The Sloppy Jos RV Drifters Farmhouse Rustic RV
Credit: The Sloppy Jos

My Favorite RV Hack: Acrylic Mounting Tape

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A No-Damage Adhesive for Hanging Things on Walls and Securing Items During Travel

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. With acrylic mounting tape, I can hang things on my RV walls with no damage and with no holes in the walls. Plus, it keeps things in place while the RV is moving, and can stick things just about anywhere I want to put them.

Photo credit: Cwendt15

What is Acrylic Mounting Tape?

Acrylic mounting tape is a clear, double-sided tape that is extremely sturdy yet can be removed easily. It won’t damage walls or whatever surface it was attached to or leave behind any residue.

Sale
XFasten Double Sided Acrylic Mounting Tape Removable, Clear, 1-Inch x 450-Inch, Weatherproof Adhesive for Brick, Walls- Indoor and Outdoor Applications
  • XFasten Extreme Heavy Duty Mounting Tape is waterproof and can hold up to 5 lbs of mass per square inch of tape.

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 share more 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.

I’ve used it many different ways with great success.

Hanging Things on RV Walls

First, here’s a photo I hung on the wall with it. This is a lightweight 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.

In this video, you can watch me take this picture down a year or two after I put it up:

Securing Items During Travel

One extremely useful use for acrylic mounting tape is for securing items while an RV is in motion, to keep things from rattling, or from falling and breaking.

Sticking Decorative Items to a Shelf

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 decorative space in the corner of one of my slides.

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.

My solution—along with only setting lightweight things on the top shelf—was a piece of acrylic tape to hold the end of the pole in place. So far it hasn’t budged!

Acrylic mounting tape has many uses in an RV.

Securing Items Hanging on an RV Wall

Here is a ceramic planter I hung on a curved wall (with a screw).

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

If you look like closely, you’ll see a tiny piece of clear tape at the bottom to keep it from rattling off the wall every time my washing machine hit the spin cycle.

It hasn’t budged since!

Let’s just ignore the fact that this planter doesn’t have any plants in it. 🙈

Securing Over-Cabinet Organizers

At one point this over-cabinet basket slipped off the cabinet door while our RV was bumping down the road. I stuck some acrylic mounting tape to the underside of the pads so they would stick to the cabinet door.

cropped-Over-Door-Basket-1.jpg

It has stayed in place ever since, and the tape also keeps the metal from scratching the cabinet door where the foam pad doesn’t provide enough cushioning.

Making “Walls” for My Shower Shelves

This next one is one of my favorite RV projects just because I spent such a long time trying to find a solution (unsuccessfully) 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 moved every time we drove. So I made plexiglass “walls” for my shower shelves.

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

These plexiglass panels are stuck firmly to my shower walls (even when wet!) with acrylic mounting tape.

Full tutorial: DIY: How to Add (Removable) Walls to Shower Shelves

Making Storm Windows for My RV

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.

For more, read: 6 Ways to Insulate Your RV Windows (That Don’t Block the Light!)

Here’s another window project that’s kind of silly, but illustrates the ability of the tape to hold in any weather.

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

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. I attached clear vinyl to the outside of the window using the tape.

I know the hole partly defeats the purpose of the window insulation, 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).

Here’s a closer look.

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

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.

Making a Non-Permanent Cover for a Wall Sconce

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!

DIY Changeable lamp shade covers for my RV wall sconce

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.

Adding No-Drill Shelves to RV Cabinets

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 want to set on it.

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

Brands of Acrylic Mounting Tape I’ve Tried

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

Gorilla Tape

Sale
Gorilla 6065001 Tough & Clear, Double Sided Mounting Tape, Weatherproof, 1' x 60', (Pack of 1), 1-Pack
37,099 Reviews
Gorilla 6065001 Tough & Clear, Double Sided Mounting Tape, Weatherproof, 1" x 60", (Pack of 1), 1-Pack
  • Crystal Clear: This permanently clear double sided tape won't yellow over time, making it the perfect window hanging adhesive to match your clear windows

I bought this brand at Lowe’s one day when I needed some right away. It works great, but cost-wise it isn’t the best value compared to these next two brands.

AJ Sign World

AJ Sign World Best 1/2' Acrylic Double Sided Mounting Tape, Residue Free Upon Removal, Crystal Clear, Heavy Duty, Weather-Resistant (1/2-Inch x 36-Feet)
407 Reviews
AJ Sign World Best 1/2" Acrylic Double Sided Mounting Tape, Residue Free Upon Removal, Crystal Clear, Heavy Duty, Weather-Resistant (1/2-Inch x 36-Feet)
  • PRESSURE SENSITIVE - Press firmly for 15-20 seconds to activate bond, holds up to 5 lbs per square inch of tape.

This one 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!)

XFasten

Sale
XFasten Double Sided Acrylic Mounting Tape Removable, Clear, 1-Inch x 450-Inch, Weatherproof Adhesive for Brick, Walls- Indoor and Outdoor Applications
  • XFasten Extreme Heavy Duty Mounting Tape is waterproof and can hold up to 5 lbs of mass per square inch of tape.

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!

Okay, I’m 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! 🙂

Video of Me Demonstrating Acrylic Mounting Tape

If “a picture is worth a thousand words,” then a video is worth a thousand pictures!

Here’s a video where I demonstrate what the acrylic tape actually looks like and feels like, and some of the ways I’ve used it in my RV:

Reader-Submitted Ideas for Acrylic Mounting Tape

One of my subscribers told me that after reading this article she has been finding uses for acrylic mounting tape all over her RV! She shared these photos with me of how she upcycled small bottles and used the tape to attach them to her bathroom cabinet doors for storing small items.

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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58 Comments

  1. I tried Gorilla tape & sticky back velcro in our fifth wheel this summer both failed horribly just from the humidity & temperature differences between day & night 🙁

    1. I’ve had problems with Velcro failing too. Gorilla tape usually works for me but leaves a residue that’s tough to remove. I have had it fail in freezing temps though. Acrylic tape has only failed me a few times due to my exceeding its weight limit, never due to temperature or moisture.

  2. Love this tape!! My daughter first introduced me to it! We have hung a clock and baskets and all summer long no movement! Thanx for the new ideas!! I may have to order in bulk! Hahahahaha

  3. We have had problems in the past with the wall paper pulling away when we attach hooks to walls using a adhesive tape. Have you experienced this?

    1. I haven’t had this problem. Was this wallpaper added to the RV later, or what came from the factory already bonded to the paneling?

  4. We have had problems in the past with the wall paper pulling away from the wall when we attach something using double sided tape. Have you had this problem?

    1. That’s what I wanted to know about the RV wall paper because I don’t want to skew things into these thin walls. So I watched on a youtube video review of Alien Tape and I surmize now it’s just for hard surfaces only like wood, glass, metal, acrylic shower but not applied on surfaces like paint or wall paper or papered dry wall if you ever want to remove it without damage to the surface. It won’t hold to much weight, needs tape across the full width or in multiple places to hold securely and object come in sold contact with the tape.

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