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garysol's avatar
garysol
Explorer
Jul 07, 2016

Inside wall refinish back to factory look.

I guess I dodged what I thought was going to be a possible huge repair. Just last week I noticed 3 or 4 areas of pimples and bumps protruding from the inside back wall of our trailer. I was sure I had a water leak that was showing its ugly face but after much searching for a leak it dawned on me that during our last trip the 4 teenagers that were with us had been caught outside in a huge rain storm and when they came inside they hung their wet clothes and soaked towels from the back window curtain rod and from the bunk bed brackets exactly where the bumps are no present. So now what? I can sand the bumps out but then how do I refinish that back wall so it matches the factory finish? I really prefer not to wallpaper or paint the bunkhouse as that will probably kill some resale value down the road. The RV shops that I have contacted all say that I would need to completely replace the wall to make it look right but there has to be a better way. Any thoughts?


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  • B_O__Plenty's avatar
    B_O__Plenty
    Explorer II
    Jul 07, 2016
    I would bet you have a water leak. Those are not from hanging wet clothes. The only cure after you find and fix the leak, is to replace the wall paneling.

    B.O.
  • TakingThe5th's avatar
    TakingThe5th
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2016
    I'm not your expert here but if it were my rig I would first verify that I didn't have a leak. I might actually drill a small hole(s) to inspect and verify. Maybe drill right into a damaged spot(s) that needs repair anyway.

    Can you pound the damaged areas flush? Or create dimples that need to be filled? I would try that, then find a suitable sandable filler to make the wall smooth again.

    I would then get two small cans of wood stain. One can would be the same as the lightest color on the wall and the other can would be the same as the darker color. Prepare the paneling to accept the stain and start touching up using the lighter stain as a base. Let that dry, then use the darker stain and a suitable applicator to duplicate the patterns in the paneling. If you cannot duplicate to your satisfaction, consider recreating your own uniform finish over the entire wall.

    Finish the job with a coat of poly to waterproof against the next swimsuit.

    Again, not an expert but I have used this technique on wood and steel surfaces in my S & B. Good luck.

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