The wining decorating duo -> command strips and museum putty
It’s been almost 2 weeks since our last exciting Easy RV Mod, so it’s time to bring out another. One of the things I love to do in the RV is hang pictures and decorations that make it our own. There are 2 things that make this slightly more difficult in an RV -> First of all the slides and many of the interior walls don’t lend themselves well to hooks & screws, and second is that the RV moves and bounces around in a living version of the holka polka so whatever you hang up has gotta be shake-proof. Well luckily there are 2 cool buys which will cover both those problems and make all your decorating RV dreams come true. I love these products so much I use them pretty much everywhere, and they’ve stood the test of 2 years of use and abuse so I know they work. Here they are:
The magic putty -> I LOVE this stuff!
1/ Museum Putty -> Museum Putty, sold under names such as Quake-Hold or Secure-Hold or simply Museum Putty is an old museum trick to keep precious objects stuck in place. It’s a pliable putty that comes in strips which you pull apart like play-doh, work (knead) a few minutes to get warmed up and then roll into little balls that you put underneath the object you’re securing. Once you press the object down in place, the seal is done.
Our buddha, incense holder and indoor candles are all secured by putty
The great thing about it is that it works on just about any surface and comes off clean and easy with a twist if you change your mind. I’ve used this on everything from statues to candles to ceramic soap-holders and wall decorations and it just plain WORKS! For one package of ~$5 you’ll get enough putty to decorate your whole RV and it will literally last you a lifetime. Buy it on-line or at any hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot). Love this stuff!
2/ Command Strips -> For wall hangings with a little extra weight I haven’t found anything that works as nicely and cleanly as 3M Command Strips. These 2-part velcro strips stick to the wall (one strip) and your object (second strip), and you simply press and snap together to make the connection.
The 3M command strips
The nice thing about these strips is that you can pull apart and reposition the frame if you don’t get it perfectly right the first time, plus you can cleanly pull off the strips altogether without damaging your walls if you change your mind later. I’ve used them on all my heavier wall objects and they are rock-solid. The 3M hooks work nicely too. You can buy these just about anywhere (grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores etc.)
Command Strips & Hooks in action. This is our fabulous La Crosse indoor-outdoor thermometer. The outdoor sensor is secured with velcro in our propane bay.
I will sometimes use BOTH products together depending on what I’m hanging, especially if the object is a funny shape or size. If I’m only using museum putty on the walls I’ll usually add-in a single nail or screw to make sure there’s no chance of the object falling down.
Chinese characters secured with command strips and a dab of putty on our living room partition door
Some decorative metal figures from NM secured on the wall with museum putty and a nail
Marsha’s great new family portrait display. Picture taken by Marsha at On the Road Again.
Speaking of wall decorations Marsha from On The Road Again submitted a great way to spiff up an old frame. She has a 34′ Winnebago Itasca Sunova which came with some nice large framed pictures that, while pretty, were totally useless. Wanting to make use of everything in her RV she pulled them off the wall (they were hung with velcro), took out the back, pulled the flower picture out, and filled them with family pictures in front of the flower picture and behind the glass. Great little way to re-purpose an existing frame! Thanks for submitting the idea, Marsha and hope to get more tips to share from you in the future!
Got a cool RV mod of your own? Feel free to e-mail me with photos and details and I’ll highlight on the blog in a future post. Full credit will be yours!
I use Putty the same way you do. Works great!
We used Command Strips even in our stick and brick home. Wonderful invention!
Glad to hear you like it too! Nina
I have found that the 3m white hooks go on and off very easy. you can take them off and leave no marks.
Yup, I use quite a few of the 3M hooks too. Love them for hats, purses and jackets in the entry-way.
Nina
Do they work in 110 to 120 degree heat? No, I’m not kidding. I tried the commercial sticky velcro from Walmart and in this heat, the glue just melts and slippy slide. Whaaa! Have not tried museum putty, though. I had tried the velcro on flat surfaces to hold objects and had a melted mess. Of course they still stuck in MY HAIR! Go figure! LOL
Oh, I haave ome ideas about controling flies…not a decorating tip per say, but could be fun…hehecheck out my blog and let me know if you have any other ideas…cheers
I’ll admit we’ve never quite tested 110-120 degrees inside the rig, but we’ve travelled/stayed thro’ 110 degree TX heat (keeping the inside of the rig ~20-degrees cooler) and the putty has never melted. I’ve had it in direct sun, heat everything…and it’s always held. So, my thinking is it’ll do fine.
Nina
x2 on Command Strips—God send for RV’ers!
Yup, I love those things. They’re a bit pricey, but totally worth it!
Nina
PUTTY – wow how neat is that!! No mod yet but when I come up with something to use in our Casita that is covered floor to ceiling with carpet that will be a good day :O) One post I read was to use “T” pins…but if I had a kitty, I know they would be in dreamland! ~cozygirl itsacozylife.blogspot.com
Floor-to-wall carpet…now that IS a decorating challenge! Nice idea with the T-pins. Nina
Totally agree on the Command strips. Discovered them at Home Depot just before our first RV trip ( yes, the 15k mile one ! ) and every one stuck fine. I peeled several off after we got home, no problem.
Good to know you like ‘em too!
Nina