Replacing RV Window Treatments

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Oh padded valances…. sigh. Why did you become an RV staple? I’ll never know! When we did all the demo on the fifth wheel I happily took out every last one. I knew this was something I’d do the day we first looked at this unit! It immediately brightened up the space and I was so excited to find new window treatments that kept all the pretty light!

Replacing RV window treatments

As you can see the valances also covered and enclosed the pull down day/night shades. After spending some time with these shades (and breaking one on our very first trip!) I knew they had to come out as well. Im sure people are cringing at the idea because shades are not cheap to replace but the idea of living full time with these was crazy. So out they went! Also, my fam doesn’t normally or intentionally match on demo day! LOL!

Replacing RV window treatments

Once everything was gone I realized I really wanted to preserve all that brightness. I looked at several different window treatments… roller shades, blinds, curtains… so many options! It became clear I was going to need multiple solutions to get both the look and privacy we needed.

Eventually I found these curtains on Amazon. Being that RV windows are crazy sizes I didn’t even bother trying to find ones sized to match. I ordered the biggest ones they had and planned to cut down to size. I really liked the linen texture and the sheer coverage. They let in a ton of light and they’re a fraction of the price of true linen.

Replacing RV window treatments

It took a few days to cut and hem all the panels to size but it was very simple sewing. All straight lines and long stitches! It took 3 sets total to make panels for all the windows and I puzzled out as many as possible per section. We installed light weight wrap around curtain rods to hang them on and even used some of the same holes left from the valances.

*Everything we’ve hung (pre-existing holes or not!) has been mounted with molly bolts. We find its the most secure way to hang anything permanent in our fifth wheel and works perfectly with the luan walls.

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When it came to the bedroom we wanted the option for a bit more privacy. I felt like I saw the same cheap rollers used in several RV makeovers. Im sure they are an inexpensive solution if you are working on a budget but again we are talking FULL TIME USE. And the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is the roller shades eventually loose their ability to roll back up. We aint got time for items that have a short shelf life! Ha!

So we headed to Home Depot to check out a few other options. After feeling a few window treatments in person we settled on Cordless Cellular Shades. If you buy them in the store they will also cut them to size for free while you do your other shopping. Obviously this was a perk as we needed some seriously non traditional sizes.

Replacing RV window treatments

The shades fit perfectly within the curtain rods we had and were incredibly easy to mount. The shades themselves are cordless and move up or down soooooo smoothly! We got the blackout versions which were a little more but totally worth it and doable since its only 3 small windows.

Replacing RV window treatments

In addition to the shades I also added a bit of tassel trim to the curtains in the bedroom. Im not 100% set on the bedroom color scheme for the new space but I know it will include some Navy as I plan to recycle some pieces from our loft. For now, this little addition is really perking up the simple window treatments!

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Have you replaced any window treatments in your living space lately? Is your RV full of bulky padded valances? Do you love em’ or hate em’? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

Replacing RV window treatments

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96 Comments

      1. Love your window treatments! We have been living in ours for 3 years now and I have yet to find something I liked. I definitely hate the valances in there! I love the idea of the blackout shades in the bedroom. You have great ideas! I am so looking forward to throwing the things out!

        1. Thanks Marcie! Those dark heavy valances make me crazy😖Still dont understand why they use them in EVERY RV coming off the line. I’d love to see what you come up with! Feel free to tag @kreatinghomes if you share any of your projects on social 😁

      2. I’m so afraid to put screws in the walls! Do u remember what size/length Molly bolts you used! I love the transformation! Great job..thanks for sharing:)

        1. Hi Kat! I was nervous at first too but once you get a feel for where things are placed in your trailer you’ll get more confident drilling into the panels. We bought this set of molly bolts (https://amzn.to/317fTcw) when we first started our renovation and we have used almost all the shorter lengths which are 1/8″ x 1 1/4″ and a handful of all the others. The length is really dictated by what you are drilling into. Hopefully thats helpful? Good luck on your projects!

  1. I’m so impressed by what you’ve done here! I never would have thought of doing this. My hubby and I might want to travel in an RV some day so I’ll have to save your post…thanks!

  2. Wow, those cabinets! I’m always impressed by people who can do their own home improvements since I can barely hang a picture. This is truly inspiring!

  3. thanks for all your great ideas. my hubs and i are also re-doing our RV — window coverings, we couldnt get those ugly padded fabric wraparounds off fast enough. we’re also painting the fake and real oak. and i am sewing curtains of quilting cotton backed with blackout lining. redoing the floors knda scare tho.

  4. I am just starting my renovation & have run in to my first problem. I can’t figure out how to remove the valances. I know they must be attached by screws but I can’t find any. Can you help? I’m a 68 year old woman & doing this by myself.
    Thanks
    Robin

    1. Hi Robin! We had a similar problem since we couldn’t find any hardware or brackets behind our valances. We figured out the screws that attached the valances to the walls were actually buried in the wood a bit and then covered by the valance fabric. We had to run our fingers along the wood to find the indentations and then cut away the fabric with a utility knife. Once everything was uncovered it was just a matter of unscrewing 2 medium sized screws. It’s simple work but it was a bit time consuming. I’d recruit some friends to help if you can! ☺️

  5. The first thing I did in the RV I sort of inherited was take out the window valances (aren’t they the ugliest things – who thought up the color schemes in RV’s is beyond me – I have yet to see one that is actually attractive enough to live in – always browns or beige – just plain ugly!) – anyway, I was going to be living in this one for awhile so I took down the old mini blinds too – I had a stash of nice curtains and up they went! This is a work in progress and it is sort of slow since I am living here. Am thinking about looking for one that is already gutted and doing to my complete taste. You did a great job on yours!!!! Really pretty….

  6. Thank you so much for sharing this — this is exactly what I am trying to attempt. I so appreciate your ideas – I will go through your page to do some ordering. 🙂 I love the afters ! I may be a little bit of a copycat – but not totally!!

      1. Love the shades ! Love everything ! I saw these at Home Depot. I live in my rig full time and currently it is being repaired from lightning strike. Have you been in any winter weather with the floors yet?I’m WAS thinking rugs may need to be put down to keep some cold down. If I didn’t have opposing slide outs I’d have a mini split system for heat and air. Super efficient 20 plus SEER rating. 2014 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 34.6 RESA.

  7. Nice work! We have a 5th wheel that has several broken shades. I will definitely look into converting them to curtains like you have.

    1. Thanks Charlotte! We’ve been in colder climates but nothing too extreme. We do have a few small rugs I put down(mostly for decoration) and we like to run our electric fire place. Luckily thats all we have had to do to stay cozy so far 😊

  8. The first thing I thought of doing with our camper was to get rid of those valances and after seeing your redo I am definitely doing it come spring! The difference it made is unbelievable so thanks for the inspiration! Now, if I could only get rid of the ugly couch! It’s mounted to a boxed bottom slide out… There must be a way to just change it into a separate standing futon (so we wouldn’t lose the sleep space).

    1. Thanks for mentioning the electric fireplace and that it is efficient. I’m going to be buying an RV when I retire and live in it full time.

  9. Thanks so much! I loved your post. I’m pulling off all those ugly cornices and adding curtains in the spring. Am thinking of adding subway tile in kitchen and bath. You have given me confidence to start a small redo of our RV!

  10. Love the lightness the curtains give your space. Where did you find your couch and how do you get the old one out and the new one in?

  11. This looks amazing!! I am getting ready to re-do our fifth wheel! My husband is really nervous! LOL! Can you please tell me what type of paint you used on your cabinets? I cant wait to get my dark cabinets… White!! lol

  12. Great information! We just got a 2000 Winnebago and I’ve been contemplating how to remove/replace the window treatments. What did you do to fill the extra holes in the walls?

  13. Great job!!! i love how light it feels inside and how bright it seems now. We just bought an older pace arrow and I really want to get the cornice out, but can’t seem to figure out how to do it. Can you offer some insight?
    Thank you.

    1. Hi Ann! Congrats on the purchase! Every trailer(and cornice/valance!) is different but the one thing I found that might not be obvious is
      sometimes the screws are buried and then hidden under the fabric. Almost as if they were screwed in a little too far or fast. I had to run my fingers along the fabric until I could feel the holes and then use a box cutter to cut away the fabric that was hiding the screws which held the whole valance to the wall. Hopefully this was helpful in some way! Good luck!

  14. First thing I did when we bought our 2004 Winnebago was rip out the padded valences and the old beat up day/night shades. What an improvement. I considered replacing the shades with top down/ bottom up cellular shades, but I was concerned about how to hold them in places so that they weren’t banging while driving. Any ideas?

    1. Hi Sandy! With our pull down shades I just have to make sure they are completely up(open) before we drive. It minimizes how much they can swing and we’ve never had a problem. I imagine if you really wanted to secure them you could install snaps or velcro straps to the walls to hold them in place.

  15. You have done an amazing job! I am SO ready to tackle the window treatments, thinking of starting in the bedroom since its only 2 small windows and one large one. My biggest question is what did you use to cover up all the holes from the side valance pieces? Ours has the fancy dancie piece across the top and down the sides…:( – so thinking there will be a lot of holes when I remove all that. Thanks so much. Teresa

  16. We have a 22 ft travel trailer. We’ve made several changes since we purchased it new. We removed the dinette and put in an ikea sofa and table that serves as a coffee table or dining table with adjustable legs. I love the idea of removing the heavy valances. Think that will be our next change. That’s for posting.

  17. You guys did the best remodel I have seen. I’m doing mine now. I’m a designer 27years when it comes to my home I’m blank!! I’ve been working on it for two months now I have it parked in storage. I roommate with a friend across the street so I go over every day and do something. I got the kitchen remodeled and I have an avenger with bunkhouse 2014 I gutted the whole thing took out the bunk beds and closed and sealed the outside doors. I need the room for my office sewing room. I read a lot about the cornice boards yes they are ugly with the fabrics they have on them at first I was going to throw away. I saved them I bought fabric changed one to see if I like it. I’m still deciding. I re wallpaper the walls but all cabinets are white some have a glaze color. I’m so glad I found you I didn’t know how to do the floor now I know. I thought I had to put carpet back in the slide. So glad I don’t. I haven’t got that far yet but do you think I should take the vinyl out? I was going to do vinyl plank. I didn’t really think that going over it would cause a problem with the slide.
    I’m doing videos of my steps and lots of pictures too. I plan on posting mine also.
    You did a pro job girl!!!!💖 I’m going to check out old world market for a couch. I was wondering how do you get a big couch in there.thsnks for your info and pictures.

  18. I have been RV living for ten years. Never looked back. Just a beautiful job you did. I appreciate the work because it isn’t like renovating a house, it is harder. Now that you have painted the cupboards, do you notice the paint coming off anywhere? If not, what did you do for it to stay on? I have worked hard on cupboards before and sometimes have had issues with the paint scratching off at times.

    1. Thanks Shelley! We’ve only had issues with the paint if it gets scraped or banged into(which actually happened quite a bit while renovating!). If I did it all over again I would actually use a different paint. Also, we never added a sealer or anything like that but that could be a valid solution. I know when my in-laws had their kitchen cabinets painted(in their house) the painters sealed everything up so the doors and drawers had a hard finish… probably worth looking into!

  19. You guys did such a great job!! I love the couch you put in. If you don’t mind, where did you get the couch? I have been worried about taking the one in ours out along with the “booth” bc I’m afraid i won’t find anything to fit the space.

    Thank you!!

  20. Love your updates! We are in the middle of doing the same major reno to our camper. I am curious, did your master bed start out filling that entire space or did you squeeze a larger size in there later? We really need bigger than a queen!

  21. Beautiful remodel- question, did you give up all your overhead storage? I am preparing for a new project and we do not plan too be on the road at this time but sited as a seasonal home. Your comments are appreciated.

  22. Great job! We have been living in our fifth wheel for a month. We are painting and papering etc. The first padded balance I took off was over the door. Not sure what to do now. There’s a gape between the wall and door frame. To big for caulking.
    Any suggestions?

  23. I had a very ugly brown pattern in the bedroom of my Motorhome….it was depressing. After discovering that the window treatments were attached with large screws into the walls, I decided to leave them in place and Paint them! They were fabric over 1/4” paneling. I used chalk paint, a creamy off white. It took two coats, but turned out beautifull. Sorry to say I did not take before pics, but it had heavy dark brown fabric for a valance and also covering the entire wall behind the bed! Yuck! I removed all that, took off the cabinet doors above the bed and made it open shelving and painted the cabinets a light grey. I plan to continue this French country theme throughout the motorhome. I love the chalk paint….not sanding, prep or messy cleanup.

  24. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this post on Pinterest!!! You have given me hope for our RV that we will be living in for the foreseeable future. I don’t want to feel like we’re perpetually camping. I want it to feel like a home, and the first step to that in my mind is getting rid of those absolutely dreadful, abhorrent padded valences. I’m also just wondering why in the heck RV manufactures make everything SOOOOO matchy! Our whole RV palette is so cool toned that it’s a little depressing lol.

  25. My husband and I just bought a travel trailer and I cannot stand the valances and curtains. My concern is covering up the holes. We are still deciding whether we want to paint or not because the walls in our trailer aren’t bad at all. Did you patch and paint or just leave it as is?

    1. Hi April, we patched the holes with a filler called plastic wood (find it here: https://amzn.to/2P0MgoK) which blended into the tan wallpaper perfectly and left the walls as is. All our wall paper is a neutral multicolor tan and the walls are in great shape so we didnt see a reason to paint them.

  26. Wow, love what you did. I have a question. How do you keep the table and chairs from moving when you travel ? Do you just lay them on the floor ?

    Also, the wood you put behind the bed. Did you glue it ? Hubby wants shiplapp. Don’t want to put holes to hold it up.

    Thanks,
    Diane

    1. Hi Diane, We flip our table over and the chairs get put on the sofa(without cushions). Everything else gets moved into the middle and once the slides are in there isnt much room for stuff to move. We havent had any issues traveling without strapping things down additionally. Also, the headboad is bolted to our bed platform with heavy duty “L” brackets. I love the shiplap look too! If we hadnt found such a perfect headboard I would have totally done the shiplap!

  27. Back in October my husband and I sold our 3300sqft house in Georgia moved out here to Northern California for his job. At first we were in 26ft travel trailer (for 6mths) and just bought a 36ft 5th wheel & like you I LOATH the window treatments. We changed them in our old camper & I’m looking now to change these. We will be living in it out here in California for 4 years and then on our property (10acres) in Northwest Wisconsin while we build our house, so my goal is to make it VERY cozy and homey feeling.

    1. Thats awesome Shannon! All those details totally change the feeling from weekend camper into cozy full time home😍 Also, welcome to the West Coast! I may be a little biased but I kinda think its awesome here😎

  28. It looks beautiful! Dreamy actually! Question: how have the cellular shades held up? I know the valances are there to hold the shades in place while traveling and keep them from damage or damaging something else. So, I’m just wondering how they have held up over time? Thank you!!

    1. Hi Genevieve, the shades have held up really well! When we’re moving/traveling we put all the shades up(open) and we’ve never had any issues. They stay in place and I havent found any damage to the walls or surrounding areas.

  29. You are so right! I hate mine—this gives me the slight thought that my very hand husband might be willing to install rods for me. Do you have an example of what you used?

  30. You did an awesome job.
    I have a question. On your blinds that are cordless, do you get any light that comes in from the sides? I noticed you have added an inch or two past you window for the blinds, do you know if that prevents light from coming n on the sides?

  31. We have lived in our 5th wheel 7 yrs now and I have hated the window valences. They are ugly and cheap.I I’m anxious to take them down.
    I love all your make overs. The biggest thing is I want to redo the cheap icky carpet in the living room to a wooden floor. How long did it take to redo the floor.

  32. Lol ! I’m having trouble taking mine down I don’t have the right screw driver for the screws they put
    In the rvs ( they are square ) and recommendation would be helpful ! Thank you

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