There are a few major differences between RV furniture and regular home furniture. You can’t just put a standard couch into a RV, and there are a few reasons as to why. One of the first and most important reasons is weight. Weight is a concern in RV’s, and furniture that is made for RV’s keeps this in mind.
Many household items may be more comfortable, however they will also be heavier. This means that the added weight can make the RV heavier. You will have to check if you reached your maximum allowed weight and will end up costing you much more in gas.
Another big concern is the size. RV’s have limited space, and this doesn’t just refer to the floor plan, you have to remember that you need to get the item into the RV in the first place, so you either need to fit it through the door, or you might need to cut into your RV, which is not a good choice if you are only sprucing up the inside. A home furniture is not designed to fit through a hole as small as an RV doorway.
Finally, many people will bolt down their RV furniture, this adds safety for when you are driving it. Home furniture doesn’t have this feature, and so you may find that this kind of furniture will start sliding about when you are driving around in your RV, which is less than ideal.
Can you put any couch in an RV?
While you may want the added comfort of being able to put a standard couch in your RV, it is not a good idea. RVs do not come with a whole lot of additional space, so you need to assign every area to be used for something, or you may end up with a very cramped RV.
For example, underneath your RV couch, there may be water storage tanks, a dinette table, or a bed. You could easily lose storage space by putting a regular couch in there, which will make your RV feel smaller than it is.
Then there is also the issue that RV furniture is lightweight, a regular couch is very heavy.
Manufacturers of RV furniture will keep in mind the total weight of the things inside your RV, so these items are made to be functional and lightweight, it is important to remember the impact that the furniture in your RV will have on the overall weight.
An RV is a moving vehicle and so additional weight could easily cost you more gas, or even make your RV a little lop-sided if it’s too heavy, affecting the overall balance of your RV that often leads to snaking of RV on the road.
Finally, everything in an RV, designed for a RV, is made to be secured in place, this means that if you turn a sharp corner, your dinette table is not going to slide into your kitchen sink.
But, if you install a regular table, it won’t be secured in place, which can result in banging and clanging as you drive along, as well as possible breakages. This is the last thing you want in your RV.
Can you replace RV furniture with regular furniture?
The simple answer here is yes, you could, but it is strongly advised that you don’t.
While you could do this, you would need to put in a lot of extra effort when you do.
First of all, you will need to ensure that whatever residential furniture you purchase for your RV can be attached to the flooring of the RV, so that when you turn a sharp bend or slam the brakes, your furniture isn’t flying all over the place and breaking.
You will also need to consider that you will lose some of the multifunctional features that are available with RV furniture.
Your couch might not turn into a bed, or a dinette seating bench may not have storage underneath, so you will lose these features and have to seek out additional items that will provide you with the additional space these would have otherwise provided.
Finally, it doesn’t hurt to look up weight, find the usual weight of these items in an RV and try to match that with your residential furniture, this will stop your gas costs from skyrocketing from the weight of residential items. Sometimes, RV owners even think to replace the toiler with a regular one, and it is possible, but it is not a great idea and it will also save you from any damage heavy items may do.
The main thing you need to consider if this is something that you wish to do is to ensure that these items can be compatible with your RV.
This means, they need to fit into the RV to start, the measurements for their placement need to be compatible, lightweight, and you will need to ensure that your purchases are not sacrificing your space too much.
Does Ikea sell RV furniture?
If you are looking for some home furnishings for your RV, Ikea may be a good place to start. Since most of their items need to be built, this saves you from the trouble of having to find a way to fit the item into your RV. You can just make it up inside.
Ikea also had a cacophony of RV furniture, especially in tables, couches, and chairs.
If you want a comfortable sofa, they even have the ‘Vallentuna modular’ which is a sofa you can build yourself, so you do not need to worry about how you will fit it through your RV doorway, you can simply take the pieces in and build it yourself inside the RV.
You can customize it yourself this way as well, so it will suit your needs perfectly, and it even includes storage seats, and hidden beds. This makes this sofa the ideal choice for RVers who don’t have oodles of space.
Does Lazy-Boy make RV furniture?
Lazy-Boy does have furniture that you can put in your RV. However, it might be a bit more difficult than building your own Ikea RV couch. If you do not want a couch, and instead want an RV recliner, then Lazy-boy does have options for you. However, first you need to make sure you measure, once, twice, thrice.
Not every RV can accommodate a recliner, and so you will need to ensure that you measure the space thoroughly to ensure that your Lazy-Boy furniture will fit inside your RV.
You can measure the space after you remove the previous couch so that you can get a more accurate gauge of what kind of space you are dealing with.
The most difficult part of fitting a Lazy-Boy into your RV will be getting it in. Ikea’s furniture has the upper hand here because you can build it in your RV, so getting it through the door is not an issue.
Getting a Lazy-Boy through the door will be a challenge you need to be sure you are up for. Luckily most recliners and couches will come in pieces for easier installation and shipping, so it should not be too difficult to do, and it should still fit in.
You will also need to repair any damage that was done when you took the old couch out, and consider how you will attach the Lazy-Boy to the RV, so it doesn’t start sliding about. Lazy-Boy is a good option, however, their RV selection does require some measurements and considerations.
Why is RV furniture so expensive?
RV furniture is just like any other market, really. While it is expensive, we must consider why. RV furniture is expensive for a very simple reason, it’s a specialty market.
Normal home furnishings will not be so expensive because it is a standard market, pretty much everyone will need this stuff. RV furnishings are much more specialist, not everyone will need this, and so the market is higher in cost.
You can save money on RV furnishings by shopping for your needs at somewhere like Ikea. While they do not specialize only in RV furniture, you will find plenty there.
The best part about Ikea’s RV furniture line is that it is affordable, and it will fit through your door because it comes disassembled, so you do not need to worry about difficulties getting it through your RV door.
Another good thing about Ikea’s option is that it tends to be lightweight, so it won’t weigh down your RV, however this does mean that it might not hold up for a life on the go.
They also have a variety of size options too, and most of their options are convertible, so offer space-saving qualities. All this, and it is cheaper than most other options. This is why Ikea is a RVers choice, despite the costs of specialty furnishings.
