Disassemble the Box

• 1). Photograph the camper storage box before you begin the restoration to document the positions of all hardware and fasteners. This will make it easier to reassemble.
  
  
• 2). Remove all existing handles, knobs and hinges from the damaged portion of your camper storage box. Set aside anything that is not bent, stripped or broken.
  
  
• 3). Remove the upholstery, if any, from the damaged portion of the storage box. Use a staple remover or a flat screwdriver and a pair of pliers to remove any staples holding the upholstery in place.
  
  
• 4). Set the old upholstery fabric aside, if it is intact, to reupholster the rebuilt storage box. Save the largest undamaged portions for use in other projects if it is not. Remove the padding, if any, if it is crumbling, compacted, torn or deformed.
  
  
• 5). Wipe the wood beneath the padding with acetone to dissolve any remaining foam or adhesive if the wood can be salvaged.
  
  
• 6). Remove all fasteners from all damaged portions of the storage box. Set aside the ones that are not bent or stripped and purchase replacements for the rest of them.
  
  

Create Replacement Parts

• 1). Use the damaged boards from the storage box as templates, if they are intact, or get measurements from the rest of the storage box if they are not.
  
  
• 2). Lay the damaged board or boards on the same type and thickness of lumber as the remaining storage box.
  
  
• 3). Outline the damaged board on the new wood using a carpenter's pencil. Measure the diagonals on the storage box to be certain that they match diagonals on the new board you outlined.
  
  
• 4). Cut the new board or boards using a table saw or other power saw of your choice. Measure all angles with a carpenter's try square and check all edges to ensure that they match the intact portion of the camper storage box.
  
  
• 5). Smooth the new boards using coarse through extra-fine sanding belts if you are not going to reupholster the replacement pieces. Apply three to five coats of clear acrylic adhesive or strip and refinish the entire camper storage box after you secure the new parts to the undamaged portion of the box.
  
  

Reupholster the Replacements

• 1). Cut 4-inch to 6-inch-thick memory foam to the same dimensions as the new boards, if you wish to reupholster the camper storage box.
  
  
• 2). Apply rubber cement to the surface of the new boards and allow it to dry until it is barely tacky. Press the memory foam padding into place and allow the rubber cement to cure overnight.
  
  
• 3). Use the old upholstery you removed earlier to recover the new boards if the foam is intact. Or use it as a template to cut a new piece if you want to update the look or the old fabric is too soiled or damaged to use.
  
  
• 4). Lay the upholstery fabric wrong side up on a work table. The wrong side is the side that is not as smooth, pretty or textured.
  
  
• 5). Position the fabric so you are facing the long side and the short sides are at your right and left hands. Lay the piece you need to reupholster foam-side-down on the fabric.
  
  
• 6). Begin at the center of the side closest to you. Load a staple gun with 1/4-inch-crown or 1/2-inch-crown staples. Crown is the distance between the two points of each staple. Place staples every 2 inches, working from the center to the right, leaving the corner loose. Return to the center and work left, leaving that corner loose as well.
  
  
• 7). Repeat to staple the other long side, beginning at the center and working right, returning to the center and working left.
  
  
• 8). Turn the board so you are facing one of the short sides and repeat the same stapling pattern for each side. Leave the corners loose.
  
  
• 9). Pull the point of one corner at a time straight out toward you and fold it up and over the board. Staple diagonally across the point as close to the corner of the board as you can. Repeat for each remaining corner.
  
  

Reassemble the Box

• 1). Use the damaged piece to help you determine where to mark the original positions of all your hardware and fasteners on the replacement boards.
  
  
• 2). Reassemble the camper storage box using fasteners that are the same diameter and length as those in the original box, or replace them with same-length #6 drywall screws, which are harder to strip than regular screws due to their deeper threads.
  
  
• 3). Replace all original hardware, using your photographs as a guide for correct placement.