tiny living Archives - KREATING HOMES

Installing A Dishwasher In A RV

August 3, 2020 3 Comments

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When we first made a list of must-haves for our fifthwheel a dishwasher did NOT make the cut. Sure, it would be nice but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Fast forward 2 years add in a toddler and shelter in place orders and suddenly a dishwasher seemed of utmost importance. So today Im giving you the deets on our experience with installing a dishwasher in a RV.

Before and after installing a dishwasher in our RV

Selecting A Dishwasher

First, let’s start with which unit we installed and why. Obviously space is a HUGE factor so we needed something compact. That said, I wanted the output to be worth the sacrifice in space. I didn’t want to give up a huge chunk of my kitchen storage just so I can have a unit that washed 2 plates at a time(ya feel me??). We found the 18″ Frigidaire Dishwasher to be the perfect size for our space.

The next factor for us was weight. Some residential units are pushing 200 lbs and even the so called “compact” units come in over the 100 lb mark. Luckily, the Frigidaire Dishwasher we selected only weighs 54 lbs. We both felt like this was a safe weight to be adding to our space.

Installing the Dishwasher

There are basically two things that every unit will need: water and power. For us, this meant the easiest place to put the dishwasher would be our kitchen island. The island in our unit houses the sink and two electrical outlets. After a ton of brainstorming and measuring and measuring AGAIN we decided the right end of our island would work best. We had to sacrifice 4 drawers and 1 electrical outlet but it was totally worth it.

Removing drawers to install a compact dishwasher

Q removed the drawers, hardware, and outlet first(we have a project coming soon that will recycle these drawers!). Then he cut the cross pieces with a reciprocating saw and finished the small adjustment cuts with a jigsaw. The cuts were pretty straight but we didn’t stress to make these absolutely perfect as the dishwasher has a rubber flange that covers the face of the cabinets along the whole front edge.

Lastly, he hooked up the electrical to the existing box and used the Snappy Trap Drain Kit to hook up water. The kit really simplified the plumbing portion of this whole instal and it fit perfectly under our sink. Luckily Q is pretty handy and some of our previous renovations have given us a crash course in both plumbing and electrical. I’d say this job only takes an afternoon start to finish.

Was It Worth It?

This unit is advertised to hold “8 place settings” at a time. I wasn’t sure what that really meant for our family of 3 when we were shopping around. Now, I can say it holds a “full day” of dishes. That means all the dishes we use for 3 meals a day and countless snacks(hello toddler life🤦‍♀️). This even includes pots and pans(although I still hand wash our cast iron)! Overall, Im pleasantly surprised at the capacity.

We’ve used mostly the “normal” and “heavy” cycles but there are several others and even a handful of additional options. Things like heated dry, sanitize, delay wash, etc. The wash quality is awesome(even with little rinsing) and the noise level is minimal.

Its only been a short time but I already feel like its worth EVERY cent spent and inch of space sacrificed! If you’re just a weekender a dishwasher is likely a luxury you can do without. If you’re a full-timer I would say GO FOR IT!

So tell me, does your RV have a dishwasher? If not, have you considered installing a dishwasher? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!

DIY, tiny living

Updating RV Doors

November 22, 2019 No Comments

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Doors. An absolute necessity but also generally pretty bland straight out of the factory. Our interior fifth wheel doors were not only bland but also dark and in rough shape. With a few extra supplies we were able to update all the fifth wheel doors with minimal work.

First Layer: Paint

We started this update like many of the others… with paint! Luckily this was also around the time we decided enough was enough and bought a paint sprayer. I know I’ve mentioned this before but I’ll say it again: total game changer! It took longer to set up and clean up the sprayer than it did to actually paint. Ahhhhhmazing! So a couple coats of the same Cabinet Enamel we used on the rest of the interior and these doors were already much improved.

The louvered closet door didn’t need much more. A set of new black hinges and a couple coats of spray paint on the handles and this was complete. Super simple and super effective.

Second Layer: Peel & Stick

The panty door was a different story. It has a faux stained glass insert that HAD to go. We weren’t willing to try and remove and replace the glass because that seemed like way more work than we wanted to attempt. So we decided simply covering the existing glass was best. Enter chalkboard vinyl and marble contact paper!

Because the faux stained glass had a raised texture we cut down plastic sheeting(made for lining wire shelving) and glued it into place. This left a perfectly smooth surface to cover with the chalkboard vinyl. We finished it off with PVC corner trim and a bead of construction adhesive to cover all the seams and seal everything up.

Lastly, the inside of the door needed some love. It felt like too much chalkboard to repeat on the interior glass so we went with something purely decorative. We had a roll of marble contact paper for lining the cabinet shelves and it was perfect for the updated color palette. Just cut to size, stick on, smooth out, and seal with a bead of white caulk! So easy🙌 And in case nobody has told you yet: these caulk tools are a LIFESAVER.

Before & After:

So have you updated your RV doors? Did you paint? Use chalkboard or contact paper? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

holidays, tiny living

Fall Fifthwheel Tour

October 10, 2019 No Comments

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If you follow us on IG you know we spent the last week traveling out of our usual path(and even dodging some snow!). And with all that cool Fall weather I couldn’t help but decorate the fifthwheel for Halloween! I love having a festive space regardless of how big(or small) and how much time we’re there. I decorate our spaces all year long and I think it’s time to start sharing some holiday tours with you guys. Lets start with a Fall fifthwheel tour!

Its finally FALL and our favorite time of year! We love making our tiny space extra festive and cant wait to share this Fall fifthwheel tour with you all! — White Craft Pumpkin, Blue Indoor/Outdoor Pumpkin(from Marshalls), Magnolia Home Basket

When it comes to decorating our fifthwheel for any of the holidays we spend in it I only do one thing differently… I use Command Hooks! And I mean I use them for EV.ER.Y thing! Serious life saver in any sort of tiny home🙌 Q has even used them for hanging lights outside our fifthwheel windows and doors at Christmas.

It doesn’t take much to make a tiny space feel festive. Sometimes I just throw up holiday kitchen towel and consider it decorated. Other times(like last week!) I make my way through every nook and cranny and try to liven it up. Its fun, its something I’ve enjoyed doing in every place we’ve ever lived, and hopefully you guys are feeling at least a little festive after this tour too! Ive tried including as many sources as possible for the projects and decor in the captions below.

Living:

Kitchen & Dinning:

Orange Paper Fans, Skull Jar(from Marshalls)

Bathroom:

Bedroom:

So, have you spent any holidays in your RV? Do you decorate? Would you like to see more posts like this Fall fifthwheel tour? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

DIY, tiny living

Painting your RV

September 20, 2019 No Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Painting your RV. It’s one of the things I get asked about most on this ol’ blog and all our social media. I wish I had a simple answer but as with most RV DIY projects… things are a little complicated. So let’s get into the details of what we used, why, and how it held up!

Cabinet Enamel

The best paints to use when renovating your RV!

For the largest portion of our painting we used Valspar Cabinet Enamel. It covers all the cabinets, drawers, trim… basically anything that used to be dark wood! For about 99% of all this we applied it by hand with brushes. This was EXTREMELY tedious! I did a ton of research and everyone has a different idea on what works best and how to do it but one thing everyone mentions: this is time consuming work!

More recently we used the same paint in a sprayer to refinish our doors. This was an absolute game changer! When it comes time to paint our next project on wheels I can guarantee we will be using a sprayer. I don’t care how long the “taping off” process takes. I know it will be less time than I spent with a brush in my hand! It also coats everything super evenly and gets into tricky spaces (like our louvered doors) easily.

The Pros:

Self leveling so there are zero brush strokes.
Dries hard so no worries about tacky cabinets.
Works well in a sprayer.

The Cons:

It chips if it gets scraped, scratched, crunched, etc… This happened a lot during all the renovating so that was a serious bummer.
It’s expensive. Depending where you buy it a gallon of this stuff can be almost double the price of a can of latex paint.

*A note about painting RV cabinets: no matter what paint you use or how you apply it you absolutely MUST cut the seams! Simply run a sharp utility knife down the seams were your cabinets are joined after your paint is dry. We didn’t learn this trick until after the first round of painting and we had a good amount of splitting and flaking from all the shifting that happens when you are traveling down the road. Serious bummer but super simple fix!

Chalk Paint & Wax

We used FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint on the faux shiplap walls in the slide that houses our dining room and couch. Its actually watered down for that project and I loved the white wash look we got. We have also used this on several smaller projects as well. Things like the dog bowls, plant stands, and our pendant lights. This has become my go-to for smaller quick projects and all things white washed.

The Pros:

No need for sanding! You can seriously paint right over any surface with the most minimal prep.
This paint is so flexible and forgiving. You can use it straight out of the can, mix custom colors, and even water down for a color wash.
The coordinating wax finishes off the painted surface without all the bother of fumes and chemicals found in other sealers.

The Cons:

Not as many color choices. You may have to mix yourself a custom color.
Sold in small amounts so not the most cost friendly option for larger projects.

Spray Paint

This one is the biggest surprise of the list! We’ve used spray paint for so many different projects over the years but the payoff on the painted projects in here are surprisingly impressive. The majority of the spray paint we used in this space was for fixtures. Things like the ceiling fan, pendant shades, and door handles were perfect candidates. All the projects we used spray paint on have held up perfectly so far which is a total win as its also saved us some serious bucks!

The Pros:

Quick and easy to apply (and quick to dry!).
Can be used on most surfaces.
Inexpensive.

The Cons:

Limited color selection and you cant customize by mixing.
Some surfaces require extra prep to ensure durability.

So, have you used paint on your RV renovations? Do you have a favorite? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!

DIY, tiny living

Updating RV Furniture

March 26, 2019 3 Comments

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We’ve shared a handful of our fifth wheel projects now(yay!) and after getting a pile of the same questions regarding our furniture updates I thought Id get together a post to house all the links and info. Hopefully this makes it easier/faster for you guys to reference the posts as well!

Dining Table & Chairs

We built our dining table and you can read the post here. The chairs we ordered on Amazon and they came in a set of 4. Two of the set were used at the dining table and two were used at the desk located in the back of the fifth wheel.

Sofa

The original sofa that came with the fifth wheel was crazy heavy, a sleeper, and not even close to our style. We knew right away the sleeper feature was not important but the style was. After a lengthy online shop sesh we found this Dove Grey Sofa at World Market. It fits the space in our slide perfect and is super lightweight! It also comes in a few large sections making it easy to assemble(which we did once it was inside).

Headboard

Our headboard was originally a super flimsy corduroy and cardboard number(yikes!). Luckily, it was also one of the first things we swapped out. We found this headboard at a West Elm pop up store which meant it was an absolute steal! We unassembled everything so we could just use the actual headboard. Later we used the wood from what would have been the frame as shelves and other small projects.

We will be updating this post as the projects keep going so keep an eye out for more soon!

A list of some of our top posts to help with updating RV furniture! Check out the projects, posts, and products we are loving in our home on wheels!

DIY, tiny living

DIY RV Table

February 6, 2019 3 Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Ok, lets talk RV furniture. And lets get real… the furniture that is considered standard in most RVs is generally pretty bland. And beige. Aaaaand bland…. Did I mention bland? Ok, you guys get the point. Seeing this first hand in our fifth wheel we knew the majority of the furniture would be scrapped. And while it would have been convenient to just find new pieces that fit our style and our space straight off the shelf that was basically nonexistent. Enter the DIY RV table for our fifth wheel!

The Original

In case anyone forgot how “charming” the original dining set was, lets go down memory lane…

Ok, maybe there was a slight hint of sarcasm there! Sitting in these chairs felt like a 3 bears episode. I was fairly comfortable but Q(standing over 6′ tall) felt like he was at a child’s table. Besides the size, neither of us could stand the style and colors in the set which made tossing the whole thing a no brainer.

If you follow me on Instagram you may remember the day we stumbled upon a West Elm outlet pop up store… seriously one of the most exciting discoveries ever! It also couldn’t have been a more perfect time because it was shortly after we purchased the fifth wheel and we were still in the planning phases.

As we walked through the store I only had a loose idea of what I wanted to do with our space. That said, I knew I needed to bring home certain items the second I saw them! Sometimes when you know you just know! And I knew the second I laid eyes on the Mango Wood Dining Table that it was coming home with us.

Obviously the table was way too big for the fifth wheel. Buuuuut when I saw that beautiful slab of wood I just saw a pile of DIY possibilities! Plus, at the crazy outlet price we were able to snatch 2 tables for a fraction of what a single piece of mango wood would cost anywhere else. I spent the next few nights sketching out plans and cuts to get the very most out of every inch of this top.

Repurposing and Customizing

A few days and online orders later and we got to work. We scrapped the metal base and very carefully cut the tops. Between the 2 tops we got 1 table, 1 desk(more on that in another post), wall shelves, and a few other small projects. I stuck with a simple square shape just big enough for 2 of these Eames style chairs. We also hit the edges with a bit of sandpaper just to smooth out anything kicked up by the saw.

Now lets talk about legs. I wanted something to coordinate with some of the other hardware in the space so I kept my search in the matte black finishes. I also needed the legs to be easy to mount, sturdy, and fairly light weight. These hairpin legs checked ALL those boxes! We pre-drilled holes to keep the tops from splitting and screwed the legs directly into the bottom of the table.

After attaching the legs and testing the table on the new floors we needed just one more accessory. Hairpin leg protector feet! The new floors are amazing but we didn’t want to chance any scrapes or scratches. These feet keep everything solidly in place without direct contact from the metal. If you’re using hairpin legs for any kind of DIY project I would highly recommend these! They’re lightweight, simple to pop on, and come in a ton of colors in case you want to get crazy with your design.

Its been several months and several trips and I can confidently say this was the perfect choice for us! I love that we were able to repurpose the table top because it was an absolute steal but I really love the style it brings to our tiny space.

The Upgrade

So, have you repurposed or customized any pieces in your RV? Have any plans to in the future? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

DIY, kitchen, tiny living

RV Kitchen Upgrades

December 31, 2018 4 Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

We did a number of upgrades to the interior of the fifth wheel but some of my favorites happened in the kitchen. Luckily not all the kitchen upgrades were major time consuming intense projects(like flooring or painting!). The ones listed here were some of the simplest and quickest DIYs we completed!

Stick on Backsplash

RV Kitchen Upgrades

[before]

RV Kitchen Upgrades

[after]

Peel and Stick Subway Tiles completely changed our tiny kitchen! They are so simple to work with and you can change your backsplash in minutes. Literally just measure, cut, peel, and stick! I picked these tiles in particular because they’re resistant to heat, moisture, bacteria, and mold. Plus they’re far less weight than actual tiles and thats key in RV makeovers.

RV Kitchen Upgrades

We’ve been cooking in our tiny kitchen for months and I still love these tiles! I’ve put them through quite the heat test as we cook at home nearly every night. They’ve also been washed and wiped them down with multipurpose cleanser after some of our more messy meal prep (think bacon grease and spaghetti splatters) and they still look like new. Absolutely stoked on these tiles and I’d use them again in a heartbeat!

Cabinet Hardware

RV Kitchen Upgrades

In my opinion, hardware is one of the easiest changes to make with one of the biggest payoffs. The original cabinets had small oil rubbed bronze handles and pulls which matched the very brown themed interior. They were ok but they weren’t great. And they definitely didn’t fit the modern look we wanted to bring to the space.

After a bit of searching I found a style that came in both a pull and a knob. We needed the pulls for the drawers and the knobs for the cabinets. They come in bulk packs which is awesome because they’re priced so well and we used them for the entire trailer. The multiple lengths also meant we were able to use the existing holes in the cabinets and drawers.

Faucet and Soap Dispenser

RV Kitchen Upgrades

Initially when we gutted the fifth wheel I really wanted a whole new sink set up. And that would have probably happened if we had no budget and endless amounts of time. Ha! As a compromise I decided to start with a new faucet and see if that changed the look of the sink enough. And guess what? Totally did the trick!

We went with a pull down faucet in matte black that required only a single hole. This also meant we had and extra hole in the countertops from the previous faucet. And guess what fit perfectly in that space? A soap dispenser! This also came in a matte black which matched all our new hardware. Both felt like total luxury upgrades and the dispenser meant one less thing on my countertops. These 2 simple upgrades totally changed our sink space without having to rip out the original or mess with the countertops. We consider that #winning!

Copper Dish Rack

RV Kitchen Upgrades

This one is more of a pretty purchase than an actual upgrade but I still feel like its worth mentioning! Knowing we’d be washing all our dishes by hand was a major downer for me. Like I’ve mentioned, we cook at home for nearly all our meals and in our previous spaces I really put our dishwashers to use. So, if I had to have dishes out drying I figured I’d at least find something pretty to look at. This copper dish rack matches a handful of other decor I have in the fifthwheel and its held up to even our heaviest pots and pans. Obviously a dish rack is one of the most basic kitchen accessories but I promise it feels like an ‘upgrade’ when you’re hand washing every single dish in your RV!

Mounted Paper Towel Holder

RV Kitchen Upgrades

Lets be honest, no matter how nice or new your RV is there’s just never enough counter space. Ever. So anything we could do to free up just a bit more was a welcome upgrade. This included things as simple as a mounted paper towel holder. We mounted ours on the side of the kitchen island so its nearly out of sight. We also went for a simple black design that matched the cabinet hardware so it looks even more cohesive.

Magnetic Knife Strip

RV Kitchen Upgrades

In our previous stick built homes I’ve always had a drawer organizer or wooden block for our kitchen knives. Unfortunately both took up more space than I was willing to give up in this tiny kitchen so I found a knife strip we could mount on the wall. At first I was a little worried whether or not it would be strong enough to withstand traveling with the knives hanging but we’ve really put it to the test and its held up great. The magnet on this is incredibly STRONG! Plus, it was super easy to install over the stick on tiles.

Surely over time we’ll find more ways to upgrade our space. For now, we’re just happy all of the upgrades were simple to add and functional so far. So, have you made any upgrades to your RV kitchen? Tried any of the ones I mentioned above? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

before & after, DIY, tiny living

Faux Shiplap RV Walls

March 30, 2018 88 Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Ok. That was a crazy(unplanned!) break. But big things are brewing and changes are coming to both this blog and our space. More on that soon! Promise!

But now that I’m back to the blog life lets chat about RV walls. Specifically how we remedied the dark and dirty walls in our fifth wheel with some awesome faux shiplap! In case you forgot the way it looked before…. lets take a trip down memory lane:

Faux shiplap RV walls

[Right after we brought the fifthwheel home]

Faux shiplap RV walls

[Halfway through demo]

Most of the walls were covered in the beige wall paper but the slide out that houses our living room and dining room had a bit of extra flair. The bottom half had a decorative border of plastic faux stone tiles and dark stone wall paper. How a designer thought dark and stoney was a good look in such a tiny space…I will never know!

So these items had to go. ASAP! But after doing the demo we needed a way to cover the ugly bits. We thought about painting it but its such a small amount of wall we wanted to so something a bit extra. Enter faux shiplap!

We’ve all heard and seen the wood planks a certain tv star has made so popular recently. And I do love the look. But I dont need it covering all my surfaces. Plus, real shiplap is pretty dang heavy. So adding just a touch of the treatment was the trick!

Faux shiplap RV walls

We’ve used faux shiplap in some of our spaces before and the method is super simple. We cut down sheets of 1/4″ plywood on our table saw to 6″ widths and glued them straight to the wall. The look comes out best if you vary the grains as you are attaching them. In other words, dont glue them on exactly as they were in full sheets.

Faux shiplap RV walls

One Pinterest trick that seems to really help with spacing is using pennies! Yup, the same ones that are collecting in the bottom of your purse or center console of the car. Grab a handful and stick them between the planks to keep them perfectly spaced while the adhesive dries. Once everything has set for 24 hours pull them from the gaps and enjoy getting use out of that change cup!

Faux shiplap RV walls

You can leave the planks naked if you want a more natural look. I’d hit them with a quick coat of wax just to help protect the wood if you go this route. For us, we needed more contrast since the wood was nearly the same as the existing beige wall paper.

Faux shiplap RV walls

We wanted to keep some of the natural woodgrain so we went with a white wash. I used my trusty chalk paint and mixed it up 1 part paint to 3 parts water. You can adjust to show more or less of your wood grain. Just use a scrap to test on as this dries a little different from how it goes on.

Faux Shiplap RV Walls

Also, Im kinda obsessed with my new mixing cup! Yes thats a hairdressers dye cup. You can get them at the beauty supply store for the whopping price of 99 cents! They’re cheap, have liquid measurement markers, and come with a convenient handle. I know you can get things similar at the hardware store but if I have a choice between 10 bucks or just 1… well, thats a no brainer!

I slap this wash on pretty quick(and without much precision LOL!) so it doesn’t have time to form lines from drying between sections. Once the planks have dried completely I add a coat of wax and dry overnight. I didn’t want a shiny finish so I went super light on coverage and barely buffed it with a rag.

Faux shiplap RV walls

The section that is covered in the faux shiplap is relatively small but I feel like it still makes a big difference. This project is crazy affordable, easy to DIY, and looks good on just about any wall. Couldn’t be happier we added this to our tiny space!

So are you #teamshiplap? Have any gracing the walls of your home? You know Id love to hear all about it in the comments!

before & after, DIY, tiny living

Replacing RV Window Treatments

February 6, 2018 96 Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Oh padded valances…. sigh. Why did you become an RV staple? I’ll never know! When we did all the demo on the fifth wheel I happily took out every last one. I knew this was something I’d do the day we first looked at this unit! It immediately brightened up the space and I was so excited to find new window treatments that kept all the pretty light!

Replacing RV window treatments

As you can see the valances also covered and enclosed the pull down day/night shades. After spending some time with these shades (and breaking one on our very first trip!) I knew they had to come out as well. Im sure people are cringing at the idea because shades are not cheap to replace but the idea of living full time with these was crazy. So out they went! Also, my fam doesn’t normally or intentionally match on demo day! LOL!

Replacing RV window treatments

Once everything was gone I realized I really wanted to preserve all that brightness. I looked at several different window treatments… roller shades, blinds, curtains… so many options! It became clear I was going to need multiple solutions to get both the look and privacy we needed.

Eventually I found these curtains on Amazon. Being that RV windows are crazy sizes I didn’t even bother trying to find ones sized to match. I ordered the biggest ones they had and planned to cut down to size. I really liked the linen texture and the sheer coverage. They let in a ton of light and they’re a fraction of the price of true linen.

Replacing RV window treatments

It took a few days to cut and hem all the panels to size but it was very simple sewing. All straight lines and long stitches! It took 3 sets total to make panels for all the windows and I puzzled out as many as possible per section. We installed light weight wrap around curtain rods to hang them on and even used some of the same holes left from the valances.

*Everything we’ve hung (pre-existing holes or not!) has been mounted with molly bolts. We find its the most secure way to hang anything permanent in our fifth wheel and works perfectly with the luan walls.

Replacing RV window treatments

When it came to the bedroom we wanted the option for a bit more privacy. I felt like I saw the same cheap rollers used in several RV makeovers. Im sure they are an inexpensive solution if you are working on a budget but again we are talking FULL TIME USE. And the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is the roller shades eventually loose their ability to roll back up. We aint got time for items that have a short shelf life! Ha!

So we headed to Home Depot to check out a few other options. After feeling a few window treatments in person we settled on Cordless Cellular Shades. If you buy them in the store they will also cut them to size for free while you do your other shopping. Obviously this was a perk as we needed some seriously non traditional sizes.

Replacing RV window treatments

The shades fit perfectly within the curtain rods we had and were incredibly easy to mount. The shades themselves are cordless and move up or down soooooo smoothly! We got the blackout versions which were a little more but totally worth it and doable since its only 3 small windows.

Replacing RV window treatments

In addition to the shades I also added a bit of tassel trim to the curtains in the bedroom. Im not 100% set on the bedroom color scheme for the new space but I know it will include some Navy as I plan to recycle some pieces from our loft. For now, this little addition is really perking up the simple window treatments!

Replacing RV window treatments

Have you replaced any window treatments in your living space lately? Is your RV full of bulky padded valances? Do you love em’ or hate em’? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

Replacing RV window treatments

DIY, tiny living

Replacing That Old Carpet

January 16, 2018 106 Comments

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Ok. We’re just jumping right into the heavy blog renovations here because… well… thats kind of how Q and I do things in real life! I showed you guys all those lovely before pics in the tiny tour post and now Im going to show you the crazy mess we made. I promise there’s a good ending to this story (fantastic faux hard wood!) but lets start with the guts. Purging the fifth wheel carpet!

Replacing fifth wheel carpet.

The majority of the fifth wheel was covered in this bland beige carpet. It was fine. It was also used. Which made my brain start thinking about how many spills, layers of dirt, pet funk, and other scary things happened in its short lifetime… the answer: too many! Besides, the germ factor with carpet is also not our style.

Replacing fifth wheel carpet.

So I took to Pinterest and google and read as much as I could handle about ripping the stuff out. The basics were all the same. Get a utility blade, cut along the edges, use super strength to tear that sucker out! And to be honest, thats really what this part of the demo consisted of. Luckily, I had my Pops(with his 30 yrs of construction experience) and cousin(with teenage muscles and stamina) to help out since Q was gone for this portion.

Replacing fifth wheel carpet.

There were only a few places we had to take special care. One was the edges of the slides. The corners are actually just small pieces of plastic that extend the visual line of the slide. They’re not strong enough to hold any weight but we wanted to floor to extend in the same fashion so we were careful to leave them in place. Getting around all the corners and tucked edges was not the easiest job! We found a pair of needle nose pliers and a nail puller worked wonders!

Replacing fifthwheel carpet

In addition to the carpet, we also took out all the tile print linoleum. This was only in a small part of the kitchen, hallway, and bathroom. Removing this was a cinch compared to the carpet! It came up in big sheets and was so easy to cut with the utility blade.

Once everything was out I removed about a billion staples and all the remnants I could get a hold of along the edges. This detail work took a lot longer than the initial demo. But the prep work here was so important it was a non-negotiable job!

Replacing fifthwheel carpet

Now to the fun stuff! New Floors! We read so many articles, reviews, and posts about which flooring to install. The two things we were most concerned with were weight and durability. Weight… well thats obvious. Nobody wants to add unnecessary weight to their trailer. Durability is a little more complicated. Whatever floor we put down needed to withstand the weight and wear of 2 huge slides rolling over it. Frequently! In the end we went with NuCore from Floor & Decor.

Replacing fifthwheel carpet

Its a floating floor that snaps together in planks. Its waterproof, has an anti-microbial finish, cork backing and can be cut with a simple utility blade. There are over 30 colors to choose from and TBH I think its really well priced! *And no, we are not affiliates!

16 boxes, 3 helpers, and several hours later our fifthwheel subfloor was completely covered! We were under a bit of a time crunch so we were happy so find how easily this came together.Just measure, cut, and snap in place. The fact we did the whole thing with just a utility blade ended up being a huge perk! The floor of the fifth wheel had so many odd angles and tight spaces I just cant imagine how crazy the cuts would have been on a saw. It was also great to skip nails/hardware all together on a project!

Replacing fifthwheel carpet

When it came to finishing out the slides we used 2 different trims. At first I wanted everything to match but as you can see the slides are very different so that wasn’t going to work.

The small area in front of the fireplace was a continuation of the kitchen which has a thick white base. After seeing both options in person it was clear white was best. This one is a small 90 degree pvc wall trim we found at Lowes.

For the living room slide we went with an unfinished oak stair trim from Home Depot. At first we thought we’d stain it to match but it turned out to be the same color as our furniture legs(more on that soon!) so its most likely going to be left as-is.

One tip we used(several times!) while putting this all together: test as you go. Throughout the whole process we pulled the slides in an out many times. Its better to make sure everything is going to work before you’ve laid the entire thing. We’d lay a chunk and then test a slide, lay & test, lay & test… you get the point! Our slides glide right over these without any problems. No buckling, shifting, or scratching. All of which we were worried about!

Replacing fifth wheel carpet

One major project DONE! We’ve been to a handful of places and temps and we couldn’t be happier with this flooring. It was a big project but we knew it was essential to this renovation.

So tell me about your fifthwheel, rv, tiny home, etc flooring. Do you love it? Hate it? Considered replacing it? You know Id love to hear all about it in the comments!

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