I regularly receive emails from fellow caravan enthusiasts (from the UK, all the way to Australia) with questions about Dolly 1 and, more recently, Dolly 2. Very often, they’ve stumbled across my DIY caravan blog posts — or Pinterest pins — and ask for tips on decorating a caravan.
I’m asked what is the best paint for interior caravan walls. How to paint caravan cupboards. And what we used to hang the wallpaper. So finally, I’ve decided to make a little list of tips for decorating a caravan interior.
It’s super simple and the look that can be achieved is fabulous.
I’m going to split each DIY project into various posts. Painting and wallpapering the interior. Then all the fiddly bits like sinks and fittings, the upholstery.
And, finally, revamping the exterior.
There’s way too much content for one post — and there’s also a LOT of photos!!
Whether you have a vintage caravan that you’d like to freshen up or a static caravan that needs an overhaul, these tips should help you create the old ‘new caravan’ of your dreams!
Caravan renovation can seem daunting initially. But over the years, I’ve discovered that if you treat it in the same way that you would any other home DIY project, you can’t go far wrong.
Hopefully, my tips for decorating a caravan for beginners will help you on your way!
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Insider Caravan Inspiration
Whether you have a motorhome, a camper van, or a caravan, you can transform your recreational vehicle into the perfect tiny house on wheels. Ideal for family holidays and weekend getaways.
With a few simple updates (and a little bit of elbow grease) you can turn your van into a cozy place, to kick back and relax.
Keep reading to find out what caravan interior paint to use,
Decorating a Caravan » Part 1
Painting Woodwork and Veneer Covered Walls
The interior of most older caravans and travel trailers — even some new ones — seems to be a sea of brown. Or — worse — orange wood.
In some cases it’s real, in a lot of cases it’s chipboard; covered in a plastic wooden-look coating. The doors in both our vans have been solid wood but the surrounds have been constructed from a veneered MDF.
Either way, it can all easily be given a fresh, clean look with paint. Painting a caravan interior is one of the quickest ways to overhaul a tired-looking van.
How To Paint Caravan Cupboards
You can read my method for painting caravan cupboards plus all the woodwork here in this post.
You’ll find all kinds of info, including on what paint to use for painting caravan cupboards.
Annie Sloan chalk paint would also probably work well if you were after a flat, matt finish.
Especially as it seems to cover most surfaces without the need for priming. That said, although I’ve used it on furniture I’ve not tried it myself on a caravan, so don’t quote me on that!
Painting The Walls and Ceilings of a Caravan
We used the same cupboard makeover paint on the walls — and ceiling — of Dolly 1.
But for Dolly 2 we decided to try a different approach and although we used the cupboard makeover primer to undercoat the walls and ceiling — we did the second coat in standard white emulsion.
This was a triumph.
It saved us quite a lot of money and looks amazing — especially on the ceiling. It gives a lovely matt finish.
You’d expect it to flake or crack but a couple of years on and it still looks fabulous. I’m so delighted with the finish.
We painted all the plastic struts with the cupboard makeover paint first. Tthen went over the whole lot with the emulsion paint and a roller.
Decorating a Caravan
Now, there will be a point — probably when you’re half way though the renovation — that a sense of panic will begin to set in.
Don’t worry!!! This is perfectly normal!!!
Decorating a caravan is fun but can be a bit of a messy job. Particularly as you’ll be working in a very tight space.
Plus it doesn’t help matters if you’re a bit of a chaotic worker (like me). I don’t do things in order. I always start with the very best of intentions. But invariably things start to look like a total bombsite; as I don’t work in a logical sequence. It drives Mr D nuts.
Opening the door to chaos can be a bit overwhelming but — trust me — just work through it. Keep painting. It will look amazing eventually.
To give you a little spoiler alert — these are the kind of scenes that you may be faced with when you’re midway through decorating a caravan.
Not pretty.
And definitely alarming.
When you’ve spent a substantial amount of money on purchasing the van in the first place, it’s a slightly scary prospect to see looking like this.
But stick with it.
Give everything a couple of coats of paint and — bit by bit — the sea of orange wood will begin to diminish.
Eventually you’ll have painted every surface. Apart from the ones that you plan to wallpaper (if you’re going down that route).
Wallpapering a Caravan Interior
We’ve wallpapered both of our vans. Not sure what made me think that wallpapering a caravan was a good idea but it is.
It totally works.
I went for a shabby-chic feel for Dolly 1. It has been said (on more than one occasion) that it looked like Cath Kidston had thrown up on her. But I take that as a compliment.
Here’s how she looked before her makeover.
And after a little bit of elbow grease — a lot of paint — and one roll of wallpaper, she looked like this.
I went for a more graphic Orla Keily-esque look with Dolly 2 and used a range by Layla Faye from Wallpaper Direct.
Pop and have a look at the original post for more info.
What Tools Do You Need For Wallpapering a Caravan Interior
Wallpapering a caravan follows the same process as papering anything else to be honest.
I used standard tools — ruler, scalpel, brush, sponge and a papering table. And on both occasions I used a standard wallpaper paste; Polycell Maximum Strength, if memory serves.
The trickiest thing about wallpapering the interior of a caravan is trying to cut around tricky angles. But apart from that it’s no different from wallpapering a room in a house.
I wallpapered the ceiling in one of our bedrooms a couple of year’s ago so it’s something I’m quite confident doing.
I also quite like working on small surfaces — as opposed to large rooms. So in some respects I find it easier than wallpapering a house.
Some Tips For Decorating a Caravan
Here are my top tips for painting a caravan interior.
Make sure the walls are grease free.
Caravan walls can sometimes get a little greasy, due to cooking in such a tiny space. So making sure you give the surfaces a good wash down with sugar soap is always a good idea.
Paste both the wall and the paper. I always hang the paper from the top edge and trim the overhang at the bottom.
Make sure you smooth the paper down well and buff out with a dry wallpaper brush. This will get rid of any bubbles.
It can look a little bit alarming when the paper is wet. But the bubbles tend to settle down and disappear when the paste is dry.
I remember feeling so nervous when I wallpapered Dolly 1.
Would it be a waste of a £30 roll of paper? Will the paper stick? Would it last?
I had visions of the opening her up after the first winter to find the wallpaper hanging off the walls. Or peeling paint everywhere. But that never happened.
We had Dolly 1 for almost 6 years and the paper and paint looked as good when we sold her as the day it was put on.
So there we have it! A few tips on decorating a caravan. Next time I’ll talk about painting a caravan exterior.
Thanks so much to everyone who’s got in contact about Dolly 1 and Dolly 2. I love receiving your emails and would be thrilled to see how you get on with your own van makeovers.
Please do drop me a line with any before and after photos! Caro xx
Some More Posts on How To Decorate a Caravan
Looking for more tips on how to decorate a caravan? Check out these posts below.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Hi there,
I have had great pleasure in looking at Dolly 1 and Dolly 2 being renovated. My wife and I have just brought a 2004 Lunar Lexor 4 birth with a fixed bed.
I was worried about starting the make over but feel a little more optimistic now.
Where did you start? Was t just priming all the wood work? I have a hand sander, would you recommend to use or just key it with handheld sandpaper?
Seeing your post has really got me excited to start the new project. :)
Hello! No — I didn’t use our electric sander — I just gave the woodwork a light key using a piece of sandpaper. And I painted the ceiling first, followed by the woodwork! Good luck — send me some pics when you’re done! I’d love to see what you do:)
Hi there,
I love what you did! Can you tell me how the weather affects the wall paper? I did one wall in my motor home’s bathroom but when it gets a little warm, the paper bubbles up and looks awful.
Hi Lloyda! We have had no issues at all — with any of our vans! :) I was really worried that — after the first winter — the paper would be hanging off the wall but it stuck fast and years later looked great.
If you watch Dolly 2’d guided tour, at the end of this post — https://thelistedhome.co.uk/guided-tour-of-our-upcycled-caravan/ — you’ll see how it all looked almost 5 years after I’d done it. If you’re using the shower in the motorhome’s bathroom, this could be an issue with the paper. And also, maybe historically, someone used the shower in there and the walls are holding a little moisture? This would certainly cause the paper to bubble.
I think, if it was my van, I’d strip the paper off. Check the walls with a damp meter — then prepare the wall with a damp proof paint, before papering again.
Hope this helps!
Hi Dolly 1 & 2 look amazing, We have a 2004 Luna as well that we have decided to live in on a seasonal pitch as a change of lifestyle. Loving it to be honest, but the sea of brown is a bit much so wanted to paint, and you have given such good advice so thank you! Just one question our ceiling is a vinyl ‘wallpaper’ with a few creases from age do I have repaper or just paint over, and also do you have any ideas on how to remove the creases?
Thanks again for a fantastic post!
Without seeing it, I’m not really sure what to suggest. If it really bothers you, could try stripping it off and starting again. But, to be honest, once you’ve given the ceiling a fresh coat of paint, and freshened up the rest of the van, you probably won’t even notice ;)
Hi
I am so impressed what a fab job. Definitely going to have a go.
Could you tell me have you got a blog for covering the seats. If not any tips on covering them yours look great ?
Aah thank you ever so much! And no!! I still haven’t written one! I’m just about to cover the seats in our new van though, so will definitely create a post, showing how I do it :)
Starting Caravanning late in life (63) just bought a quite an old Castleton Rosella. I plan to follow what you have done, amazing and absolutely beautiful caravans. A couple of questions did you leave the ‘worktops as they where or paint or cover. Also I would love to cover the two sofas but can seem to see how I can get the backs off.
Hi Barbara! Good for you – I’ve just started on my third van :) We painted the exterior over the Easter weekend. Now looking forward to starting the interior. With regards to your questions; I left the worktops as they were. They were wooden and in good condition. Plus I liked the contrast against the paint :) And I’m sorry — I can’t help with the seats. Our sofa cushions – on all three vans – have been fully removable; they’re not fixed. Good luck! Send me some pics when you’re done! :)
We love your little caravans well done and thank you for the inspiration to get moving and bring back to life our little swift 12/2
I was wondering if you could help me with the drop down sink unit in the shower/ loo room
It’s so dated and wanted some advice on how to bring it back to life
All Suggestions would be greatly appreciated
We had a drop down sink unit in Dolly 2 but I took it out in the end and we just had the loo in there!!
As we never used it, it just felt like a waste of space.
That said, if you wanted to update it, you could try painting the outside, so that when it’s closed, it looks a bit nicer and ties in well. I’d suggest using Zinsser All Coat Colour Match as it covers just about anything!!
Hallo Babara did you paint your cupboards in the inside as well …
Hi there — no — I have never painted the insides. There doesn’t seem any point when you don’t see them ;)
Hi! Your caravan is fab!! Can I ask, how you wallpapered the Wood around the doors and the back of your cabinet please? Did you do it differently to wallpapering walls? Thank you!
Hi Debbie! Thanks for your message. I did it in exactly the same way as I papered the walls. I used wallpaper paste to stick the paper down. The wood veneer had a really smooth surface so it didn’t cause any issues at all :)
Brilliant info thank you Dolly Too is a masterpiece!
Thanks ever so much Céleste – that’s really kind :) x
Hi, did you write the caravan name yourself on the outside? I am wanting to name my caravan and not sure if stencil or free hand is best. Thanks
Susan
Hello! I used my Cricut machine to cut the letters out of permanent vinyl :)