Attaching things to interior and exterior walls?

[Twisties]

We'd like to add some coat hooks, maybe hang some small art, or other things, and add a strap to retain wife's fancy smancy espresso machine on the hutch counter top.

Don't want to do anything stupid in the process.

Walls are thin, and stud finder seems to produce odd results. How do I make a secure attachment without damaging something?

[Slapshoot]

Command hooks!

[66joej]

Command hooks!

^ Easy to attach and remove. They come in some hefty weight ratings and styles now.

[FlyingAroundRV]

^^That's what we use. Even used the Command strips to mount the toilet roll holder.
But don't put any weight on them for the first 24 hours, they need to "set".

[GHen]

Agreed, the larger command hooks provide more surface area to attach reducing any stress on the wall or wall paper.
Towels, coats, hats, keys, wires, even use them to attach a small flag pole on the outside.

[fjr vfr]

Inside of our trailer is covered with Command Hooks. :)

We hang everything from coats, towels, pants, ukuleles, fly swatters etc. We even have some with the metal hooks around the kitchen for things like cutting boards and large utensils. Can't beat them.

[Northofu1]

Command hooks are awesome, I would however change the adhesive every couple of years, it does tend to dry out. Removing them isn't fun when the tab rips due to age.

[Fishsizzle]

Command all the way. Use them for towels and keys

[KSH]

Ditto... Command hooks

[JRTJH]

Nah!!! 3" common nails through the 2" walls. That way you can hang things on the inside AND the outside of your RV. If you need things to "stay in place" then use threaded bolts in place of the 3" nails. You'll have a threaded picture hanger that won't turn loose.....

With bolts, you don't need to remove them after use, just put a washer under the head and on the nut, a bit of red thread lock and it's a permanent part of your RV "décor"....

Holes??? We don't care about having extra stinkin' holes !!!

Oh, and Merry Christmas !!!

PS: Command Hooks for nearly every application.....

[Fishsizzle]

Nah!!! 3" common nails through the 2" walls. That way you can hang things on the inside AND the outside of your RV. If you need things to "stay in place" then use threaded bolts in place of the 3" nails. You'll have a threaded picture hanger that won't turn loose.....

With bolts, you don't need to remove them after use, just put a washer under the head and on the nut, a bit of red thread lock and it's a permanent part of your RV "décor"....

Holes??? We don't care about having extra stinkin' holes !!!

Oh, and Merry Christmas !!!

PS: Command Hooks for nearly every application.....


Had to look at the calendar to see if it was April 1st!

Had a buddy relay to me a few months ago that his son-in-law bought a new cargo trailer and was so proud of all the shelving that he custom built that he ran it over to show the family his nice new trailer.

First thing my friend noticed were the screws he used to attach the shelving sticking through the outside all over the trailer!

Poor kid.

[JRTJH]

Had to look at the calendar to see if it was April 1st!

Had a buddy relay to me a few months ago that his son-in-law bought a new cargo trailer and was so proud of all the shelving that he custom built that he ran it over to show the family his nice new trailer.

First thing my friend noticed were the screws he used to attach the shelving sticking through the outside all over the trailer!

Poor kid.

Unfortunately, I've seen more than one trailer with a "porcupine exterior"... It's not a pretty sight and it's not easy to repair, although most marine fiberglass repair shops do an admirable (pun intended) job for a commanding price...…

Probably the best (easiest and cheapest) way to repair a "single skin cargo trailer sidewall" is to remove each screw, one at a time and replace it with a pop rivet with a backer washer on the inside... What a way to start a "new relationship" with an expensive cargo trailer, eh ????

[chuckster57]

We had a customer buy a brand new unit with a rear kitchen. Brought it in 2 weeks later for a minor issue, until I noticed he used the supplied wood screws to mount it and they were sticking out the rear wall. IIRC I backed them out and since the holes were rear small I color matched and filled with silicone.

[Northofu1]

John,
You have to use fender washers and plenty of caulk. S/S threaded rod
work awesome. Great for seasonal attachments ;)
Merry Christmas to all. :D

[sonofcy]

We'd like to add some coat hooks, maybe hang some small art, or other things, and add a strap to retain wife's fancy smancy espresso machine on the hutch counter top.

Don't want to do anything stupid in the process.

Walls are thin, and stud finder seems to produce odd results. How do I make a secure attachment without damaging something?

It's not a house, its an RV. The walls are probably 1/8" thick board similar to masonite. There may be aluminium or even wood at various places in the walls but no building code to determine where they are. You need a very good stud finder to find them. For stuff up to a few pounds, Command Hooks work well. For the espresso strap I would look into heavy duty velcro like stuff. I have some called 3M Dual Lock. On amazon US and Canada. Here is the US link VERY strong
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OXK1AK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[cma1975]

It's not a house, its an RV. The walls are probably 1/8" thick board similar to masonite. There may be aluminium or even wood at various places in the walls but no building code to determine where they are. You need a very good stud finder to find them. For stuff up to a few pounds, Command Hooks work well. For the espresso strap I would look into heavy duty velcro like stuff. I have some called 3M Dual Lock. On amazon US and Canada. Here is the US link VERY strong
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OXK1AK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My Keurig travels in the sink—perfect fit. I have been thinking about using Velcro to keep the dinette seat cushions in place, both during travel and when we are sitting on them, as they tend to slide out. Maybe Dual Lock will work!

[hickory44]

We also use Command Strips. But a word of caution, we hung small pics on the walls and after our last trip parked the RV. In Utah it gets hot even when you crack a window. I found all of the pic frames on the floor. The interior had gotten hot so the strips came off. Luckily nothing broke, but I would not hang something heavy with them that is breakable.

[Martin 68]

Lol
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