How to Frame Out RV Windows

How to Frame Out RV Windows
mountainmodern...
In this video we share how we went about framing the windows of our RV, which turned out to be a lot easier than we expected!
This is one of those projects we planned to get done before we hit the road, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Now our only regret is that we didn't get it done sooner!
If you're planning an RV reno we think this is one of those projects that can easily transform your tiny home on wheels without much money, time, or skill. With that said, we didn't find any information on how to do this professionally, so we came up with a way that worked for us. We don't know if this is the most legit way to frame your RV windows, although it worked great for us. Feel free to copy at your own risk and let us know if you have any tips or suggestions for a better solution.
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[@pebskicali4367]

This my 1st time renovating anything, this video has been great. Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you....

[@teresaw6780]

We'll definitely do the same in our 5th wheel. Thank you for the video 👍🏻 the frames enhance/tie your decor. Such great taste.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thank you +Terry Wilde let us know how you like it when you're all finished up, I think you'll like it :)

[@zanesutherland406]

I am planning on doing this in my camper too so glad you guys out out this video. My camper is a 1988 Terry Resort by Fleetwood (24ft) and the windows are square ( not rounded like newer campers) so it should look a lot like a house once everything is done.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Nice +zane sutherland you'll have to let us know how it turns out for you, we absolutely love the way it ended up in ours!

[@gypsybelle4757]

Turned out beautifully! Thanks for the review of tools needed at the beginning. Very helpful!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +Gypsy Belle :)

[@reginarodriguez7725]

That made a HUGE difference! I’ll definitely be doing this, thank you!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Right!! We were really surprised to see how much of a difference it made once they were up.

[@LetsRVtv]

Nice DIY project. Changes the look completely.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +LetsRV We'd been wanting to do this for so long and knew it would make a difference but once the frames were going up one at a time you could really feel the transition of the space :)

[@LovingAtlanta]

🎉🎈🎉Happy New Year. 🎉🎈🎉 Wishing you guys a terrific year. 💞 I sent your channel RV renovation over to the Drivin’ and Vibin’ channel because they bought a vintage Air Stream that they’re going to renovate. I think some of the renovation ideas you guys did would be nice in their Air Stream. I also hope you guys can become friends (if you’re not already). You guys are such nice couples. 🤗💞🤗

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Happy New Year to you as well +LovingAtlanta :) That's awesome you sent that over to them, I hope it helps :). We've haven't connected with them yet but I do follow them on all the social channels and they do seem like a really nice couple :)

[@lynnross5983]

Hi there, thanks for your cool ideas! I can't quite tell what you're saying, call the thin wood you're backing the windows with? Bass wood? Back wood? thanks!

[@wesgrimes1]

That’s a cool idea. I think I might try that in our RV. Thanks

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +Wes Grimes I have to say for how easy it was it really made a difference in making it feel more like a home :)

[@Reddaniels206]

Is there a reason that you didn't take off the window facing so the wood would lay directly on the wall? I am thinking about doing this with my RV. Great video!

[@LovingAtlanta]

👍😍I love that idea.

[@jonathanbrazeau970]

super nice, thanks for sharing!

[@jonahstevens4548]

Beautifully done!!! I’m so sorry if you mentioned this in the video what size/length nail did you use?

[@dagl.4423]

What would you suggest if we choose to add curtains/blinds to the window ?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Back when I was thinking about using curtains with the frames we considered using a wire cable system with eye hooks or turnbuckles, or just using tension rods. These were the first 2 ideas that popped into our heads, although I'm sure there are others. I'd think the cable wire system would be more secure and you wouldn't be left with a gap at the top, like you would with tension rods. I was trying to find a good post or video to add here but our internet is being super slow and I may have just opened too many tabs trying to find something, haha. You can do a search for "wire net curtain hanger" or "hang curtains from cables" or "diy curtain cable wire system" or something along those lines. For our roller shades, we just used the inside mounted brackets. Hope that helps!

[@dagl.4423]

thank you so much for taking the time to explain. ill look into my options !! :)

[@zm8-8-8]

Hi there. I never saw a video of your roller shade install on this setup. I am thinking I'd need to build a more traditional valance to mount a MCD roller shade since they need minimum 2" to mount?

[@eyeswideshut2800]

He nailed up 4 pieces of wood in a 9 minute video, I'm done.

[@sylvainvincent4389]

Thanks !

[@iloveanimals53]

We are going to go buy the lumber for this project tomorrow !!! Any suggestions on the wood? We are going to need a 13 foot board for the top of the slide-out trim What color stain did you use ?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hi Raven! Are you talking about the frames for the windows or the slide-out trim? We used mostly 1 x 3's for the frames - although in some cases we used larger or smaller wood depending on if it was near the ceiling or if there was built-in furniture below it. For the slide-out trim we used 1 x 6 reclaimed cypress in the bedroom (we had it milled down extra thin), and then cedar in the living room. You can find our post here: mountainmodernlife.com/rv-slide-out-moulding/ The stain I used on the frames is sorta my way of finger painting, in a fun, sloppy kinda way, haha. I used several stains we had on hand and also added some dry-brushed taupe paint because I was trying to give it a more rustic look. I don't have any posts or tutorials on my method but if you search "barnwood stain technique" or "rustic stain technique" I'm sure you'll find something similar. Hope that helps and let us know how it turns out! - Katie

[@iloveanimals53]

Mountain Modern Life slide out Moulding

[@knitnpaint]

I am not a fan of the basswood idea. I think I might try to cut a groove in the window side of the wood instead. That way the wood lays flat on the wall and not set up. If I remember correctly that cut is called a rabbit? For example wood cut for picture frames. Like the groove the glass sits in. Great idea of framing the widows in such a way.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey +knitnpaint the basswood approach is holding up really well though if I would've had my table saw I probably would've taken the rabbit approach. I just didn't have the tools I needed to get it done, so had to work with what I had. Anyway, thanks for bringing up the different idea cause I think if someone has the tools to make it happen it'd be a great way to get the job done. anyway best wishes eric

[@FlagrantCapitalist]

It's spelled rabbEt, but most of the illiterati will spell it rabbit.

[@dothedew8612]

Have you had any issues of condensation building and wicking onto the trim?

[@jdub1922]

Looks good, but that's not framing, it's called WINDOW TRIM. Framing is putting the actual window into the wall, and framing the opening for support when the wall studs are cut.

[@audreywy1743]

Great idea, I'm wondering if you encountered any wires behind the walls or how you knew you were nailing into the wood frame?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +Audrey GFI for the most part I've found our wires run through the ceiling or very close to the top of the walls. As far as knowing we were going into the wood frame, that mainly comes down to learning through experience. We'd put up shades on all the windows (which we are working on repurposing them so they work with the wood frames) in the RV. In doing so we learned that most of the windows are surrounded by the wood panelling on the walls. Though the window in our living room slide out and the window in the hallway both have a flat piece of metal in the walls surrounding the windows. We learned that when we were trying to attach our shades previously. I know it's not very scientific but I hope it helps. Best Wishes, Eric

[@christineedwards9289]

How did you attach the trim to the windows with the metal around them? Thanks

[@megantaylor7751]

Lovely!!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +Megan Taylor

[@brockstrain678]

This is TRIMMING a window. I watched thinking I was going to find out more about how the rough opening was framed for the window. Framing would be the studs that actually hold the window.

[@lauramaxwell1615]

What color stain did you use on your pine?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey +Laura Maxwell To be completely honest Katie was playing around with like 4 different types of stain and paint at the same time :) So there really wasn't a specific stain per say.

[@katrinafoelsch6794]

What stain did you use

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @katrina foelsch sorry for the late reply and to be honest I believe Katie used a combination of different darker stains and some paint to give it a layered texture look. So I'm not sure of which ones. Sorry :(

[@tomjohnson1341]

The window was already there.. this is like dressing it up

[@carbontrader13]

What length nails did you use?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey +Aryn Duncan We used 1 1/2 inch brad nails. Our wood was 3/4 of an inch and the space between the wood and the wall was in between 1/4 and a 1/2. So our nails went into the wall about 1/4 to a 1/2. So far we've had the frames up for about 2 months and everything is holding up great. Anyway I hope this helps!

[@carbontrader13]

Thanks!. I love the work you've done on your home!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thank you! Let us know if you go ahead with the project and how it turns out for you.

[@christinevasallo2002]

@@Mountainmodernlife Looks awesome! Nicely done, sir. Did you have any concerns with hitting any wiring or pipes behind the wall? Also, concerns about going straight though to the outside? I read on some other sites that nails can be risky for these reasons? Thoughts? Thanks! :)

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thank you much +Christine Vasallo :) I'm not going to lie at the beginning of our renovation process those were big concerns for us. The last thing we wanted to do was hit a wire, pipe, or go all the way through the outside wall. But since we've been doing this we've become extremely familiar with our RV and where things are located and how thick the walls are. We that said I always lean on the side of caution. For instance, with installing these window frames, I knew the material we were attaching was 3/4 of an inch, the wood panel on the inside wall is 1/4 of an inch and my wall is 2 inches thick total (from inside to outside). So with that, I used 1 1/4 inch nails which would get me through the material I was installing, the wood panel, and leave me a little overhang into the wall. I hope that makes sense? It's important to understand that every RV is manufactured differently. For instance, in our RV most of our electrical is ran along the top of the wall, whereas another RV may have it running along the bottom. As far as piping goes, you should run into too much probably with hitting them, I think we only have one pipe that goes through the walls and that is a grey tank vent that runs through the wall separating our kitchen and bathroom, other than that most the plumbing lines should be lower than where you'd be nailing or screwing. Anyway, I hope this helps a bit but please feel free to let me know if I can clarify anything. Best Wishes, Eric

[@mirzoyanapresyan]

Everywhere fookin guitar instead of goals, plans, drawings, materials, tools.

[@TheJsaffle]

Ummm really a level, sooo your saying rv ia sitting level, and the window is level, thats funny, if rv is sitting at an angle you just "leveled" a crooked piece of trim in relation to window, its called set a "reveal" on window and maintain it all around

[@Mountainmodernlife]

haha you're right for sure @TheJsaffle RV's aren't always known to be level, and there are spots in our RV where this is obvious. Though when we did this project I can confidently say our RV was level and the metal frames on the windows also registered as level. So I feel good about our approach, but am interested in how you would go about doing it? Also thanks for sharing what it's called (reveal) I hadn't heard of that term but am glad I know that's what it's called now. Anyway thanks for swinging by and sharing that knowledge.

[@hafzamacie8858]

I did it with the Woodglut plans.

[@JimLockett]

I thought you were building an RV...

[@clashofphish]

This isn't framing a window. This is dressing a window. Framing is the work needed to support and install the window itself. Wasted my time.

[@jimanthony9560]

I agree