How to Replace RV Furniture: Your Top Questions Answered
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Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
If you're renovating or updating your camper, one of the best things you can do is replace RV furniture. The existing furniture is often dated, worn, and heavy.
In this article, we answer your commonly asked questions about replacing RV furniture—including where to buy RV furniture, how to get RV furniture through the door of your camper, and whether it's okay to put residential furniture in your RV.
Q: Where can I buy replacement RV furniture?
A: Here are some of the best places to shop for RV furniture:
- Facebook Marketplace. With so many people renovating RVs these days, a lot of RV furniture removed from campers ends up on the Facebook marketplace. Facebook often has low prices with motivated sellers. This is also the best place to sell any furniture you remove from your RV. Some RVers keep the old furniture to reinstall when selling the RV. But including the original furniture doesn't necessarily add value to your camper. Once removed, if it's in good condition, consider selling RV recliners, captains chairs, and other furniture pieces on Facebook Marketplace.
- Local RV Service Shops. Many RV service shops sell used furniture that they have removed from campers. The selection may be limited, but you might find a good deal.
- Camping World. Perhaps the most obvious place to buy replacement RV furniture is Camping World. You can have furniture delivered to your home or to your local store. Not all locations carry furniture in-store, but you can check your local store fo furniture as well, especially if you'd like to test it out before buying!
- The RecPro Website. RecPro is a well-known RV parts supply store with a huge selection of RV furniture. Keep an eye on their “Scratch & Dent” page for a good deal on RV furniture that's discounted due to minor cosmetic imperfections.
- Amazon. You can find a lot of RV furniture on Amazon from name brands such as RecPro (yes, the same as above!) and Thomas Payne. One advantage to shopping on Amazon is being able to read reviews and see pictures from other RV owners. Plus, you know it will be delivered straight to your door.
- Residential Furniture Sellers. Good places to look for residential furniture to go in an RV include Ikea, Amazon, Target, Wayfair, and Overstock.
Q: Can I put regular furniture in an RV?
Absolutely!
Many RV owners choose to replace their RV furniture with residential furniture because it's often cheaper, more comfortable, and (in most people's minds) more attractive than RV furniture.
We highly recommend opting for adding residential furniture in an RV. It's often more affordable than RV furniture and you can find furniture to fit your style. Most RV furniture is available in the same mass-appeal basic look in neutral colors. If you want something that matches your personality and your rig and offers multiple color options, you'll need to break out and shop regular furniture lines.
The biggest thing to consider is how heavy the furniture is, especially if you're traveling. Which leads us to the next most common question we hear…
Q: Is residential furniture too heavy to go in an RV?
A: Not usually, but it depends on the furniture.
The sleeper sofa I removed from my fifth wheel was far heavier than the Ikea loveseat that I replaced it with.
If you shop for furniture online, the exact weight of the furniture you're buying is listed in the product specifications.
To determine how heavy your new furniture can be, you can weigh your camper before and after removing the existing furniture. (You've likely seen truck weigh stations at truck stops and not noticed them. That's the best place to go!) Then order furniture that is comparable or at least won't add enough weight to put you over your cargo limit.
That is a hassle, but it is the best way to truly know your weight before and after removing furniture.
It's also important to maintain a similar weight distribution when replacing furniture so there isn't too much weight on one axle.
Furniture that may be heavier than your RV furniture would be wooden furniture, like this couch that weighs a whopping 211 pounds:
- Solid hardwood construction
Many RV couches are at least 145 lbs, while you can find residential couches for under 100 lbs.
Q: How do you get new RV furniture through the door?
A: When you order furniture online, it will come in a box (or two!). This will easily fit through your door and can be assembled inside.
A bigger concern is getting existing furniture out, as it's usually bolted into RVs before they are fully assembled. You may need to take larger furniture apart to get it through your door or try a window.
Q: How do you keep residential furniture from shifting while the RV is in motion?
A: Same way as you keep the factory original furniture from moving around—with tie downs, straps, and bungee cords. You can purchase additional furniture straps and D-rings to anchor your furniture to the floor of your camper.
- 📌Peace Of Mind With Furniture Wall Anchors: This metal furniture straps are designed to withstand earthquakes, windstorms and also babyproofing. The metal anti tip furniture strap will secure your furniture up to 400 lb so you can be assured that your baby won't be the victim of unnecessary injury in your own home. Never again will you worried about the injuries that could crush or seriously injure your little one.
Bungee cords and ratchet straps are also useful for holding everything in place.
Q: Will replacing the furniture decrease the value of the RV?
A: Removing the furniture can make it more difficult to sell your RV.
I discovered this when my local Camping World told me they couldn't accept my camper for trade without original furniture. This surprised me since they sell RV furniture, but whatever!
(We ended up selling our RV privately without furniture for more than what Camping World would have given us for it even if it had the original furniture.)
If you want to be able to trade in your RV to a dealer at some point, it might be a good idea to keep any furniture you remove so you can put it back in later, even if you have to rent a small storage facility to do so. But if you're planning to sell your RV, I wouldn't worry about this.
If you sell your RV privately, you might find a buyer who actually prefers the new furniture. And if you're fully renovating your RV, you'll almost certainly increase its value, especially if it's an older camper.
Some RVs do sell without any furniture at all, should you buy residential furniture for your RV and want to keep it! However, this isn't common and can make it harder to sell. Just something to keep in mind as you're getting rid of the old furniture pieces!
One thing I would recommend when selling your RV is to make sure the number of beds is the same as when you bought it.
When we moved out of our fifth wheel and rented a house, I wanted to keep the furniture we had bought for our RV, so I purchased a used sleeper sofa in good condition from Facebook Marketplace to sell with the RV. With the sleeper sofa, I could list the sleeping capacity as the original number of 4 instead of just 2.
Q: How can you be sure you're getting good quality when you buy furniture online?
Many people are hesitant to buy furniture without sitting on it first, and that's completely understandable.
However, having bought most of my furniture online, I have found reading online reviews to be a pretty reliable way to get an idea of what to expect.
If you're afraid you might be disappointed, I would recommend shopping from somewhere that offers a generous return policy. Sending back furniture can be a hassle, but many online furniture stores offer a satisfaction guarantee and will pay for the return shipping.
Ready to start shopping? Check out our master list of couches for RVs!
For more ideas about replacing RV furniture, check out:
I have a question you might be able to answer. I’m wanting to replace my L shape dining area with a buffet with pull out table. The inverter and heater are located under the bench. How much clearance is necessary for them to have proper ventilation? Thanks in advance for any Help Or suggestions
Ooh that is a great question, and one I cannot confidently answer! I would recommend asking a mechanic for an official answer, but our Facebook group has a lot of handy RV renovators who can probably give you some good help too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/213355639104530