Why a post on RV interior paint ideas? Well, most RVs are fairly drab inside because the interior design from the factory uses neutral colors in an attempt to appeal to a majority of buyers. When people shop for an RV, they’re looking more for the features, amenities, and living space they desire for their style of travel and camping. Interior colors aren’t usually first on the list of things to consider.
Also, when an RV sustains minor damage from leaks or other issues over time, it’s possible that some minor wall repairs and freshly painted RV walls can make the space like new again. So, if you’re interested in giving your RV interior a lift and making it more your space rather than just another rig with brown tones, the easiest way to do that is to paint parts of the interior to personalize your rig and give it an RV makeover. Whether you’re into a bright, colorful space or other paint colors, the world is your oyster.
Can I Paint My RV Interior?
You can absolutely paint your RV interior! And there are lots of incentives to do just that.
- Painting the interior is the easiest way to make your RV your personal space reflecting your own tastes and creative flair.
- Adding accents to those typical neutral tones can be a quick way to give the space a lift.
- RV interiors are small spaces. Lighter tones make a space look and feel bigger, while dark tones do the opposite (which is why we always ask, “Why Are RV Interiors So Ugly? Please Give Us a Modern Design!“)
- Certain paint tones are more inviting and can even help RV residents to feel more relaxed.
- If you’ve got areas of staining or damage on any of your RV’s interior walls, repairing and repainting them is much easier and cheaper than a full RV renovation.
- You can raise the value of your RV (as long as you don’t do anything crazy like give your walls zebra stripes or yellow and red polka dots).
A few things are important to remember as you prepare and proceed with an RV interior painting project, but it’s absolutely possible to spruce up your rig with a can or two of paint.
How to Paint Your RV Interior
The three most important aspects of any paint job are:
- Prep
- Prep
- Prep
This is true of any paint job, interior or exterior, whether you’re talking about a house or an RV. Proper preparation for a good paint job generally involves all or most of the following, depending on your painting surface and its condition.
Scrape and/or Sand
Scrape and/or sand, fill, and thoroughly clean the surface you’ll be painting. This key preparation stage provides a professional result and helps the paint adhere well for long-lasting improvement. Never skip this step, and don’t cut corners here.
For sanding, you’ll want to use fine-grit sandpaper in the 200-220 range to lightly sand surfaces you intend to paint, such as walls, trim, cabinets, etc.
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Fill/Repair
If any holes or cracks exist, now’s the time to fix them. Fill holes and/or cracks with wood filler, then allow plenty of time to dry thoroughly. Then, using your fine-grit sandpaper, lightly sand the areas of repair so they’re nicely flush with the surface.
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Clean
Wash all surfaces that will be painted with TSP (trisodium phosphate). This will remove grease, mildew, dirt, and even rust. Rinse the surfaces when you’re finished cleaning them, and allow them to dry well.
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Tape
Use good-quality painter’s tape to mask areas you want to avoid getting paint on. Painter’s tape is designed with light adhesive, allowing it to release easily after the painting is done.
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Protect
Protect the area around where you’re painting by using drop cloths to cover the area beneath the surfaces to be painted. Be sure to also set your paint on a surface with a protective covering like plastic or a drop cloth to prevent damage from accidental spills.
Use the Right Paint and Primer
Your RV interior paint ideas are yours and yours alone. You can choose your own color scheme to brighten or lighten the space. You can paint the cabinets, walls, trim, accent walls, etc. But it’s important to choose a paint that will adhere well to RV surfaces, cure well, and remain in good shape for a long time, especially in high-moisture areas like RVs. Using water-based latex paint that’s flexible, durable, and easy to clean is a good idea.
If the interior of your RV is in good shape and you’re not dealing with areas of mold and mildew, you can save yourself some time and use a paint that contains a primer. But if you have tough areas to treat, taking the extra step to prime the surface with a product like BIN, Zinsser, or Kilz will be more effective.
In terms of paint, quality brands are a good bet. Consider Benjamin Moore Regal Select, Sherwin Williams Duration, and Behr Marquee or Ultra Scuff Defense. While you’re at the paint store, you’ll want to pick up some high-quality paint brushes and rollers, too. Angled brushes are best for cutting along lines, corners, and edges. Rollers work well for larger areas.
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RV Interior Paint Ideas
Now that we’ve gotten prep and products out of the way, let’s get to some RV interior painting ideas.
Brighten Up the Galley
RV kitchen spaces can be dark. And because they’re generally small, dark cabinets, backsplashes, and walls can make them appear even smaller. So here’s an RV interior painting idea: brighten up your rig’s kitchen with some white or light-colored paint. You can paint the backsplash, all or some of the cabinets, walls, or even the ceiling to give your RV galley a fresh new look.
Bonus Tip: When you’re finished, add pops of color with accessories like area rugs.
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Choose from a variety of sizes, colors, and patterns to complement or accent your home. And when they get dirty, just pop them into the washer (even your RV's washing machine!) to get them clean.
Read our post & watch our video about My Magic Carpet washable area rugs
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Brighten Dreary Cabinets
You can make your RV’s kitchen pop by adding a bolder color to the bottom cabinets and a lighter color on top. The contrast created with this approach can really make a kitchen come alive.
Painting lower cabinets a more intense color than lighter, more muted upper cabinets can really make an RV kitchen pop.
Bonus Tip: When you go bold in painting your RV, keep resale value in mind. It’s okay to use fun colors, but stay reasonable in your approach. You can make your living space pop with tasteful colors.
Take a Unique Design Approach
A fresh coat of paint goes a long way to brighten up living spaces, but you can also take a unique approach to redesign certain areas of your rig. For example, if you’ve got an artistic flair, you can use chalkboard paint on a surface and use colored chalk to draw or write notes that you change periodically. You could also use stencils to give an area a unique flair or even accent an area with a neat decal that reflects your personality. This can be a fun idea for kids’ bunk walls, too.
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Repair With a Flair
If your RV has a wall that’s sustained considerable damage or staining at the bottom from a leak or other issue, making it challenging to address with just wood filler and a couple of coats of paint, consider covering it and painting the covering. Once you’ve thoroughly addressed the problem (such as a leak, or any mold or mildew that has resulted), consider covering the repair with wainscoting, or create a shiplap wall. Then paint your new wall in a color that gives your rig an extra clean lift.
Paint Trim
Just painting the trim in some areas of your RV can bring a snap of color or a fresh, bright white to your living space with minimal work and minimal paint. For example, you can paint the trim around your slide-outs to give your living room a new look. Add some accent pillows to your sofa in the same color. Or you can paint the trim in your RV bathroom with a nice pastel to brighten up the space. Hang a hand towel and add a bath mat in the same color to accent the room.
Painting trim in a contrasting color can make a space pop and give it a fresh new look. You can use w white or a nice color that you love, and accent the space with accessories like pillows, coasters, shades, or curtains.
Final Note About RV Interior Paint Ideas
Painting your RV interior is one of the easiest ways to renew your RV and make it more like home. You can use the colors and paint finishes you like, as long as you pay attention to good preparation and protect the surfaces of your RV. Our friends Tom & Cait of Mortons On The Move painted the interior of one of their rigs, and it looks great! We hope some of these RV interior paint ideas are helpful as you think about how you want to give your rig a lift.
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Nancy
Tuesday 15th of July 2025
I have thought of painting the vinyl fabric dinette cushions using a paint made for painting fabric. Do you have any advice or comments? Thanks, Nancy
TheRVgeeks
Tuesday 15th of July 2025
That's a good question, @Nancy. We don't have any experience with that, but you might want to check over at RV Inspiration (https://rvinspiration.com). They have a lot of articles about people's renovations of their RVs, so they may have what you're looking for.
Walt G.
Tuesday 16th of July 2024
In my opinion the very first step for a painting project should be the cleaning and de greasing step. Seems to me most of these articles start with sanding the surfaces. If you do that you could be imbedding the dirt and grease into the surface or corners, not what makes for good paint adhesion. You can purchase the mentioned cleaner in liquid form a much easier way to go.
Greg & Ellen
Tuesday 18th of July 2023
It's good to remember that an RV is a small living space, so one should be concerned about the paint fumes that will be present and you will be breathing.
When we painted the walls in our RAM ProMaster camper van conversion, we used Benjamin Moore Eco Spec paint. Eco Spec® is their “greenest” interior premium paint. With zero VOCs and zero emissions, Eco Spec® is the perfect choice when an environmentally responsible paint is required and is tinted with Benjamin Moore's proprietary Gennex® zero VOC colorant system.
Virginia Fiorini-Hancock
Tuesday 16th of July 2024
@Greg & Ellen, That's an excellent suggestion. Especially as we've got 2 budgies! I will research this paint further with regards to precautions for our "twits" safety. Thank you. Sincerely, Virginia.