Painting interior of brand new camper

The point of the vinyl covering in the cabinet frame is a good one. It may not stay stuck if it gets wet with paint. The doors on mine are wood but the cabinet frame is vinyl covered which is standard on the average unit. That said, we used the Rustoleum product for cabinets in our home and it came out fantastic. Its labor and time intensive and prep is vital for a good outcome.

For the cabinets, sand the shine off any parts that are actually made of wood - the doors maybe? Then use Kilz latex primer. It would be better if you did more than one coat of primer. On my Coleman, the cabinet boxes are made from particle board and covered with wood grain vinyl. Not sure how well that will hold up to painting - good luck. Maybe scuff it a little and use the Kilz as well. Use fine grit - don't remember the specific grit I used - sorry.

Use Benjamin Moore Advance Interior paint - expensive, but you will love this paint.

I recently repainted all the woodwork in my house including some bathroom cabinets using this method. This paint lays down smooth and looks like I sprayed it. Usually takes two coats.

Post pictures of your completed project!

NYCgrrl wrote:
I'd let the unit gas off before painting....maybe a month after purchase.

X2. I'd probably wait several months.
Any paint store can give you advice on how to do the job. You will have to chose the color, we all have different opinions.

I'd let the unit gas off before painting....maybe a month after purchase.
As for colour of white paint that's pretty subjective. There are whites with shades of yellow, blue, red, etc. Look at a feature you are NOT changing such as the flooring to decide what color to pickup on. Also look at the colour of the sunlight in the room at different times of the day. It's nice that so many paint manufacturers are giving larger paper samples nowadays as well as small paint samplers.

A semi or high gloss paint is more durable than most satin finishes and might just be the answer for the cabinets. Personally, I would opt for a satin or eggshell finish for the walls to give contrast with satin giving more scrub-ability. I would use the floors finish in sheen to better decide what to use since you'll be close to having a vanilla box that needs vibrant coloured textiles to bring it back to life IMHO.

I'm a personal fan of these paint companies in term of durability, pigment and color selections: Benjamin Moore; Pratt-Lambert and Old World Dutch paint(might have the last company's name off but they make excellent door paints).

HTH.

Edit: Went into my notes and realised it's called Fine Paints of Europe NOT Old World Dutch paint. It's $$$ up front but will save you in labor costs as long as you don't change your paint colours every year or so. Intensely perfect for high traffic usage like doors and IMO worth ever penny spent on it. I specified it for painted elevator and front doors of multiple dwellings I managed and it held up, on average, for 6.6 years. It might be applied to my kitchen and bathroom cabinets and interior (exterior side is the buildings' concern) entrance doors in my new residence; still mulling.

At a lower cost there is also Sherwin Williams Duration line w/ similar attributes. Unfortunately, there are not many stand alone SW stores in my area.

Go to a good paint store and ask about the best paint for cabinets.

You will need to prep well. Sand very lightly to degloss the finish, then wash with TSP. Use a satin or semigloss finish for the cabinets.

The wall texture will show through. Use an eggshell finish.

Consider painting the walls and cabinets both light colors, but not exactly the same. Something like a pale neutral gray for the walls would be a little more interesting.

I wish white cabinets were an option in RVs any more. I hate all the super-dark colors.