When you travel in an RV, home is where you park it. But your RV furniture choices will determine how comfortable that home is. From your dinette set to your cab seats to your RV mattress and everything in between, your rig’s furnishings can keep you comfy no matter where the road takes you.
If your RV has a few miles under its belt, or you’re looking for an upgrade, you may be in the market for some new furniture. In this case, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss how to choose the right RV furniture for your rig, what to expect to pay, and more.
Your Options For RV Furniture
Original Manufacturer
Hoping to replace your RV furniture with pieces identical to what came in your rig? In that case, you will want to look into buying from the original manufacturer, or at least from a place that makes RV-specific furniture.
Many off-the-shelf pieces are available from brands such as Mastercraft RV Furniture, RecPro, and Lippert (formerly Flair RV Furniture). All of these companies offer pieces that are perfect for RV use.
Custom RV Furniture
One of the most popular and well-reviewed RV furniture brands out there is Villa International. The Villa line is high-quality and some consider it a luxury brand. Options include couches, recliners, and other upholstered pieces, and all pieces are built by hand, meaning you can place a custom order for any size, style, or color furniture you may require.
Obviously, with such high standards, Villa RV furniture prices are on the higher side. That said, the durability and functionality of these items make the higher cost understandable. Custom orders for Villa furniture for an RV must be placed through their website.
DIY RV Furniture
There is also the option of taking the DIY route. In some cases, this means choosing pieces that were not necessarily made for RVs and making them work for you. IKEA is a good place to shop for smaller furniture that comes disassembled so you can get it through the RV door easily.
Another option? Creating your own RV furniture from scratch.This is a good choice if you need a piece of a very specific size. We’ve seen many RVing families build bunks into slide outs and create tables that fit perfectly in their small spaces. This could be an excellent project if you’ve been looking to learn how to work with wood and the finished project will be super useful!
How to Select High-Quality New and Used RV Furniture
Obviously, you will want to make sure whatever you buy will be comfortable and will last for years to come. Buying from a reputable brand is one help to help ensure this. You’ll also want to read reviews on the particular piece you intend to buy.
Who knows? That mattress might feel comfy now, but maybe its cushy memory foam is destined to go limp and lumpy in a few months. That cool-looking dinette set with the under-bench storage might seem absolutely perfect… until you learn that the hinges have a reputation for rusting out.
User reviews can give you insight into all sorts of issues you’d otherwise have no idea were coming. Just don’t forget that the people most likely to leave reviews are either the super-happy customers or the super-bummed-out ones… so read a decent number of reviews across the spectrum before you dismiss or decide on an item!
New RV Furniture Options
RV furniture is available from a wide array of retailers. Along with general camping and motorhome suppliers, like Camping World, there are also plenty of specialized RV furniture dealers out there. A few to check out are RV Furniture Center, RV Parts Nation, and Factory RV Surplus.
If you live near any of these dealers or other locally-owned RV furniture vendors, they offer a valuable opportunity to go and try out the pieces in person. But these days, RV furniture is also available online, either through Amazon (like everything else!) or generalized furniture dealers like Wayfair.
Note: If you do make a purchase online without trying the item out first, make sure you understand the return policy before you commit to buying. You definitely want to have the option to return the product if it doesn’t end up working out for your needs.
Used and Salvaged RV Furniture
Buying used furniture is a great way to save money. Unfortunately, when you buy used or salvaged furniture you don’t know exactly where it’s been — or what it’s been through. And in some cases, that could lead to disaster.
Here are a few things worth remembering before shelling out your hard-earned cash for that perfect piece of RV furniture:
Check for Bed Bugs
So this with any piece of used upholstered furniture! Introducing these pests into an otherwise immaculate RV interior can become a total nightmare. An infestation is very easy to get started and very difficult to get rid of!
Look for Other Pests
Look for the tiny holes and sawdust that signify the presence of common furniture beetles. It’s also a good idea to ask the owners if pets have ever been allowed in the RV or on the furniture — fleas can lie dormant for months, quickly spawning a new infestation at the first opportunity.
Clean it Up
Machine wash any slipcovers or fabrics in hot water, and use a disinfectant cleanser to ensure hard surfaces are free of dust, debris, and germs.
Negotiate
One of the best parts about buying used or salvaged furniture is the flexibility of the pricing. Check the furniture for any nicks, dings, scratches, or tears, which can help your argument for a lower price point… but even if everything’s ship-shape, don’t be afraid to offer a slightly lower number. The worst thing the seller can say is no!
Ensure a Good Fit
Of course, if you’ll be purchasing used or salvaged RV furniture, you will want to carefully inspect each piece. You should always check that the furniture is well-made and sturdy. If possible, sit and stand on the furniture and give it a few bounces.
The Average Cost of RV Furniture
The table below shows the average cost of common RV replacement furniture items. Keep in mind that these prices are for RV specific replacement pieces. You can save money by purchasing furniture that is not made specifically for RVs, building pieces yourself, or shopping RV salvage yards.
How to Replace Your RV Furniture
When you’re buying new RV furniture, the price will often include installation, but ask to be sure. If it doesn’t or if you’re buying used furniture, you’ll probably have to either install it yourself or hire professional help to get it put in. If you do it yourself, be sure to use the info below to ensure things go smoothly.
Ensure a Proper Fit
You’ll want to ensure that chairs, recliners, and other RV furniture will fit in the particular spaces allotted for them in your vehicle — they’ll be of no use to you if they take up a whole hallway!
Here are a few tips for accurately measuring RV furniture:
- Captains Chairs/ Bucket Seats: Measure the height of the pedestal from the floor to the top plate where the captain’s chair is mounted. Then, from the pedestal, measure to the top of the chair. The seat height + the pedestal height = your overall chair height. For width, measure from the outside of the left chair arm to the outside of the right chair arm.
- Sofas: Measure from the floor up to the ceiling to get the height of the area your sofa will occupy. Then measure the area from left to right to get the width and from the back wall to the edge to get the depth.
- Recliners: To find the depth, always measure from the very back of the recliner to the front of the seat cushion.
Regardless of any other factor about a prospective piece of furniture, if it doesn’t fit in your RV, it won’t work. Make sure you have accurate measurements!
More Things to Consider Before Replacing Furniture
Finding a good fit isn’t the only thing to think about when shopping for RV furniture. Make sure you also consider the following questions as you shop around.
- How much does the new furniture weigh? This is a crucial piece of information to ensure that the weight of your trailer stays balanced on both sides. Too much weight on one side can pose a safety threat. Plus, the more weight in your rig, the more you’ll spend on gas.
- Will the new furniture go in a slide-out? If you answered yes, then you’ll want to be sure you go with something fairly lightweight. Slide-outs can easily be damaged if too much weight is added.
- How will the new furniture stay secure? Your rig will encounter lots of bumps along the way, so it’s important to make sure the items inside are secure. Secure your furniture by bolting it down for a permanent solution, or by using bungee cords for a more temporary solution. Velcro also works great for cushions.
- Is there anything underneath the existing furniture? There could be electrical wires, water tanks, or other parts under there if the furniture was factory-installed. Take a peak before you decide to do a full replacement.
- How big are the pieces you’re working with? Remember, the door of an RV is only so big, so to get larger RV furniture in or out the door, you may have to remove a window or even the windshield.
- Does my RV have a warranty? Keep in mind that modifying your RV’s original structure may void your warranty if you have one!
Installing Your New Furniture
Once you have the perfect pieces picked out, you’ll need to follow the steps below to get your new furniture installed.
- Remove the old furniture – This will likely require carefully removing bolts, screws, and nails. It may also mean disassembling some of the old furniture in order to fit it through the door.
- Assemble the new furniture – If your new pieces don’t come preassembled, you will need to use the manufacturer’s instructions to assemble them. We recommend doing this in the RV to ensure you don’t have trouble fitting items through the door.
- Secure the new pieces – As mentioned before, the new furniture will need to be secured in some way. In some cases, RV-specific furniture will come with hardware to do this. In other cases, you will need to get creative, using L brackets, bolts, and other means of securing the furniture, so it doesn’t move during travel.
There you have it, friends; everything you need to know to choose replacement RV furniture and get it installed. Why not get started now? The sooner you do, the sooner your RV will feel like home.
