Best Renovation Materials

We poured our heart and soul into updating our RV to make it the most comfortable and inviting space we could. We spent hours of time researching great products, reading reviews and scouring the local hardware stores.

We bought a lot of our items at Amazon since it was so convenient to have them shipped to our door and we could find many of the less common items without having to search several different stores.

I’ll give you the quick list first then have a bit more details on each item further down. Some of these links are affiliates while others are not. These are the materials we 100% used in our RV unless I’ve otherwise noted!!

Floors

Main Flooring – Lumber Liquidators

Cockpit Carpet – Home Depot

Floor Insulation – Amazon

Car Insulation - 4' x 16.5' Roll (66 Sqft) Sound Deadener & Heat Barrier Mat - Automotive...
  • Car Insulation - Thermal Sound Deadener 66 Sqft - Lightweight Automotive Heat Barrier
  • Controls Heat, Reduces Sound, & Minimizes Vibrations
  • Thermal & Vapor Barrier - Blocks 97% Radiant Heat

Ceiling Planks – AntiqueCeilings.com

Fixtures

Kitchen Sink Faucet

Kitchen Sink

MR Direct Stainless Steel 465-18-ENS Dualmount 18-1/4 in. Single Bowl Bar SinkEnsemble, 18 Gauge
  • Contemporary styling – a circular bowl for over, or under, mounting in the home entertainment area
  • Exceptional durability – premium, 304-grade stainless steel at the standard 18-gauge thickness
  • Noise cessation – sounds are muffled by the special pads applied to the exterior

Bathroom Faucet

4 inch Polished Chrome Bathroom Faucets Centerset, 3 Hole Lavatory Sink Faucet for Single Handle...
  • 3-Years Limited Warranty from ENZO RODI, free replacement against leaks, drips, breaks and defects during warranty, 7 days & 24hours e-mail...
  • Easy to Install: completely sructure assembly, designed for 3 holes 4-inch centerset configurations
  • Chrome finish is highly reflective for a mirror-like look that works with any decorating style, premium surface treatment

Shower Head

Builders Shoppe 3210CP/4120CP RV Replacement Non-Metallic Two Handle 4" Tub Shower Diverter with...
  • Elegant design ideal for travel trailers, campers, and 5TH wheelers
  • Shower head with water saving trickle valve switch (not an on/off switch)
  • 59 inch durable synthetic hose with mounting bracket and guide ring included

RV Toilet

Aqua-Magic V RV Toilet Pedal Flush / High Profile / White - Thetford 31671
  • Fit Type: Universal Fit
  • Included Components: Aqua-Magic V High Profile Flange Seal 2 X Bolts 2 X Nuts 2 X Bolts Covers

Lighting

Ambient Lights

Dream lighting RV Lights LED Dome Light with Push Button 12v Interior Ceiling Light 3500K White...
  • This light embraces the concept of simplicity and low burden.
  • Ultra bright LED chips inbuilt on the aluminum board emit even and soft lighting distribution through the opaque lens.
  • Aluminum body allows for efficient heat sink.

LED Strip Tape

HitLights LED Strip Lights Warm White SMD 300LED 16.4FT 3528 LED Light Strip 3000K 12V DC Tape...
  • SIMPLE AND EASY TO USE low voltage LED light strips for commercial and residential use - in living rooms shelving lighted cabinets toe-kicks...
  • CUTTABLE AND CONNECTABLE - Compatible with our HitLights 8mm connector extensions and accessories. Simple connect - cut with a pair of...
  • DIMMABLE and FLEXIBLE these LED strips are great for a variety of indoor / interior uses including undercabinet lighting in kitchens ambient...

LED Bulbs

Bright 1156 1141 1003 50-SMD White LED Bulbs For Car Rear Turn Signal lights Interior RV Camper 12V...
  • Voltage: dc 12 v, flux: 650 lumen, Cerrent:0.17
  • Suitable for: 1156 BA15S 1073 1091141151151156 1195 1,195 1,195 12088 na 12088 na 1195 3497 631 750631 7506 97 na
  • Application range: lamp, backup reserve lamp, taillight, corner light, red light, stop light, side sign lamp, etc. Cars, trucks, trailers,...

12 volt On-Off Switch

American Technology Components Double SPST On-Off Switch with Bezel, 12-Volt, for RV, Trailer,...
  • SPST, 16 Amp @ 125-250 VAC, 3/4 H.P. @ 125-250 VAC, 10 Amp @ 14 V (T), 3 Amp @ 125V(L) UL/CSA/VDE approved
  • Commonly used for lights, pumps, fans, vents and many other uses in RVs, Buses, Horse Trailer Conversions, Haulers, Travel Trailers, Boats...
  • Switch size with bezel 3" W x 2 7/8" L x 3/8" H

Roof Vents and Covers

Roof Vent No Fan

Ventline V2092SP-28 Birch White Ventadome - Bladeless
  • Lift mechanism provides a smooth operation and eliminates chatter; 14.25 inch x 14.25 inch rough opening
  • The slide mechanism has more surface area contact
  • Making the guide bar stronger and allowing better distribution of stress

Roof Vent Cover

MAXXAIR Maxx I 00-933066 Original Vent Cover, Roof Vent Cover, Translucent White
  • Sleek aerodynamic design in white reduces wind resistance for installation on non-powered roof vents
  • Constant airflow prevents heat build-up, lets musty air, smoke and cooking odors escape
  • Mounts on standard 14" x 14" RV roof vents

Roof Vent with Fan

Maxxair (00-04000K 12V Roof Top Fan/Vent,White
  • Remote control models now include backup controls at ceiling, a MaxxFan exclusive
  • Fan runs with lid closed to circulate air (Ceiling Fan Mode)
  • Flush mounted, easy to clean keypad controls fan speed, thermostat, air intake and exhaust

Roof Vent with Fan Cover

Sale
MAXXAIR FANMATE 00-955001 Fan/Vent Cover with EZ Clip Hardware, Constant Airflow, Super Tough, White
  • EZClip hardware for quick, easy and tool-free installation on MAXXFAN and MAXXFAN PLUS
  • Hinged hardware - easy opening and cleaning
  • For High-Powered ventilation fans 25" length x 18-1/8" width x 10-1/4" height in white

Flooring

Main Floor

We chose a vinyl click floating plank floor for the main floor in the RV. We picked this for a few reasons.

  • waterproof
  • easy (ish) click install
  • no warping
  • inexpensive

Vinyl flooring has come a long way since the days of our Grandparents kitchen. The plank style wood grain is fairly representative of real wood and adds warmth and dimension to the space.

The main reason we opted for vinyl over laminate is its waterproof nature. We wanted to be safe in case a leak occurred (which it did) or just from dirty, wet shoes coming in and out of the RV. We also selected a click style flooring which is relatively easy to install and “floated” on top of the automotive insulation. We do find that vinyl click flooring doesn’t “click” together quite as easily as its laminate counterpart.

We bought our flooring from Lumber Liquidators they have a large selection and we had already checked out Home Depot and Lowes.

Cockpit Carpet

In the cockpit area, we decided to install carpet. We picked carpet for this area specifically because there were many funky angles due to the dog house (engine access cover) as well as the area being raised up about six inches.

We also felt carpet would give us some added noise and heat insulation from the engine. We went into Home Depot and picked a low pile carpet that would coordinate with our vinyl flooring.

Floor Insulation

We selected automotive insulation to insulate the entire floor of the RV. We originally were going to do just the cockpit area but decided thermal and sound insulation would be useful throughout as well. It also worked as the underlay for our vinyl flooring.

We selected this Car Insulation on Amazon due to its good reviews and reasonable price. If you want to learn more about installing the insulation check out our article, How to Insulate the Floor of Your RV.

Ceiling

We stumbled upon AntiqueCeilings.com during our search for the perfect material to cover our fiber covered bare ceiling. They had a thin, foam, wood grain, plank ceiling tile that was perfect for us. You can get all the details for how we installed our foam ceiling in our article, Easy, Lightweight RV Ceiling Update.

Fixtures

Kitchen Fixtures

We wanted to ditch our old kitchen sink as well as relocate it. The original single was ridiculously shallow and took up a lot of space since it was double bowled. We selected a round bar style sink from Amazon which fit the dimensions of the new location. As a bonus, it also came with a cutting board which adds a little bit more useable space to the counter. The one downside was the sink was a little pricier than other options but it was totally worth it for the modern clean look.

The faucet is a standard single lever kitchen faucet from Amazon. It can be installed on a single hole in the counter which was ideal for using less counter space. It also has a pull down sprayer and can either spray or stream. Plus it looks high end without costing an arm and a leg!

Read our full kitchen reno in our article, Our RV Kitchen Reno Goes From Drab To Fab on a Budget

Bathroom Fixtures

The old bathroom fixtures were a mixture of brass and yellowed plastic which needed to go. For the new bathroom faucet, we picked a single lever chrome faucet from Amazon which is not RV specific. We just wanted something clean, simple and cheap.

The toilet and shower faucet needed to be RV specific. We bought basically the same toilet that was already installed in our RV but in crisp white. Plus there aren’t too many other RV toilets available. With great reviews, we grabbed the Aqua-Magic V RV Toilet Pedal Flush from Amazon.

The shower faucet needed to have a bath faucet attachment since our RV actually has a tiny tub. There weren’t a ton of options feature the bath faucet with shower head attachment but we found this one on Amazon. To be honest we still have yet to use the shower in our RV but it was inexpensive and looks sharp.

Read our full bathroom reno in our article, Our RV Bathroom Reno: Big Makeover On A Little Budget.

Lighting

All the light fixtures in our RV got a major overhaul. Some it was as simple as swapping out the bulbs for LEDs while others were totally gutted and rewired with LED strip lights. It’s important for us to reduce the power consumption of our RV since we enjoy boondocking.

For the simple fixtures, we picked up these LED bulbs from Amazon it was an easy swap just make sure you pick the bulb. Your old bulbs should have the part number on the side.

We had these horrible brass, directional lights over top of our table and next to the bed. Instead, we picked up these little dome lights from Amazon. They have a little push button in the center to turn them on and off and the button actually glows in the dark which can be handy. They were quick and easy to install and are very flush to the ceiling.

The rest of the lights throughout the RV were small compact fluorescents that had big cutouts in the ceiling. Because of the ceiling covering we used we were stuck with the holes from the lights so we chose to reuse them. Beau totally gutted them then installed LED Strip Tape lights from Amazon and soldered them up to the original switch. While not complicated it did require a basic knowledge of soldering. Also, make sure you buy the “warm white” lights otherwise you won’t be happy with how the lights look.

We also switched our large overhead fluorescent light from 120V to 12V so we could use it off-grid. We picked up a double 12 volt On-Off Switch from Amazon so we could control it and our new under counter lighting which also used the LED strip tape lights.

Roof Vents

We replaced all 3 of the roof vents on our RV, the covers were cracked and the fans were not functioning well anymore. The vent over the bed did not have a fan and running electrical to it seemed more hassle then it was worth. We opted for an inexpensive fanless-roof vent from Amazon that had decent reviews. Overall there is nothing special about it but it does the trick.

Our other two vents previously had fans so we bought the Maxxair Vent from Amazon it was also available at Camping World but was cheaper and had better shipping options from Amazon. These fans work awesome! These can either suck in or blow out the air, there are multiple fan settings and can even auto on depending on the temperature, but we haven’t tested this yet. It was well worth the extra dollars to have quality fans in our vents.

While not strictly necessary having covers for our vents has been amazing. We can leave them open while driving and don’t have to worry about rain coming in if they are open overnight. We had to purchase two different styles for the different vents we have this one from Amazon works on our fanless vent and this one from Amazon works on our Maxxair fan vent. We originally only bought one of the Maxxair covers since it was quite pricey and we had to get it from Camping World but it looks like prices have come down a lot so we grabbed another one.

When buying your roof vent covers make sure you get ones that are compatible with your roof vents, we had bought three of the same kind but had to return two since they didn’t work with our Mazzair fans.

Finding the perfect materials for your RV renovation can be difficult. We remodeled our motorhome from ceiling to floor, front to back. Find the exact products we used to makeover the kitchen, bathroom and living space of our camper and get ideas for how to upgrade yours. #rvliving #rving #rvreno #rvremodel