Furniture updates in even the best secondhand caravans can be tricky. Painting cabinets often ends up looking a bit heavy-handed and in the more confined space, strong colours can be overpowering. That’s why neutral wood tones tend to be the standard choice in caravans of all eras. One thing that can be done, however, thanks to the marvels of modern materials, is an update to the work surface in your caravan.
Vinyl wraps are a far cry from the plastic-looking offerings you’d see 30 years ago. They now come in deep, wide rolls, suitable for seamless, continuous worktop runs. Special hardwearing vinyls, which are specifically suitable for worktops, are designed for use in domestic kitchens, but there’s no reason why they can’t be applied to caravans.
With recent project work for Penny being either technical (such as fitting Wi-Fi in a caravan) or expensive, it seemed like a good time to carry out a simple interior makeover.
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Picking a pattern for the work surface of my caravan
Finding a suitable worktop vinyl is easy. We went for a product from D-C-Fix. Its Design Foil has a huge variety of finishes, so you can go for whatever style you might imagine. Wood grain finishes look nice, but Penny, our 1998 tourer we’d bought from Facebook Marketplace for £1,200, is already stuffed with light wood, so we wanted something a little different in a caravan interior.
We considered concrete and marble-effect finishes, but in the end, we opted for terrazzo.
We ended up buying from Amazon, but D-C-Fix is also available from B&Q and The Range, among others, if you want to look before you buy.
When you have the roll of vinyl in your hands, the first thing that becomes apparent is that it doesn’t feel particularly heavy or unwieldy.
Our concern that it might be a bit thick and difficult to fit into corners proved unfounded. It is very easy to work with.
The main thing we liked was that the pattern was pleasing, with a soft sheen that made it look quite realistic. It doesn’t look like sticky-back plastic, which is what it essentially is.
Our main reservations about using vinyl were to do with how hardwearing it would be on something with a tough life, such as a kitchen worktop.
Leafing through the supplied information, we realised that care needs to be taken, but it’s plainly not delicate.
Things taken straight from the oven or hob should not be placed directly onto foiled surfaces – but we wouldn’t do that to any worktop.
Spills should be quickly mopped up to avoid staining, and naked flame will burn it.
The main thing to be wary of is its heat rating of 80°C, so care should be taken with boiling water when using the best caravan kettle to make a brew, although the odd splash wouldn’t be a problem.
It looked as though it would do everything we needed.
The final thing in its favour is that the film can easily be removed if you do damage it, or simply change your mind and decide to restore the work surface back to standard, so it is a low-risk option.
Preparing to install the vinyl
Applying the new vinyl is pretty straightforward, but there is a certain amount of preparation needed. In our case, there was some additional work to do.
When you’re buying a used caravan, you may find that it comes with a fold-up cover for the sink, like Penny does. In truth, the cover is awkward to use, the hinges were semi-seized and it needed repair. We decided to remove it. It sounds easy. It was not.
Being so close to the sink, the small screws were rusted and could not be undone. The only option was to drill off the screw heads. This took a while, made lots of mess and was a hassle.
Once the screws were out, the damage to the work surface could be fixed with a smear of filler. Then the whole worktop was thoroughly cleaned and wiped down, ready to start fitting the vinyl film.
The best advice for getting good results is to plan how you are going to fit the vinyl before you get out the scissors. Our worktop has a sink and hob to cut out, which means there is a lot of waste, but that can’t be helped. We followed the guidance video from D-C-Fix on YouTube, which said that you should work out the total length needed first, and then cut the film to length.
Cutting to fit the caravan work surface
The sink and the hob are flat, so they didn’t get in the way when we began planning how to fit the vinyl film.
The tap, on the other hand, was a different matter. Ideally, you would remove the tap, sink and cooker to get the easiest fit. For us, however, this just wasn’t going to be practical.
It was easier to cut around the sink and the tap, although we were able to remove the securing screws from the cooker and lift it slightly, then fit the film underneath.
For the tap, we carefully marked and cut out a circular hole for the tap base and split the foil behind the tap. The join in the foil is behind the tap, so won’t be seen.
A small water spray is useful for making the fitting easier, while a hairdryer helps to get the vinyl to fit around the curved worktop edges.
We also decided to invest in a smoothing squeegee, a sharp knife and a flat plastic scraper, which helped to get rid of any bubbles under the surface and ensure that the finished result looked as good as possible.
Final verdict
For an easy, cost-effective way to rejuvenate kitchen worktops, this is a great option. Replacing a caravan worktop is not really a practical proposition, unless you are a carpenter. It will also cost a lot more than £15.
Although this self-adhesive vinyl film is quite fiddly and time-consuming to fit, the overall effect is great.
Careful preparation, keeping everything clean and planning how to apply the film before sticking anything down are all essential for good results.
Time will tell how well the finish lasts, but there are few better ways to freshen up a kitchen for such a small outlay.
If you’re after some present ideas for the van owner in your life, take a look at our pick of gifts for caravan owners to see our picks to suit all budgets.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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