White subway vinyl tiles make a big impact in this small RV.

If all of the brown in your RV is giving you a case of the blues, give your interior a lift with peel and stick tile.  This is an easy way to brighten and customize your RV to make your home on wheels reflect your personal style. For less than $50 and under 2 hours, you can have an appealing backsplash (pun intended) in your kitchen or bathroom.  

The before and after pictures speak for themself.  The vinyl backsplash is a winner!

RV Remodel - Peel and Stick Tile Backsplash

A peel and stick vinyl backsplash is one of the easiest projects that you can complete in your RV.  It is inexpensive, and the time involved is minimal.  I see lots of these projects on Pinterest and social media.  It all comes down to personal style and taste.  Choose carefully with color and tile size.  The size, pattern, and color, of the vinyl tiles, can have a tremendous impact.  But the wrong choice can also leave your questioning this project all together with less than satisfactory results.  

I personally like bright and bold colors.  But, I also like to use them in places where I can make changes without a major job being involved.  I like colorful pillows, bedding, accent pieces, and other items that I can just change out on a whim.  When it comes to walls and more permanent pieces, I have always favored neutral colors.  I chose to use a white subway style vinyl tile for this reason.  I intentionally choose a tile that was not small and narrow.  A medium-sized tile extends the eye over the space.  It provides an optical illusion.  Tile pieces that are narrow or small tend to dial in the eyes and continue to make the space feel small and cramped.  My suggestion to anyone considering this type of project is something that will widen the eyes as you look across it combined with a neutral palette.  I think these are some of the reasons that light and bright subway tiles are so popular.  They can make a small space feel light, bright, and airy.  In RV's that are typically full of deep earthy, brown tones, this color palette is a welcome change!

I love the clean look of this white subway tile.

For this project, you will need to measure your space for the appropriate number of tile sheets.  If your backsplash area is really small, you might use only 5 tiles.  Many vinyl tile packages come in sheets of 5 or 10.  I needed more than 5, so I purchased a 10 pack.  I wished I had bought 2 packs.  I'll get to that later.  

Supplies needed:

• Peel and Stick vinyl tile - I used white subway tiles with grey grout
• A sharp blade for cutting
• Scissors for cutting

Clean the space thoroughly and allow it to dry completely before you begin.

Begin by cleaning your surface thoroughly.  Be sure to let the area completely dry.  Also, begin in one corner and work your way across in one direction horizontally before working vertically.  

The white subway tiles are spaced so that you easily fit the tiles together for a complete look as you work accross.

As you are working, carefully, line up your tiles to fit together.  I held up the tiles to each spot to position them and check the space before removing the adhesive backing.  The ones that I used had alternating blank spaces to fit in the next tile.  

While this may look like a solid sheet on the left, there are some pieces that are not actual tiles.  I cut these away and applied cut vinyl pieces into the spaces.

The best part of this project is that you can trim the pieces to fit into corners and rounded places like my window.  If you need to make additional trims once in place, use a blade to cut any excess.  Take your time and work carefully so that you don't damage the walls underneath or cut yourself.

You can cut and trim the pieces to fit for any necessary needs as you work.

Be sure to save little pieces as you cut and trim.  These can work well to fill in spots under a window and other small spots where you need tiles but not a whole piece.  This will extend the package and ensure you have enough.  

One thing that I didn't anticipate was needing enough tile to go on the adjacent wall.  We have a kitchen on a slide, and the wall that is closest to my sink isn't behind it.  My sink is on a diagonal, and that made it hard to determine if I would wrap the backsplash around onto that adjacent wall.  After completing the initial portion of the backsplash, the answer is yes!  I have four remaining sheets that will complete a portion of the additional wall space.  But, it won't finish the task.  So, I have ordered an additional five-pack of tiles.  I knew that I would run this risk when ordering the tiles.  So, consider odd spaces like this when measuring and ordering.  It is hard to visualize it all when planning, but when I placed some tiles against the wall to assess it and looking at the wall next to the completed tiles the answer was a solid yes!  The current look with the space behind the sink feels and looks incomplete.

The adjacent wall that is closest to the sink is entirely behind it because of the diagonal of the sink.  However, I am going to add some tile to this spot to complete the project.

I love the finished look of this backsplash.  It really brightens the kitchen area.  I was amazed at the overall impact this little pack of vinyl tile made in my kitchen.  It is remarkably noticeable as soon as you walk in the door.  I love it so much, that I may take this look into the bathroom as well.  I have such a small area behind my sink that it would be easy to do with leftover pieces.  And since I'm ordering a few more tiles for that other wall, I will surely have enough.

If you are looking for a way to customize your RV, this is one thing that you can do with very little skill or money!  I made a backsplash for our pop up camper Peggy Sue.  So, if you are a pop-up camper owner, check out this project.  Or, if you are looking for an RV project right now, check out my projects page!  This is a great time to take on a project or two since many of us are missing some of those trips that we had planned this year.  A vinyl tile backsplash works well for a brand new RV as well as an all-out RV remodel and makeover.

Until next time...

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