Like with buying a house, a new (or new to you) RV, there is work to be done to make the space feel more like home. One of the reasons we picked a 5th wheel was because the layout made the space feel homier and the slides added space. One thing I didn’t like in our 5th wheel that I always noticed was the valances and side drapes. Why? They were not appealing to the eye, made the space look closed up and darker, and since they were brown, added yet more brown to the area. I told Brad early on that the valances had to go and curtains needed to be put up.
We lived in a house before moving into our 5th wheel and luckily we kept our old curtains. Most of them were way too wide and long for the windows in the 5th wheel. After measuring each window and deciding which curtain would go where, depending on the flow of the space or what size curtains would look best, we realized we had shorter curtains that didn’t need any work and four curtains that needed work. My mother-in-law is talented at sewing so she and I cut, hemmed, and sewed those to fit the 5th wheel windows. It was a big project, but it helped save us a lot of money.
Weight is a big issue with all RVs so we wanted to get curtains rods that were very lightweight and also that were smaller in size due to the small space. We needed seven rods and found them for the family room and kitchen area at Bed Bath & Beyond. The bedroom had rods already and no replacements were needed there.
Taking down the valances
The valances were either screwed onto the wall or cabinet, depending on the location. We unscrewed each valance and used the preexisting holes from the valance for the new curtain brackets. We were worried about damaging the interior walls so we didn’t add more holes to the walls for the double brackets. Since there are two holes for the brackets, we used a Dremel rotary tool to remove the unused top bracket.
Removing the metal bracket from the old side drapes
I don’t know if all RVs have the side drapes. If yours doesn’t, you can skip this part. The metal bracket was attached to the wall below the window to help keep the drape in place. Since we didn’t need that anymore, we removed the metal brackets. We quickly realized that we had holes in our wall and wallpaper. We didn’t want to leave the holes uncovered and since we are not planning on re-wallpapering (I still have to talk Brad into that one!), we decided to reinsert the screws. Luckily, all the curtains are long enough to hide the screws.
Final step
The next step was the easiest—putting the curtain on the rod and hanging it.
We are not handy people by any means so if we can do this, so can you! Due to the windows being so close together, the original curtain plan didn’t pan out like we thought. We used all the curtains that were sewed and ending up buying three more. Trying to find curtains that match that have different lengths is not easy! Thank goodness for Target, since the seven other stores we went to didn’t have anything. By using the coupons at Bed Bath & Beyond (who doesn’t have a million of those!) and going to Target, we did this project spending only $84, which was a steal! We are both very happy with the results as the 5th wheel feels more open, has more light, and looks more like home.
Now, onto our next project—adding more color and decorating!
