RV Sink Covers

Anyone that has ever spent any time in an RV knows space is at a minimum. You search for ways to make items and areas do double, even triple duty. It is very common to use sink covers, sink inserts, and/or cutting boards to turn your sink into extra counter space. Most newer RVs come with them.

Itsy, our older class C motorhome, was like new when we got her, but since she was manufactured in 1997, she is often lacking basics that newer RVs usually have. I’m not sure if she had factory sink covers when she was new or not ; if she did, they were missing when she came into our life. There are pictures of her having one sink cover, but it was no where to be found when we took possession. Either way, I coveted the missing counter space. I decided to formulate a plan to “recover” that missing counter space. Itsy has a double sink, with each sink being 11″ x 15″  ~ or, 15″ x 22″ worth of counter space just waiting to be reclaimed.

I first looked where any experienced RVer would look, at Camping World of course.

Issue #1 – they didn’t carry the exact size we needed in any finish.

Issue #2 – the covers that came the closest to fitting ran about $20 each for cheap plastic ones, $25 each for stainless look plastic ones, and $35 each for wooden ones.

YIKES! I really wanted wood covers, but I couldn’t picture myself paying $70 for sink covers that didn’t even exactly fit. I’d be mad about what they cost every time we drove down the road and they rattled around.

Then, I looked online – pretty much had the same issues. I found a cut to order site. Yeah, at $75 each with an extra $10 charge for a finger hole and a $15 shipping charge – I decided to pass on those too.

Out bargain shopping with my mom, I found what I hoped would work. Since the measurements were very close, with the length being perfect and the width being only a half inch too wide, and each cutting board only cost $7 at Big Lots, I decided to take a chance. With a little hand-sawing, sanding, and spade bit drilling, Itsy now has new wooden, bamboo to be exact, sink covers. Bonus: these are actually cutting boards.

Whole project, excluding the day out shopping of course, took a little over an hour. After sawing a little excess on each side, I spent quite a bit of time gradually sanding, as I wanted them to fit snugly.

Total cost: $15

(A bit more if you have to purchase a spade bit, sand paper, or a saw – I already had those things)

If you like doing DIY projects, and you haven’t learned to use spade bits on your drill – to cut holes – let me assure you – it’s not as scary or as hard as it looks. Like regular drill bits, you can buy the one size you need, but I’ve always found it more cost effective to buy a set when it comes to purchases like this.

Tip # 1. Use a thick salvage board under where you are drilling

Tip # 2. Make a pilot hole all the way through to your underboard

Tip # 3. Go slow with the drill

I have this set, I haven’t used them all yet, but I’m working on it!