The short answer
RV exterior detailing in DFW is priced per foot on top of a base. A RV Wash & Rinse is $5/ft plus a $85 base, so a 32 foot rig starts around $245. A RV Wash & Wax, which adds black-streak removal, a single-stage machine polish, and a UV wax, is $15/ft plus a $240 base, about $720 on that same rig. Full RV Oxidation Restoration is $24/ft plus a $400 base, about $1,170 at 32 feet.
Interiors are quoted flat by rig class rather than by the foot, from $249 for a Class B camper van to $449 for a Class A motorhome.
Every one of those numbers is a starting estimate, not a locked total. On an RV, condition swings the price further than length does, and nobody can grade condition from a web form. The rest of this guide shows you the math so you can estimate your own rig before you call anyone, including us.
Why RV work is priced per foot, and why there is a base
Two things drive the cost of an RV detail, and they scale differently. The surface area scales with length: a 38 foot fifth wheel has roughly half again as much sidewall, roof edge, and trim as a 24 foot travel trailer, and every foot of it gets touched by hand. That part is honestly measured by the foot.
The other part does not scale at all. Showing up to a storage lot with filtered water in our own tanks, generator power, ladders that safely reach a 12 foot roofline, and containment for the wash water costs the same whether the rig is 24 feet or 44. That is the base. Charging it separately is what lets the per-foot rate stay low enough to be honest on a big rig.
You will see some shops quote a banded per-foot table instead: one rate for 20 to 25 feet, a higher one for 26 to 30, and so on. The problem with bands is the cliff. A 26 foot trailer ends up costing meaningfully more than a 25 foot one for no reason the customer can see, which reads as a gotcha even when it is not. Base plus rate is smooth, it never jumps, and you can do the arithmetic yourself before you call.
What each tier costs on a real rig
Here is the same three-tier ladder priced at three lengths that cover most of what parks in a North Texas storage lot: a compact travel trailer, a mid-size Class C or fifth wheel, and a big diesel pusher.
| Package | 24 ft trailer | 32 ft Class C | 38 ft Class A |
|---|---|---|---|
| RV Wash & Rinse | $205 | $245 | $275 |
| RV Wash & Wax | $600 | $720 | $810 |
| RV Oxidation Restoration | $975 | $1,170 | $1,310 |
Published RV exterior starting prices by length (2026)
Price your own rig in about ten seconds
Put in your length and pick a package and the estimator gives you the range, with the per-foot rate shown so you can check the math. No phone number required to see a number.
Interiors are flat-rated by rig class, not by length
An RV interior is not a bigger car interior. It is a small apartment, and what makes it slow is how many living surfaces there are rather than how far apart the bumpers sit. A 28 foot travel trailer with a dinette, a wet bath, and a bunk stack takes longer than a 34 foot Class A that is mostly one open salon.
So interiors get a flat rate by class. It is a simpler number, it does not punish you for exterior length you cannot change, and it is how the rest of the DFW market quotes it too.
| Rig class | What it looks like | Interior detail |
|---|---|---|
| Class B camper van | Sprinter, Transit, Promaster conversions | $249 |
| Class C motorhome | Cab-over bunk, Sunseeker, Minnie Winnie | $329 |
| Travel trailer | Jayco, Grand Design Imagine, Airstream | $349 |
| Toy hauler | Garage-in-back trailers and fifth wheels | $379 |
| Fifth wheel | Montana, Cougar, Solitude | $399 |
| Class A motorhome | Diesel pusher, Bounder, Allegro | $449 |
RV interior detail, flat rate by rig class
The add-ons that actually matter on a Texas rig
Most RV add-ons are optional. Two of them are not, if the rig lives outside in North Texas, and it is worth knowing which is which before you read a quote.
The roof is the one people skip and regret. It is the surface taking the full UV load, it is where the chalking starts, and every bit of that chalk runs down your sidewalls as a black streak the moment it rains. A roof wash is $89. Roof wash plus a UV conditioner, which is the version that actually slows the damage, is $269. A full roof sealant is $5/ft, so about $160 on a 32 foot rig.
Slide-out seals are the other one. They are cheap to condition at $59 and expensive to replace once they dry out, crack, and start letting water past on a rig that sat through two Texas summers.
| Add-on | Price | Worth it when |
|---|---|---|
| Roof wash | $89 | Any rig stored uncovered, at least once a year |
| Roof wash plus UV conditioner | $269 | EPDM or TPO roof that has started to chalk white on your hand |
| Roof sealant | $5/ft | You are tired of black streaks reappearing after every rain |
| Awning clean, both sides | $79 | Fabric has gone spotty or smells musty when you roll it out |
| Storage bay detail | $89 | Bays have collected road grit, and gear is coming out dirty |
| Slide-out seal conditioning | $59 | Every year the rig lives outside. Cheaper than one seal replacement |
| Holding tank deodorize | $69 | The smell comes back a day after you dump |
RV add-ons and what they are for
What actually moves your number
Condition, and it is not close. Two 32 foot rigs of the same year can be a $720 job and a $1,170 job depending on nothing but how they were stored. That is why our estimator publishes a band rather than a single number: a RV Wash & Wax at 32 feet realistically lands somewhere in $720 to $865 once we have seen it.
Four things push a rig toward the top of its band. How deep the oxidation runs, which decides whether a single polishing pass restores gloss or whether it takes a compound first. How far the black streaking has set, because streaks that have been baking on for two seasons have etched the clear layer rather than sitting on it. What shape the decals are in, since faded, lifting graphics have to be worked around by hand instead of machined over. And how long it has been since the rig saw any wax at all.
One thing that does not move the number: whether you are parked at home, in a storage lot, or at an RV park. We bring our own water and power, so the site does not change the price.
How to read an RV quote without getting burned
RV detailing is the corner of this trade where vague quoting is most common, because the jobs are big enough that a few hundred dollars can hide inside an assumption. Six questions flush that out fast, and they work on any shop.
- 1What is the per-foot rate, and what is the base? If the answer is one lump number with no math behind it, you cannot compare it to anyone else.
- 2Is the roof included or extra? It is the single most common silent exclusion, and it is the surface that causes the streaks you are paying to remove.
- 3How will the decals be handled? The correct answer involves the words by hand. A machine polisher run across a faded graphic edge will burn straight through it.
- 4How many days, and where does the rig sit overnight? Oxidation restoration is genuinely a multi-day job. Anyone promising a full correction on a 38 footer in an afternoon is planning to skip a stage.
- 5Are you bringing water and power? At a storage lot the honest answer has to be yes, or the job silently becomes your problem to solve.
- 6Do I get before-and-after photos of the corrected panels? On a job this size, photographed proof is the only way you can verify what you bought.
A written price before anyone touches the rig
We walk the RV with you, name the number in writing, and only then start. If the rig needs more than the package covers, you hear it before the work, never mid-job.
This is an educational guide written to help DFW drivers budget and decide with confidence. It is not a binding quote. Your price is confirmed up front before any work begins, with no deposit.