New Back splash!

Been working on finishing up some projects around the camper since we have some time between now and our next outing as another school year is coming to a close.  One of those was to personalize our camper with a nice back splash area around the camper.

SmartTile is a self-adhesive gel tile product that looks great and is easy to install.  It has become popular in RVs and Campers due to this ease of installation and the flexibility to handle any movement during transit, etc.  There are a few styles that we thought would look nice in our camper, and then one really stood out when we took them inside.  If you are in the market for a real tile, check out the Flex-Style system on Google.

Installation is easy.  First, clean the walls where you want to install them with rubbing alcohol or a tsp de-greaser if you have been using the camp stove for a long time.  After a good cleaning, check the surfaces for any defects that could ripple thru.

I found that I also had to check the squareness of the counter to the walls, as they were both out a little bit but enough that the first tile of each row would have to be trimmed on an angle to get it started correctly.  Here is a photo during my progress.  The rectangle that is left open is where we will be adding an electrical outlet,... more on that below.

Off to a good start

Tile part all done,... now time to add the electrical outlet

 YouTube VLog of the Installation to this point.
( Click HERE to watch larger on YouTube directly)

The electrical outlet is something that we have been looking for a location to place.  We need it to be someplace accessible for the toaster and the coffee pot.  This wall seemed to be the easiest location for placement.  The pantry is just above the converter and breaker box so I only have to clip the one removable shelf and drill one hole in the base of the cabinet space to route the wire.  Since the side wall of the pantry is a thin plywood veneer, I will reinforce that section with another layer as I fit the electrical box.  More to come on this.


Afterward, I had some scrap that I was looking at and thought it would be nice to add another personal touch to the fridge and make this look more than only a back splash add.  This looks better in person than this photo shows, and was easy to install here as well.

A little matching touch on the fridge