Velcro so that I could move it and clean under it, I don’t foresee having to do that often. Do you think the mounting tape would work?

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      August 10, 2020 at 2:26 pm

      I definitely think the acrylic mounting tape would hold it, as long as you don’t mind replacing the tape from time to time when you want to clean under it. For my own espresso machine I used bungee cords to secure it during travel, but that kind of depends on if you have anywhere to hook them to.

      Reply
  3. GIGI says

    December 10, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Where did you buy the plexiglass in the shower? I guess I don’t know where to look. I have 3 shelves in my rv, and no way to use them while traveling.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      December 15, 2020 at 4:05 pm

      I bought the plexiglass at Lowe’s. You can have them cut it for you to the size you need.

      Reply
  4. Diane White says

    December 2, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Hi Ashley, I am new at RVing and just want to make sure that the Acrylic mounting tape will not hurt the wall paper on the walls. If you choose to remove the picture what is the best way to remove the tape?
    Thank you for your patience.
    Diane

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      December 6, 2021 at 11:53 am

      Hi Diane, as long as you slowly peel the tape away it will come off cleanly without damaging the walls. If you have used a large amount, you may need to slip a butter knife or something flat behind the picture to slowly pry it away.

      Reply
  5. Jackie says

    January 7, 2022 at 9:05 am

    This is a great post. I’ve never tried this product but I’m going to order some right away.
    We just bought a motorhome and I’ve been worried about screwing screws or putting nails in the walls.
    Do you think this will work for putting curtain rods up? I want to remove the blinds in the Rv bedroom in order to install curtains to make it look my homey.
    I’m thinking that I could also stick little plastic storage containers on the doors in the bathroom cupboards for small items like toothbrushes etc.
    I really appreciate the post. My brain is full of ideas for my new to me motorhome.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      January 12, 2022 at 4:11 pm

      Hi Jackie, I have actually used the acrylic mounting tape for both ideas you suggested. For sticking containers on doors to add storage, it works great! For the curtain rods I tried to hang using adhesive hooks reinforced with acrylic tape, they eventually came down, I think because the surface area was not enough compared with the weight of the curtains + rods + the pressure of having them constantly opened and closed. It might work for very small windows, such as those next to a bed in a slide-out. However it never hurts to try! Maybe you will come up with a better method! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kathy says

    January 29, 2022 at 9:23 pm

    I love acrylic tape! But… I can’t figure out how to remove items, without braking them, that I’ve hung with it. I made the mistake of cutting the tape to the exact length, I don’t have an exposed end to get a hold of. Prying with a butter knife has a tendency of breaking the plastic bins I’m wanting to move. Don’t ask me how I know😉🤦🏼‍♀️
    Please help!

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      February 4, 2022 at 10:49 am

      Hmm…I just go super slowly and gradually! Sorry I know that’s not very helpful…😬

      Reply
  7. W.Kelley says

    May 23, 2022 at 12:17 am

    I have used this tape and the original Alien Tape for several years. I have put up all kinds of pictures and decorations. I use small amounts on the bottoms of small decorations on my mantel, table, etc. It does not do well on fabrics. To remove, work slowly, wiggle it back and forth if necessary. I found the best for curtains is to use spring rods under the top valance in most campers. Would also advise against removing blinds as they do keep out a lot of heat and cold. My blinds are up, curtains on spring rods pushed up snug in front of blinds. Have some that have been up for several years. My old camper, we removed the side sections of valances but left top. Recovered the top and added drapes!

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      May 23, 2022 at 10:37 am

      Thanks for these tips! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Michelle says

    May 30, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    Does this do well in heat in an RV. Have used command hooks to hang pictures and they just keep falling down in the heat of summer.

    Reply
    • Ashley Mann says

      June 1, 2022 at 11:20 am

      Yes, the acrylic mounting tape works the same in all weather!

      Reply
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