Prep that RV!

First things first. Cabinet doors, valences and blinds must come down! Once they are all down & out of the RV, I start priming everything. Here's the deal. If you move all of your stuff in & start camping it will be impossible to tackle the renovation. That's why we do it before we ever use it. 

Removing the wall paper border:
I researched like crazy & tried a combination of fabric softener & hot water. Spray, wait & peel. I did that with a few strips, then I started to just find a corner & peel. I'd have to pull hard, but they came off without wetting down! YAY! I ripped the wall at one point though. No biggy. Glad this stuff is down! 
 

Then it's time to take down the cabinet doors, valences & prime. I have found that if you mark the back of the door & cabinet with a number it makes it a heck of a lot easier to reinstall later! 

Labeling the doors & cabinets will save you later

We also love these little burlap sections & will keep them.

Getting closer...

The back bedroom holding all of the window coverings.

We will probably recover these, so I'm putting them in a safe spot of the garage.

(whoops, you can see we're primed here!)

Ready, set, prime!

Go to a paint store & let the manage help you with what you need to use. The guys at Sherwin Williams are amazing. Because these are manufacturer walls/wallpaper, you do not remove it. We will prime over with with regular primer. There's no reason to use an oil based primer. Man am I glad I asked them! 

I'm love/hate with tape. I taped because I feel like you should, but hot dang, I'd rather cut a clean line with my hand than deal with the tape & goop later!

Primed! Took 1 day.

Set up saw horses & cabinets in the garage. The hardware also need removed!

We prime the outside & leave the other side wood.

Mike working on the water heater...

Let's talk paint: 
I go back & forth on chalk vs latex paint. Here's a quick rundown.

Chalk Paint: 

• No prep work - no sanding, priming necessary
• Dries quickly in-between coats
• Pricy - Annie Sloan is the original version, but now Valspar has a product at Lowes that's pretty good! 
• Limited color options unless you make your own (Mix 1/3 C plaster of paris, 1/3 C cool water add 1 C paint)
• Different options for the wax, distressed, modern finish
• Dull finish - looks sharp - not wipe down friendly camping
• Great option for accent pieces, nightstands etc.

Latex Paint (what I used): 

• Paint store experts help you navigate through your project
• Durable, solid product 
• SLOW,  tedious steps
• Gets goopy & chips easily when reinstalling
• Let each step dry a LONG time, in-between coats (cabinets)
• Unlimited color options

Bottom line: 

Next time - Because there will be a next time :) - I'm going to do a combo. Chalk paint the cabinets, prime & roll walls with Latex paint. I happen to hate the priming step of cabinets & I love that it's not necessary with chalk paint. I've also never polyurethaned over the chalk paint. That should seal it in & give it a finish that you can wipe down. 

Am I tempting you to do this yet?! Stay tuned! Paint, color & fun coming next! 

Jess
#GLAMPINGFORTHEWIN!