It’s FINALLY time to begin working on our new countertops. We’ll explain why we decided to replace them, what we’re doing along with ALL the prep before actually using the epoxy.

Countertop Material – MDF

I used the recommended 3/4″ MDF that StoneCoat Countertops suggested for all horizontal surfaces. I did go much lighter and used 1/4″ MDF for my backsplashes. The biggest thing to worry about for those is keeping them flat while trying to paint (mine created a bit of a bend since I had them resting on paint cans while curing).

Unlike the videos you’ll see on the YouTubes, cutting RV countertops to the right size was a bit more challenging. You’re almost always blocked in by walls which may not be 100% true, and there are a lot more angles usually. At least on our camper, it was!

We removed our old countertops and measured directly on top of the cabinet surface (we didn’t use the dimensions from the old countertops). On our most challenging countertop – the kitchen – I ended up re-fitting that one a dozen times before I got it right. I wanted to take off very slowly so I wouldn’t have gaps (but still had some *sigh*).

I did want edges on these countertops to make them look similar to the original plastic countertops but also to show some of the detail of the epoxy, so I followed the guidelines that StoneCoat Countertops mention in their videos. The only difference was the thickness of the edges – on our RV countertops, we were only able to use a 1″ edge instead of the recommended 1.5″ depth. And, on our kitchen countertop, the ends near our refrigerator and near our entry door had to be dramatically reduced to about 1/2″ to fit. Bottom line, I’d recommend to do a fitup with the base piece, add edges and dry fit again until you’re comfortable. Also remember that the epoxy will be 1/8-1/4″ thick once you’re done (assuming you’re applying 2 coats of epoxy as recommended).

I used a 23 Gauge Micro Pin Nailer, a router and an orbital sander to get these pieces of MDF boards to look like actual countertops.

Epoxy Colors

This was the fun part – figuring out what I wanted the countertops to look like. Our old countertops were black with white speckles. As I had mentioned in previous videos regarding painting our countertops, I wanted a brighter inside since everything felt so dark.

I decided that regardless of my color decision, I wanted to use the Art Coat epoxy version – this was a little more expensive but had good UV resistance which will help reduce yellowing over time. Being in an RV we kinda get exposed to sun just a bit!

I chose the white exotic marble kit because I was focusing on the grays but also added the pearl option since it added a bit of browns/warmth to the grays.

But, after painting the cabinets white (with a little hint of beige), I was worried that things would look TOO white if I chose a white-ish base. So, sample boards were my savior to make that decision.

I also freaked out a little and ended up ordering some additional mica powders to add more browns. I chose a “coffee” color mica powder which looked very red to me, and a “bronze” color mica powder which looked a lot more like the color brown I wanted. AND, on top of that, I ended up getting the brown Alumilite epoxy colorant, just to make sure I purchased way too many colors!

I ended up making 2 sample boards. The first was with a darker brown/gray base. This was also the board I used to mimic the techniques I learned about online. I watched a TON of videos from both StoneCoat Countertops and RK3 Designs to help build my confidence before trying sample boards.

So, don’t dis me too hard – this was my first board (with also crappy blue lighting which I couldn’t fix at the time). Yeah, it looks awful, but it taught me 2 very important things: A darker color is not needed in our camper (I was able to lay this piece on top of the white cabinets), and which techniques Gary and I liked and didn’t like. And yeah that “coffee” color was so red it wasn’t funny. Not a great choice, but glad I decided to grab a few different powders.

Next, I decided to try one with a white/light beige background. This was a lot closer to what I think I wanted, but it was lacking a bit of brown.

On the final countertops, I used this as a base, but combined both the brown Alumilite epoxy colorant with the “bronze” color mica powder.

Not Enough

As a side note, when I purchased my original 2-gallons for this project I thought I had enough – I wasn’t going to do an exotic pour (which typically requires 6-8oz per square foot) – I was only going to need like 3 oz per square foot.

But with me doing the sample boards and choosing at the last minute to do backsplashes in our bathroom and kitchen, I came up a little short. I didn’t find that out until I was completed with the first pour on the kitchen countertop. I ended up scrambling to get another half gallon in, which ended up taking an extra 5 days to wait. It was a bummer since I needed the smallest bit and PROBABLY could have done without it, but it was so close I didn’t want to ruin a whole countertop with not enough material.

To Ultimate Top Coat or Not

Another delayed decision was whether or not to use StoneCoat Countertop’s Ultimate Top Coat. I was not planning on using this at all – just pour the first coat and a flood coat and be done with it.

Until I realized that the countertop should cure for at least 7 days before messing with it. Doing this upgrade at Gary’s parents and not having a kitchen, let alone running water for a few weeks made me reconsider this.

By using their formula, we were able to get the countertops into the camper within 24 hours (though many recommend 48 hours). We moved it in 24 hours and drilled holes for sinks and faucets.

I also decided at the last minute to use this due to the increased scratch resistance of the material. On our old countertops, we had a TON of scratches that just made it look dull after several years of full-timing. I didn’t want that to happen again if I could help it. This is also supposed to help with temperature performance.

So, I decided to bite the bullet and add this to the mix. It took another 4 days to get this in, putting us a bit behind schedule. But, I’m still glad I did it!

Bathroom Hardware

We purchased the bathroom faucet on Amazon. It was a bit harder to find a vessel sink faucet at the local hardware store, surprisingly. We tried one, but we had to take it back since it was not tall enough for our setup.

This faucet is quite heavy, but seems to to the job. My only frustration is that it attracts water and fingerprint stains like stainless steel. I’m constantly having to get out my vinegar spray to remove the prints. I guess my others were probably just as hard to clean but maybe it’s more obvious due to the amount of metal showing. I guess I’ll find out as I get used to the new setup.

I purchased the Ruvati Vista White Ceramic Vessel Round Modern Bathroom Sink (12-in x 12-in) directly from Lowes. It was surprisingly hard to find a small vessel sink that would work well in our bathroom.

While the countertop could have accommodated a larger sink, I wanted to have space around for typical items, like a soap dispenser and my hairbrush and curling iron, etc. This seemed to be the most practical solution which also allowed me increased space in the cabinet below since the sink would no longer be built into the countertop.

I was a bit concerned that it would be too high for me – I’m not really tall – but it seems quite comfortable, even on the Host bathroom “throne” area (the bathroom sink and the toilet are on the raised portion of the driver slideout).

Final(ish) Results

Well, we’re not QUITE finished, but we can share what our bathroom looks like right now. We wanted to get our water back on at LEAST in one area. And boy, those blue lights in the shed we were using messed with how the colors looked. I’m glad I took the backsplashes into the camper to see how they looked with natural light.

We hope to share our final camper upgrade shortly, with some tips I learned along the way – stay tuned!

Other Links

• 🛻⛺🛠 Truck Camper GEAR
• 🛻⛺🛠⬆️Truck Camper UPGRADES

Our Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!