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Pop-up camper makeover

sandy_d
Amassing an Audience

Pop-up camper makeover

A friend asked if I could make over her dated Jayco camper trailer, and I couldn’t say no! This project took some time and lots of love and was well worth it. It’s now travelling and making memories. 

 

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Before 

 

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After

 

Materials

Sandpaper 

Dulux precision primer

Renew tile and laminate paint (Black Earth)

Timber protect Satin Varnish

Faux leatherette material 

Sugar Soap

Monarch Paint Pad

Dulux Metalshield Monument  

Exterior paint 

Interior paint (I used the colour Salinger Half)

Tools

Ryobi soldering Iron

Steps

Step 1

I started by removing all existing curtains and cushions. The canvas, walls and floors were washed with sugar soap and allowed to dry. 

 

I lightly sanded all surfaces and painted with 2 coats of Dulux primer. 

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Step 2

Once the primer was dry, I painted the cupboards with 2 coats of interior paint and one coat of clear varnish in satin finish for extra protection. It was also at this stage that the fridge didn’t work so I removed it and made additional storage space with off cut ply I had. 

I added some sheer curtains for privacy, upholstered the original seats and made new curtains to match the new decor. 

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 The seat I painted in the colour monument. 

Step 3

The only thing letting the makeover down was the interior canvas. I watered down exterior paint in white and applied it with this amazing little palm pad painter. Previously I tried with a paint brush and a roller but this pad was a game changer. It allowed me to have even paint and not too thick. If you use undiluted paint, the canvas will crack when folded away. 

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 I sanded down the surface with 200grit after it had dried to remove any imperfections in the paint. 

Step 4

I painted the flooring and bench tops with Laminate and tile paint. 

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Step 5

The other issue with the camper was that the fly screens were broken. My friend had purchased a roll of new fly screen which I started to sew by hand. This took so much time to complete one screen so I did some research and saw some people using a soldering iron to fuse the screen on. If you do decide to do this, i recommend a mask as the fumes are toxic. 

I did however go back and sewed a running stitch after to fused them as I wasn’t 100% confident that this would be strong enough. 

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 Like new!! 

The exterior poles and trailer itself have been sprayed with Dulux metal shield in Monument and lighter colour in surf mist 

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 After

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 Exterior before 

 



Step 6

And that is my makeover complete. The camper is now out and about getting dirty and living it’s best new life 

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KatieC
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Re: Pop Up Camper Make Over

Wowza @sandy_d!

 

You have created such a dreamy camper! I am so impressed with your ingenuity in painting the canvas, one would never guess it was a colour other than white. I hadn't heard of a paint pad before and now I really want to give it a try. I think my favourite transformation is the flooring and that the relief from the original flooring looks so much more glamorous in the Black Earth colour paint.

 

You'll have to ask your friend to take a snap of them living it up on the road to share with us!

 

Amazing job.

 

Katie

 

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sandy_d
Amassing an Audience

Re: Pop Up Camper Make Over

Awww thank you so much @KatieC  Originally she wanted to cover the flooring with vinyl planks. I suggested to paint them as the pattern was too beautiful to hide, and glad I did. 

We actually just returned from camping with them and I didn’t think to take one. But I definitely on the next trip. 

ljp1912
Just Starting Out

Re: Pop-up camper makeover

Hey Sandy,

 

The camper looks amazing! Such a good job!

 

Did you just paint the interior of the canvas? How much did you water the paint down? Do you anticipate this will last? We never thought to paint them! Makes it so much brighter!

 

Thanks

 

Laura

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Pop-up camper makeover

Hello @ljp1912 

 

Welcome to the Bunnings workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us.

 

Let me tag @sandy_d to make them aware of your kind words and questions. It sounds like you're planning your own pop-up camper make over. If you are, please make sure to post an update. I'm sure our members would be keen to follow along.

 

Eric

 

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sandy_d
Amassing an Audience

Re: Pop-up camper makeover

Hi @ljp1912 @and thank you. The paint interior is still going strong and so far no cracks. The alternative of replacing the canvas for my friend, was too expensive so I came up with the idea to paint it. The paint ratio was about  40 water to 60 paint, so it’s a very light coat (went over it twice). If the paint is too think, yes it will crack and become too stiff. 

i did also add a small amount of fabric softener to the water to soften the canvas. I would recommend you paint the exterior and interior canvas the same colour to avoid colour seeping through. 


the exterior paint on the canvas is mould resistant and again there has been no issues in a year. You may also want to sought out a waterproof spray for extra protection.

 

the exterior body was painted with an exterior metalshield spray paint. 

 

I hope this helps 😊

 

Sandy 

renee4
Just Starting Out

Re: Pop-up camper makeover

Hi Sandy,

 

I am just about to attempt a similar job on my Jayco Dove. Just not clear if you used the primer on the canvas too? Or was it just the diluted paint?

 

Thank you for your time in sharing these steps. It is very helpful:)

 

Renee

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Pop-up camper makeover

Hello @renee4 

 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

 

Let me tag @sandy_d to make them aware of your kind words and questions. 

 

Eric

 

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