By Gail Marsh
Four years! That’s how long I waited to hang something—ANYTHING—on our RV’s interior walls. It’s not that I lacked framed family photos. I wasn’t opposed to clocks, wall art, or mirrors, either. So, what held me back? Fear. I didn’t want to cause damage to our fifth wheel. I needed some tips for hanging items on RV walls.
Horror stories
RVers tell horror stories about how the mirror they tacked up fell off the RV wall and shattered. I don’t really believe in seven years of bad luck, but why take the chance?
Then, too, I’d heard how some mounting techniques left the RV wallpaper ripped or torn beyond repair. Yipes! Did I really need to know the time anyway? So, I put off mounting our wall clock.
But, finally, I had enough! I did a bit of research, and I took on the challenge. Yes, I finally mounted some things on our RV’s walls!
Techniques
I’ve found four different techniques for safely attaching things to RV walls. Check them out and then transform your RV by adding color, memories, reflection, and more to your decor.
Note: Use caution when using these techniques, as your results may differ from mine. Try the technique on an unobtrusive place first to make sure it will not damage your rig’s walls and will work as you intended.
Expansion screws
These are reliable options for mounting items such as small shelves, racks, or decorative pieces. Just be cautious about the size and weight of what you’re hanging, and keep in mind how much weight will be added to the shelf or rack once it’s securely mounted. I prefer to use butterfly expansion screws or other expanding wall anchors because most RV wallboard or paneling is quite thin.
Command strips
Command strips have revolutionized the way we hang things on walls. These adhesive strips are designed to provide a strong hold while being completely removable without damaging the surface. Command strips come in various sizes and weight capacities, making them suitable for everything from framed pictures to organizational baskets.
I used these to mount our wall clock. The Command strips make it easy to take the clock down when necessary (e.g., changing time zones, Daylight Saving Time changes) and put the clock right back into its place after changes have been made.
Gummed hooks
Another adhesive-based solution that offers convenience and ease of use is gummed hooks. Stick them to your RV walls and hang items like keys, baseball caps, kitchen utensils and more. Keep in mind that the adhesive strength may vary, so choose hooks based on the weight of the items you intend to hang.
Museum Putty
Also known as earthquake putty, Museum Putty is a quirky but effective option for securing lightweight items like posters or flyers to the wall. It’s a soft, moldable adhesive that is removable, reusable, and leaves no trace behind.
Additional tips
- One way to reduce the weight of the framed items you want to hang on your RV walls is to replace the glass with clear, lightweight acrylic.
- On travel days, I remove the kitchen utensils that usually hang on our kitchen wall. I don’t want rough road vibrations to cause the utensils to swing around and potentially fly off the gummed hooks.
- Not sure how much an item weighs? I use my kitchen food scale to determine which Command hook strength to use. (Anything more than 10 pounds is not going on the wall.)
- Because RV wall space is limited, choose your favorite items to display. Remember that you can remove and replace your selections with the change of seasons or whenever you like. I prefer to switch things up a bit and frequently change our wall decor.
Do you hang items on your RV walls? What method do you use? Tell us in the comments.
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RVDT2796
I use “Alien Tape” to hang everything I need in my RV
Alien tape is awesome! 👍👍
Those wall anchors are made for drywall or thicker material. RV walls are thin and there is not enough bite to keep these tight.
The best I’ve found are “Molly Anchors”. The back of the anchor flares out with four legs. These will not pull loose. They come in sizes for 1/8 inch thick walls all the way up to 1 inch.
Here’s an example:
https://amzn.to/48SGTAq
Those wall anchors are made for thicker material such as drywall.
Here’s a better alternative.
These flare out behind the wall with four ‘legs’.
They come in sizes fro 1/8 to 1 inch thick walls.
https://amzn.to/4oUk5pS
One issue with these is that it can take so much force to expand them that the anchor just spins and the teeth shred the wall. It’s best to set them with a special tool that prevents that, which is shown in their “Installation” image.
Problem is (shortest) 35mm is about 1-3/8″ = greater than the 1″ thick interior and exterior walls of MANY RVs, and would poke a Hole thru outside wall/ other side. My favorite at this time is COMMAND HOOKS, but now, if I consider permanent, I also drill and use small 1/4″-3/8″ long screws, as I found they fall off wall after about a year in the heat.
I have found that I can order my favorite pictures from Shutterfly on thin, metallic “plates”. No frame required. I use command hooks to hold them up. They are called “Photo tiles”.
We use Scotch Extreme 12 pound mounting tape on the back of our command hooks. Choose your spot wisely….It’s not coming off.
I use hollow door hangers. They expand based on the 1/8 inch thick hollow door. And they work very well. Even those big plastic anchors that have the screw threads on them can pull out. I’ve never had one of these Hollow door anchors pull out.
https://amzn.to/457Zs2k
One other thing I like about these is you can actually pound them in with a hammer easily making just a nice flat hole. Then if for some reason you want to remove them, when you remove the screw you can pry them out without a big hole in the wall.
We used a lot of Command strips in our current TT, over 11 years. We’ve had best luck with bathroom or outdoor strips. However, they do not have an infinite lifespan. After some years, the adhesive turns yellow and crunchy, not a consistent timeline. I just removed all the hooks, organizers, etc., since we’re going to sell this TT, we have a new one on order. Some things were still firmly attached, others, not as much. We always removed the heavier items for travel.
Don’t forget stainless steel pop rivets if you plan to mount something permanently on luan walls. It has worked great for coat hooks or the like that are otherwise mounted with screws.
I love Command tape, but have discovered that when stored in hot dry climates they tend to pull free if there is any weight on them.
We like to use jack screws for stuff that requires durability, and “super hooks” (thin, spring wire hooks meant to be used on thin walls, that only leave a tiny hole) for lighter stuff.
We tried museum tape – pretty much a waste of time. It seems to dry out fairly quickly and loses its stickiness. Everything we have either stuck down or tried to hold up came down or fell. We went to double sided tape.