Too Cute RV Camper Coat Hanger DIY Project

When you're in an RV or Camper space is limited, in ours there was no place to hang a coat or extra towels that was convenient for how we live in the RV so I went looking for a coat hanger or hook that I could use but found nothing I liked so I made this super cute Camper Robe Towel Hook. This is on the back bathroom door so when we have guests they can use it to hang their towels, during winter we can hang our coats and in summer our beach towels! It was easy and inexpensive to make, if you like it here is what I did!

This too cute Camper Robe Towel Hook Hanger is two pieces of thin light weight already cut out wood shapes, two Octopus hangers, paint and glue.

Note: RV doors are thinner than standard doors so using an over the door hanger did not work for us. Using 3M removable tape/velcro is one option but often eventually stops holding. Since the door is hollow we used both 3M and drilled in the screws that came with the robe hooks, you may not want to drill holes in your doors, I'll provide instructions for both just 3M and with screws below.

Project: RV Camper Coat Hanger DIY

Difficulty Level: Medium

Time: 1 active hour or less

Materials:

1st Gather materials: here is a link to my affiliated shopping list if it helps, it will not cost you more to use my links but I will get a few pennies back to help pay for my site: Supply list

1. Balsa Wood or MDF: purchase a light weight Balsa wood cutout Camper (I found mine at the Dollar Store, it had a Christmas tree on it, I just cut the tree off with scissors but if you are not near one there are some campers on Amazon which I'll add to the link above just be sure on the size you want as they come in 4 sizes and several camper types) and purchase a light weight sign shape longer than the camper for the layered effect and to give room to attach your hangers, you want them far enough apart that items hanging won't touch. You can get the sign on Amazon but they sell them in multi packs of 12 to 24, that's a lot of signs.. If you have a Cricut or Sihlouette you can cut out your own using MDF or chip board.

2. Acrylic paint in white, dark blue & teal or turquoise and if you like shimmer get a pearlized turquoise (I use Folk Art Color Shift which is slightly transparent and has two colors of sheen depending on where you are standing!).

3. Clear coat is not required but if you have some at home definitely coat it after you paint.

4. Black thin line marker if you want to draw an edge line on your camper details to add depth.

5. Two white double prong robe hooks (aka Octopus) hangers with screws included.

6. 3M Velcro tape rated to hold 16 lbs, I use 4 pairs of these in addition to the screws that came with the robe hooks.

7. For extra sparkle you could also use Pebeo Gede foil rubbed over some Gede gelding paste (aka glue) which creates a mirror like finish, you will get wonderful results with or without this step, but I had some already so I used it.

8. Paint brush (flat 1/2 inch, small round size 3 or 4), water for clean up, paper towel or rag. Glue ( I used E6000 but any permanent wood or craft glue should work), a clean work space, a pencil, a paper plate or artist palette, masking tape, 3M velcro 16 lb rated, and drill with drill bit & screw driver to attach the hook if you are using the permanent method.

Materials: Paint, Balsa Wood cutouts, two Octopus Hangers

Project time: 1 hour active

Difficulty: Beginner

Steps:

1. Determine where you want to glue your Camper cut out over the sign backing, I centered mine left to right & left some room at the bottom for the hangers to go (see pictures below). Using your pencil draw around the camper on the sign so you know where it will be glued, cut a couple of pieces of masking tape to put on the sign in that area so that you when you paint it will not be in a few spots, this is where you will later glue them together.

2. On your plate/artist palette poor out some white, dark blue and turquoise. Using your flat brush paint the sign, to get the ombre effect: paint the darker blue across the bottom 1/4 of the sign, while it is still wet grab some of the darker blue & some of the Teal on the brush that on using long strokes, start painting slightly over the first dark stripe to blend it, keep working your way up the sign adding just teal in the middle, then around 70% of the way up add white to the teal on the brush and paint that area. For the top of the sign clean your brush, dry off the excess water & pick up just the white, working quickly paint the top white then work your way down to blend in with the last layer of teal. If the paint has dried just add a tiny bit of teal to the brush to allow you to blend. At this point let it dry completely.

3. While it is drying begin painting the Camper using the same colors using the small round brush. If you want to add some dimension add a tiny bit white to highlight an area and a tiny bit of black to create a shadow. If you make a mistake let it dry & repaint. Let the Camper dry, meanwhile go back to the sign and do a top coat the Colorshift over the dark blue & teal, it is somewhat translucent so all you're doing is adding a touch of shimmer. Do the same to the Camper once the paint has dried you can outline portions in black if you like to provide more depth. Now remove the masking tape from the sign.

4. Adding the Gede foil (optional): with the Camper fully dried decide if you want to add any foil touches, using the Gede foil glue draw or paint what will be foiled, let it dry fully, it will become clear when it has dried. Using foil (Gede or another brand) press the dull side down over the glue and rub back and forth, then lift up the foil and see if you need a second coat).

5. Clear coat: optional to do a top clear coat, it does help with future cleaning, dusting etc. Any brand of clear coat will work, Poly, spray cans etc.

6. Glue the camper to the sign base using a strong wood or crafter glue in the unpainted area, I had E6000 so I used that. Let it dry for the length of time the glue instructions advise.

7. Permanent Hanging: Place the hooks where you want them and mark the holes with the pencil. Pre-drill the holes into the sign using the appropriate size drill. On the back of the sign place 4 strips of velcro 3M evenly spaced & add their matching pairs (velcro side to velcro side but do not remove the protective tape yet). Next determine where you are hanging it, using your pencil to mark the location for pre drilling the small starter holes that the hook will be screwed into. The hole should be very small, just enough to line it up to hang. Remove the protective tape on the back, line up your holes and press against the door/wall for one minute. Then using your drill with a screw driver or a plain screw driver, screw in the screws that came with the hooks. Done, now enjoy your wonderful handy work!! If you wish to not use the permanent method just try using the 3M velcro!

Photos of the project that may help: