Say goodbye to dirt! Add elegance and lighting to your entryway stairs.

Say goodbye to dirt! Add elegance and lighting to your entryway stairs.

Kate Doherty

22 Oct, 2021

In previous customization articles, I’ve looked at ways to customize your RV’s entertainment center and add a televator, and how to replace your RV’s small double sinks with one large sink. Today, we’re looking at another way to customize and spiffy up your RV: Get rid of that dirty RV stair carpet!

Tired of the dirty carpet stairway entryway and step cover? This picture is before renovation.

The elegance of Dupont Corian® in entryway stairs.

The owners of this 2006 Phaeton decided it was time to jazz up their entryway. Their stairs were typical of motorhomes, carpeted on the sidewalls and stairs. While most motorhome stairs and step covers are carpeted, some RV entryway stairs are vinyl with rubber stair treads, and some are composite with non-slip tread strips. This owner was referred to Davidson RV in Belmont, Mississippi, for custom Corian fabrication.

The beginning of this renovation by Davidson RV, Belmont, Mississippi, a Tiffin referral facility.

The brilliance of this owner’s enhancement to their entryway stairs is the addition of a 12-volt LED light strip incorporated in each stair making entry at night safer. Some coaches boast entry lights in the stairwell cavity sidewall, but many do not. So, incorporating lighting into the stairs is a nice touch.

Corian is one of the most popular components in RVs today. It comprises countertops, backsplashes, kitchen and bathroom sinks, and, now, entryway stairs. Nathan Davidson confided that this project took two days. Day one was to cut and form the Corian and insert the 12-volt LED light strips and allow the special adhesive to cure overnight. Day two was to polish the stairs and step cover.

Could this be a DIY project?

Possibly, but it requires having adequate workspace, jigs, tools and mastic. For instance, the typical electric blade saw is not recommended for this. You’d need a triple chip blade made of tungsten carbide to cut evenly. And Dupont recommends using their joint adhesive even though epoxy glue has been effectively used. After allowing the glue to set overnight, the polishing of the Corian also requires an effective sander with different grit paper for that glistening surface when finished.

Showing off the new Corian step cover.

According to Nathan, who has years of experience working with Corian, day one took about six hours. Also, you should know how to wire in the 12v light strips from the new stairs to the original sidewall light outlets. Even with the cost of materials rising significantly and six-plus hours of labor, the project cost these owners $1,300 and spending one full day and night outside of their motorhome.

Elegance and lighting to add class to the entryway.

Worth the investment?

If it’s worth the investment is up to you to decide. But since your entryway stairs are the first thing you and others see when you enter your RV, having them look nice will instantly spiff up your whole RV. If your RV is looking dirty and dated, this could be a great first step in fixing it up.

Read the edited article published October 22, 2021 here: Say goodbye to dirt! Add elegance and lighting to your entryway stairs – RV Travel

Kate Doherty has been writing for more than 30 years in technical and general media. In her previous business, she and her spouse dealt with special projects within the military/government sector. Recently she published “Masquerade: A Logan Scott Novel” under the pen name Bryan Alexander, a thriller now available in eBook and paperback on Amazon. It’s a page-turner!