By Dave Solberg
Dear Dave,
I want to do some remodeling on my RV. For example, I want to take the sofa out and add more counter space. But to do so, I will need to screw into floors and walls. My questions: How do I know where it is safe to drill? How do I avoid wiring? Is there a diagram of what’s inside the walls? … I’ve seen a lot of videos of RV remodels and people seem to just pop screws in all over the place. No one ever discusses how to do this properly and safely. Thanks! —Connie, 2017 Thor ACE 29.4
Dear Connie,
We just worked on a 2015 Thor Challenger. I called and requested a wiring diagram—it was pretty worthless! There was nothing about where wiring was routed or specific locations of components. That is typical in the RV industry—other than Winnebago, which has specific wiring diagrams and 3D images. However, even with that, at times it still doesn’t get specific as to wiring routed in the walls and ceilings.
We did a remodel of a 2003 Winnebago Brave with new flooring and furniture. In the process, we took out the sofa and dinette in the slide room as well as the driver and passenger chairs. We had a custom-made smaller table/computer station installed with chairs and a leather sofa with air bed.
Here you can see the slide room where the old dinette had been. We had to pull off some of the plywood as a customized table was added somewhere along the line and glued to the wall.
Fastening to the floor is fairly straightforward. There typically isn’t wiring or plumbing in the floor area. Plus, the top wood is typically 1/2” thick or more, so it is a solid fastening point.
Be careful of the sidewall when you remodel an RV
The sidewall is another matter, as there could be wiring. Also, it’s not a very solid mounting point as the interior wood is only 1/8″ plywood with block foam sandwiched inside. It is very difficult to find the aluminum studs or framework as it is not every 16” on center like residential construction. Plus, the plywood is sandwiched with adhesive and cured. So there are no nails or screws to help show where framework might be.
You might be able to push the wall in various areas to help identify where framework might be located. Then drill a small pilot hole to see if you hit hard aluminum. That is, if you are putting in some type of cabinetry that could cover up the holes.
In our case, we used some construction adhesive on the back wall of the table/computer desk to the sidewall and secured it to the floor. Three years later it’s as solid as a rock. By spreading the adhesive across a wider surface, it held well. However, the furniture piece had all the weight on the floor and the wall did not need to support it—just keep it from pulling away.
RELATED
- There is a soft spot in RV’s floor. What’s the best way to repair it?
- Gutted our 1982 Class C; need help reinstalling furnace ductwork
- RV roof leak damage estimated at more than rig is worth. How hard is it to repair?
- RV’s dashboard is loose. How do I fix it?
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
Read more from Dave here.
RVDT2713
There are stud finders built to find aluminum studs.There are also finders that will detect AC wiring inside walls. However, much of an RV’s wiring is DC.
Hi Dave. One trick I learned with my truck camper is to go out on a cool, damp morning and look at the sides of my camper. The places with framing will hold the dew longer than the places in between. That way I could identify the internal wall supports.
I don’t know if it will work on RV walls or floors, but the Walabot stud finder (https://walabot.com/) will find pipes, wiring, and studs in a residential wall easily. I will try it in my RV next week.
Thank you for the discussion, Dave! Have a great day and safe travels!