Picture hanging is as good as the space you have for it. Considerations of wall substrates, wall size, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, at home, in the office, a commercial establishment, or a public area—these all underline how much the picture hanging process relies on the art or decor’s surroundings. After all, we hang up art for the sake of beautifying our spaces, right?
Today, we’ll tackle picture hanging for a space we’ve never discussed before—RVs!
RV living, like living in any small space, involves picture hanging and interior design factors unique to RVs. In this article, we’ll cover the aspects of RV living that determine these factors, the common issues that arise when trying to hang wall decor on RV walls, and how to hang pictures successfully in an RV.
Let’s begin!
Table of contents
First, what’s an RV home?
A recreational vehicle or campervan is a vehicle designed for living, especially while traveling. It’s typically fitted with basic amenities for any accommodation, such as a kitchen, a bathroom, and beds or sleeping areas. It can even be equipped with air conditioning, a water heater, and a TV set.
From this, we can gather just how crucial it is in an RV home to maximize every bit of space available and to delegate them according to necessity. In RV living, emphasis is placed on a compact floor plan, multi-purpose appliances, and outdoor spaces.
This makes picture hanging less of a priority in RV living, not to mention a little risky… (But it’s not all bad—read on!)
Common picture hanging issues in RV/camper decor
RV walls are usually made of thin plywood and vinyl wallpaper fused together with heavy-duty adhesive. Taking that into account together with the nature of RV living, these are the usual barriers to picture hanging in an RV or camper:
Decor or artwork falling, especially heavy items
Failed adhesives
Not enough space for pictures
Wall damage from drilling or hanging hardware
Damaged art from falling
While these are common across any experience with hanging camper decor, they don’t make picture hanging in RVs impossible. Not even remotely! Instead, these problems are better considered as limitations. The walls may not be like in standard homes, and space may be a premium in an RV, but it should still feel like home.
And that’s what we’re going to help you with in this next section—how to hang pictures and other camper decor on an RV wall!
The walls may not be like in standard homes, and space may be a premium in an RV, but it should still feel like home.
How to hang pictures on RV walls
There are two things to account for when hanging RV wall decor: weight and portability.
From left to right: Images courtesy of Stairs Up, Handle In , Mountain Modern Life , @barefootdetour
In an arrangement where everything needs to be as compact as possible, every item in an RV, from clothes to kitchen appliances, needs to be worth the space it takes up. The weight of every item adds up, and how easy a piece of decor is to carry and transfer can affect how efficient and comfortable living in a camper will be.
So when hanging pictures in an RV interior, keep the weight of the decor in mind, how portable it is, and what tools you can use to leave your thin RV walls unscathed while still keeping your pictures secure. Follow these guidelines and you should be off to a good start:
Map it out. Before hanging everything on the wall, you want to lay out a preview of the final look of your camper decor or gallery wall. This will especially help keep mistakes to a minimum with the limited space you are working with.
💡TIP: Create paper templates or use painter’s tape to build your layout first.
2. Use lightweight frames. Maintain a relatively mobile display by opting for frames made of lightweight material, like plastic instead of glass or wood. You can even go without frames for some pictures or altogether. Lighter frames are easier to install, and when the time comes for you to hit the road, less effort is required to secure them to the wall and ensure they stay in place.
3. Avoid nails and screws. As mentioned, camper walls are thin and do not have the depth we’re used to in standard buildings. This makes it difficult for screws, nails, wall anchors, and most picture hangers to fasten themselves securely to the wall. What’s more, due to their thinness, RV walls are more prone to being punctured from one side to the other, which you obviously do not want.
Instead of nails and screws, you can rely on adhesives and other hanging tools that leave little to no damage:
Adhesive wall hooks - Many quality adhesive hooks are not only easy to install, but also have strong grip on the wall and leave no damage upon removal. Just ensure your picture’s weight is within the hook’s indicated capacity.
Push pins - Brass push pins can hold up as much as 20 lbs and are installed as quickly as in two steps only. You don’t even have to hammer them in. What’s more, each push pin leaves a pin-sized hole that’s so small you’ll hardly notice it.
Bumpers - Bumpers are small, geometrical bits of rubber or felt that serve as buffers between two surfaces, such as a picture and a wall. They’re great for keeping pictures still in a cramped or moving RV, and protecting them (and your wall) from scratches and dents.
Mounting putty - Mounting putty is a good alternative to traditional tapes and fasteners. They’re a convenient tool for picture hanging in an RV as they make it easy to reposition pictures while providing long-lasting grip.
- Acrylic mounting tape - Another adhesive, acrylic mounting tape is clear and has remarkable holding power. It’s easy to remove from frames and walls, too, leaving no residue behind.
Velcro strips - Velcro is one of the best options if you want to regularly switch out items in your gallery wall, thanks to how easy it is to remove and replace decor with it while never losing a firm hold on them.
Check out the video by Why Not Wander below showing how a couple of the above recommendations are used:
4. Only use screws and nails for permanent items. There should only be a few exceptions to not using the usual picture hanging hardware, and that’s when you want to install something you are sure you want in a particular spot for the long term. This can include hardware, cabinetry, and other items, like a TV, towel bar, or a shelf.
This will of course mean drilling into your RV wall. To do this, check if your RV has wood studs in the paneling. Just like on a regular wall, drilling into a stud is a more secure way of installing hardware for hanging items, so as much as possible, use nails and screws in wall studs. You can use a stud finder to locate the studs. For pictures that you’re confident you won’t want to remove for a long time, you can make use of the usual hooks and hangers, especially hangers that help minimize movement, such as tremor hooks.
Take extra care to choose the right wall, too—avoid any walls that have electrical outlets on them, as well as any light switches and light fixtures. As long as a wall doesn’t have any of these, chances are the space behind it is hollow and you can hang an item safely. This goes both for the RV interior and the outer walls of your camper.
When installing your items, make sure you use appropriate heavy-duty wall anchors for any heavy objects. See the video tutorial by Why Wait about choosing the right anchor for interior RV walls vs. exterior walls below:
Final thoughts
Picture hanging in an RV interior is a bit more unique than we’re used to in other picture hanging spaces. An RV’s square footage is much more restricted, the walls are not the ones our picture hangers are designed for, and you always have to account for movement and bumps!
But an RV home is still a home, and like any other home, you want to make it as pleasant and as comfortable as possible, complete with your favorite artwork and snapshots of loved ones up on the walls. With the correct know-how and a reliable camper edition picture hanging kit, you can make it happen.
Happy hanging!
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