Having successfully sorted out the tiles in our caravan kitchen, we decided to turn out attention to the cabinets and have a look for what we could do to refurbish them.
After all, you may not be surprised to hear the interior of the 1998 Bailey caravan we’d purchased off of Facebook Marketplace was a bit dated, and we were looking to make it a bit more pleasant to be in.
As we’ve said before, though, it is quite easy to ruin a caravan interior if you start slopping paint around without careful thought as to exactly what you want to achieve.
Here, I’ll talk you through how I went about refurbishing the kitchen cabinets in my caravan, but you can also take a look at some of the other projects I’ve carried out, including how I upgraded the lighting to LED strips and how I fixed a leaking toilet cassette.
Seeking inspiration for my kitchen cabinet refurb
Social media is chock full of inspiration on what to do to cheer up a tourer’s cabin. There is plenty of applicable content from the worlds of boats, motorhomes and the ‘tiny house’ movement, which can be very helpful if you’re buying a used caravan and want to update its interior.
But perhaps the best thing about trawling Instagram and YouTube for ideas is that you quickly establish what looks good, and what doesn’t. Penny was not a wreck inside, and we were lucky enough not to need to cover up any damp repairs or serious damage. All we were trying to do was to lift a tired interior décor, without making it look like a child’s soft play area or a French farmhouse.
In confined spaces such as a caravan interior, a little goes a long way when it comes to adding colours and finishes. The mid-toned wood effects in Penny were fine and we quickly decided to live with them, rather than splashing the paint around.
For us, a bigger issue than the colour of the wood was the sheer volume of it. Nowadays, the best caravans tend to feature contrasting cabinet colours in the kitchen and less fussy styles. Our aim was to freshen things up without going over the top. We decided to do a little bit of work on the interior, review what we had done, and then see if more would be needed.
Having added vinyl wall tiles to the caravan kitchen previously, this time we opted to carry on the kitchen, deciding to add a little luxe to the upper cabinet doors.
Penny’s doors were built in a pretty traditional way, with softwood frames and an inset panel stapled into the middle. The panels are thin plywood coated in a wood-effect vinyl, which provides the effect of wooden cabinets but without the weight of heavy timber.
It worked well enough, but after 25 years of being bounced around in a caravan, a few of the centre panels were making a bid for freedom. We decided to grant their wish – it was time to reach for the caravan tool kit.
How we upgraded the cabinet doors in our caravan
We removed the cabinet doors by undoing the screws, leaving the hinges in place to minimise the hassle of refitting.
Removing the infill panels was simply a matter of holding the wooden frame and pushing on the panel with firm thumb pressure. This eased the panels out and left the staples in place.
We used pliers to whip out the staples and this gave us a flat lip to fit a new infill.
Jen had a clear idea about infills for the cabinet doors. Fluted glass is seen in many modern interiors, but glass and caravans don’t mix well.
Happily, she found a supplier of fluted glass-effect film, which has a mild adhesive applied.
Plastic, not glass
We bought a sheet of 2mm Perspex from Wickes, measured the recesses on the back of the doors and cut the pieces to size.
A sharp knife is what Wickes recommends for cutting the plastic, but we found a circular saw gave a good straight edge without the risk of wrist injury. The cut pieces were laid on the back of the doors to ensure a neat fit.
There was quite a sizeable recess to inlay the Perspex into, so being millimetre-perfect was not a requirement. The final task was to drill 2mm holes in the corners of the plastic, inside the recess, to allow for some panhead fixing screws to hold things in place. We did consider gluing them into position, but using the screws meant that if we ever want to take things apart in future, it would be easy.
With that all ready, the final task was cleaning the Perspex, before applying the film.
The instructions for the film are to get the surface damp and use the supplied mini-squeegee to push out the bubbles for a clean look. We had a couple of small issues, mainly caused by bad alignment and dust getting between the film and the plastic, which necessitated reapplication, but it is a simple enough task and it looks great once it is done. When the film had dried, we were ready for reassembly.
Reattaching the doors to the hinges was fiddly. Leaving the hinges on the doors, not the cabinet body, might have been easier. We’re pleased with the result, though, which looks sharp enough to have come from the factory.
Now we can spend time living with the updates, then decide if we want to add new handles or in-cabinet lighting – or just quit while we are still ahead.
How we refurbished the kitchen cabinet doors in our caravan
1. Infill panels were pushed out without much effort.
2. Old staples were removed with pliers.
3. The old panels were used as templates for cutting the Perspex.
4. Fluted glass-effect film was trimmed to match the Perspex.
5. The panels were cleaned with a microfibre cloth to remove any dust.
6. The film was held roughly in place on the Perspex.
7. A mix of water and washing-up liquid in a spray bottle helped position the film. Once we were happy with the fit, the backing film was removed. Water was applied to the adhesive side before sticking it on the Perspex.
8. Pushing out bubbles with squeegee.
9. Trimming excess with a sharp knife.
10. Panhead screws secured the Perspex.
11. Interior view of smart new doors.
We were now all set to store the best caravan crockery and other kitchen essentials in the refurbished cabinets.
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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