Karla’s Pop Up Camper Makeover

I’m so excited to share this next makeover from Karla.  Her cousin, Jeanne, had stumbled across the Pop Up Princess blog and encouraged her to check it out.  Once Karla visited the site, it didn’t take long for the wheels to start turning.  She knew a makeover for her 1997 Coleman Sun Valley was in order.  Karla had purchased her camper over 10 years ago.  It was looking tired, and the 90’s fabrics and country blue color scheme wasn’t exactly inspiring her to camp anymore.

After looking through some of the Reader Features, Karla knew there were some changes she wanted to make to her pop up camper.  First to go was the ugly cushion upholstery.  Even though she knew the cushion covers were in good shape, they just didn’t fit the look she wanted for her glamper.  She was lucky enough to find both her cushion and curtain fabrics from Hancock Fabric, which was closing nationwide.  She purchased both Sunbrealla fabrics for $4/yard.  What a bargain!  She used the lime green fabric to make slipcovers for her cushions.  Karla says she didn’t use a pattern to construct the covers.  She just took basic measurements and made her own patterns.  To ensure that the new covers fit snugly, she left the original covers on each cushion.  Then she put the new covers over the outside of the original upholstery.

Those 90’s blue curtains had to go as well.  Karla had seen Glenda’s Makeover and was in love with the mini-blinds over the windows.  She decided to splurge on two sets of mini-blinds–one for each side of the camper–which were about $70 each from Lowe’s.  She shortened them to appropriate size and used short screws to attach them.  When Karla closes the camper, she simply raises the blinds and makes sure the cords don’t get tangled.  She hasn’t had any problems yet and loves her new window coverings.  (Disclosure: Although several of our readers have used mini-blinds on their windows, we do not usually recommend it.  We don’t mean to discourage you if you love the look of mini-blinds in your camper, but please be aware you will have to drill into the roof.  We would caution you to be very careful, as this can damage the ceiling.)

To hang the privacy curtains on the bunkends, Karla cut a 1-inch strip off the top of the old curtains, removing the part that contained the curtain tabs.  She sewed that strip directly onto the new curtains and re-hung them using the original hardware.  She removed the valances from the top track and found she really didn’t miss them.  She much prefers this new, cleaner look.  🙂

To brighten up the camper, Karla decided to paint her cabinets.  There were two or three spots where the wood grain paper covering had peeled off, so she glued it back down with Elmer’s Wood Glue where possible.  She sanded down the areas where the paper was missing as best she could.  Then she cleaned all the cabinetry really well with TSP to remove any residue.  There was gold colored plastic trim on the cabinets, and she wiped that down with TSP as well.  Then she coated the plastic trim with a Rustoleum primer made specifically for plastic.

Karla used Zinsser primer on all the cabinets, then she topped it off with three coats of Dutch Boy Semi-Gloss Ultra White Paint.  She used a combination of paint rollers and brushes to get in all the little hard to reach areas.  Then she replaced the brown t-molding with a beautiful new white trim.  You can find more tips on painting your cabinets on our post here.

The original countertops were still in great shape, so even though Karla wasn’t crazy about the goldtone trim on the edge, she couldn’t justify the expense of changing them out.  She also kept the original gold hinges, as she was having trouble finding hinges that would fit her doors.  The hinges tie in to the molding around the countertops, and Karla found she didn’t mind keeping the gold.  She did, however, replace the cabinet door knobs with bright orange ceramic ones that she found on clearance on Hobby Lobby.

The last thing Karla did to her pop up camper was replace the flooring.  She really wanted to give her PUP a modern look, but she was on a budget and flooring can get expensive.  She hit her local ReStore and found Shaw’s Luxury Vinyl Plank Interlocking Flooring in Franklin Hickory for $15 a box.  Karla’s boyfriend laid the flooring for her, and she was so happy to have his help.  It took about 1 ¼ boxes and made a huge difference in the whole look of the camper.  Karla says it was worth every penny.

 

All the bedding, throw pillows, and decor items came from Target, JoAnn Fabrics, and Dollar General.  Karla tried to get most everything on clearance or from the dollar area.  Sterlite plastic drawer units make great storage in the camper.  She took some of her extra curtain fabric and Mod Podged it to the drawer fronts.  It looks beautiful and hides all the clutter, too.  To complete the makeover, she used removable decals from Hobby Lobby to dress up the door.

Karla is a single mother and her daughter is a graduating senior this year.  They’ve been camping together–just the two of them–since her daughter was a toddler, and she still likes to go camping with mom.  Karla hopes that will last at least a few more years.  They still have a few projects planned for the pop up camper, and Karla’s daughter has decided that they can never sell it.  😆  It’s the perfect little glamorous getaway for the two of them.

Thanks so much for sharing your glamper with us, Karla.  I hope you and your daughter have some amazing adventures together in your new camper.

Happy Camping!