DIY RV Sink Cover: How To Make RV Sink Cover (Helpful Guide)
RV kitchens are small. If you have ever owned or been in one you know how small they can be. That means you need to come up with some creative ideas to expand that counter space. One idea would be to make a nice sink cover.
If you want to go simple and basic, all you need is a piece of pine, oak or maple, etc., cut to the size of your sink. Then place a few pads on the bottom so the cover doesn’t scratch the sink’s surface. Just round the edges of the piece of wood though.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can create your own sink cover to fit your specific RV sink size. Take a few minutes to see how this information inspires you.
Why do RVs Have Sink Covers?
The obvious answer is the main answer you can get when you ask this question. RVs and trailers are known for having little to no counter space. That lack makes food preparation a little tougher on RV owners.
A lesser-known reason would be to give you a little more storage space. After you put smaller items inside your sink, you can close the cover and keep those items inside where you put them. It is a safer way to travel when you need more space.
A third reason would be to make the kitchen more beautiful. Hiding the sink with a cover that is the same as the counter tops hides the uglier stainless steel and make the area look complete.
Often the sink can detract from the beauty of your counter tops. The cover can also hide those dishes you forgot to wash last night. Or it hides any dishes you have not had time to wash before you started your day’s excursions.
All of these reasons are legitimate and make having a cover an ideal feature. Its flexibility helps you maintain a good kitchen and gives you room to work. But not all RVs come with this feature or if they do, they are not always pretty to look at.
DIY RV Sink Cover Ideas
There are lots of ideas you can use to make your own sink cover if your RV or trailer did not come with this feature. Then if you go out and buy one, the cost can be fairly high even for the cheap plastic options.
It just makes sense to make your own as that way, you will get the sink cover the size you need. Here are some ideas to help you choose your perfect sink cover:
1. Construction materials- you can use plastic, metal, or wood. The metal may be a bit difficult as you need special tools to cut the shape out and you can dull a lot of blades doing it.
Metal may be strong and easy to fit into your sink, but it does not always look good.
Plastic is easier to work with and you may need to cut to size. Plus, you can get plastic in colors that complement your interior decor. The problem is that plastic is not cheap these days and it does look cheap at times.
Wood is about the best as you can easily cut it to size, shape it, and add stain, paint, or decorations without too much trouble. The sky is the limit when you go with wood. Plus, you can use it like a chopping board when you need to. You can do the same with plastic but it may not last as long as wood will.
2. Decorating- you can try to decorate the metal piece if you go that route but it is the most difficult decorating option. Plastic gives you more decorating options as long as the material is made to be applied to that construction material.
Wood is the easiest to decorate as you have so many paints, stains, sparkles, etc., you can use. Your creative talents are better displayed with wood.
3. Shape and design- no matter which material you use, you are limited to the shape and size of your sink. All your covers need to fit inside that space so they can be effective.
You can go longer but unless you put legs or some other type of stopper on the underside, those covers will slide right off. You can be creative here as legs can still help you with counter space when you need to use the sink for washing dishes, etc.
The best thing to do is look at your sink and see how you can design a nice cover for it. Don’t forget to take accurate measurements so you do not spoil the construction material and have to go out and buy some more.
How To Make An RV Sink Cover
If you are a handyman then this is not going to be a hard task at all. The sink cover is a very basic project that simply requires the right tools for the construction materials.
We will go with wood for the example here as this is the easiest construction material to work with. Here are some top steps to follow when you use this material:
1. Gather your tools- these include a tape measure, jigsaw, skill saw, router, orbital sander, pencil, and drill with wood bits.
You will need the skill saw to cut the length and width of the cover. Then the jig saw will help you cut the corners to the right shape. The router will round the edges of the wood and make it decorative.
2. Pick your material- this is an important step as the material you use determines the bits and blades you will need for your power tools. Pine and fir are the softest woods to work with but maple, birch, alder, cherry, and oak look much better.
However, they are hardwoods and need tough blades and bits to fashion them
3. Once you have selected your wood, take accurate measurements. Mark with the pencil where you need to make your side and end cuts, and then mark your corners. Do this all at the same time so you can make your cuts faster.
Do your side cuts first, then double-check your corners to make sure you have them outlined correctly. Then take your jigsaw and cut out those corners.
4. The edges and corners are going to be a bit rough on both sides. So you can use an orbital sander and sand those edges. That is okay but not that great. You get rounded edges that look like rounded edges.
Or you can take your router and put one of many different decorative bits in it and give those edges a nice look. The sander can do the bottom of the wood piece as it is not going to be seen. But you need the router for the top as everyone who visits will see it.
5. Once you finish with the sander and the router, go over the face and edges with some rough sandpaper, then finish it off with fine-grit sandpaper. You want to get all the slivers and rough marks out of the wood.
6. Decorate your sink cover- this can be done in many ways although those hardwoods rarely need any help in looking good. You can stain or paint the fir and pine options and then add a verathane coating to protect the stain and the paint.
All you need for the hardwoods to look good will be a little sanding to bring out their true colors and a clear coat to protect the wood. And you are done.
RV Sink Cover Sizes
Sink covers come in different sizes and the reason many RV owners make their own is that the stores do not sell any in the size they need. You will find that all RV sinks are not made the same nor come in the same size.
If you are lucky you will find one at a store that does not sell them for very much. Checking Lippert’s website you see a lot of different shapes and designs. Some are rectangles, dual sinks, single sinks, octagons, and so on.
It is best that you look at your specific sink and see how it is designed before buying a cover.
Some Final Words
If your RV does not come equipped with a sink cover, then utilize your creative talents and make your own. Our preference is wood as that construction material is very flexible and versatile.
It also looks better than plastic while being very easy to decorate and protect. The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating your DIY sink cover so be tasteful and pick designs and colors that complement your kitchen’s look.
Clashing covers do not look good in an RV no matter what anyone says.
