Finding Forest River RV Replacement Furniture (How To Guide)
All the furniture pieces look good when new but wait a couple of years and see how good they really are. Some pieces look new for a long time while others start to wear out. That is when they start to look for replacement furniture.
As the RV industry became more popular, building accessories like RV furniture also became a booming business. When you do your search for Forest River replacements, do not be surprised to find generic furniture that works for most RV brands.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can find replacement furniture for your Forest River RV or trailer fast. You just need to know where to look to get great deals.
RV Furniture Replacement 101
Can You Replace RV Furniture?
Yes, you can. You may not think it is possible but over the years RV makers have made it possible for their original furniture pieces to be removed and replaced. This is done all the time as RV furniture wears out faster than regular furniture.
But, and you knew a but was coming, there are some fine details you need to consider. Before going out and buying top-quality furniture that would fit in your traditional home, you need to meet these details.
One, you have to watch the weight. RV furniture is lighter than furniture made for a traditional home. Every pound past your original furniture’s weight will deduct weight from your overall weight capacity.
For example, if the RV furniture weighs only 50 pounds and the traditional piece weighs 100, that is 50 pounds taken from your GVWR. That means you have to remove 50 pounds from your supplies or equipment.
Two, RV furniture is made to bolt into the floor or the walls. You would have to construct a new security system for regular furniture. You can’t have them flying all over the place as you drive.
Also, the replacement furniture may not bolt into the same spots as the original furniture. That means you have to watch where you put those screws and bolts. RV walls and floors have hidden pipes, wiring, and other technical components that can be damaged if you drill in the wrong place.
Three, the design of the new pieces may not fit. RVs are known for odd shapes, angles, and corners. It is hard to match up new furniture with the shape of your RV or trailer, especially when they are older.
There is a lot to think about when you try to replace your old RV furniture.
Replace RV Furniture vs Repair
There are good and bad points for both options. Replacing gets you new furniture that should last a long time. However, a replacement can be expensive and you need to check your budget and savings to see if it is a good move to make.
Repair is okay and helps you save money. But when the damage is great, the repair is not going to be a viable option. You will need to replace the furniture. This is for any structural damage.
If it is just the upholstery that is bad, then you have a third option. It is possible to re-upholster RV furniture and make it look new. This is also done all the time. It is an inexpensive way to upgrade the look of your interior without breaking the bank
If you are a craftsperson, then you can save even more money by doing it yourself. This is an option worth thinking about. You get the look and feel of new without having to pay the high cost of new.
Which route you take will depend on the damage to the furniture, if it can be repaired or not, or if it has weakened over the years and you need new ones no matter what.
Re-upholstering is a very good option when the structure of the pieces of furniture is still in good shape.
How To Replace Forest River Furniture
There are several steps that are a part of this process but only 3 deal with removing the item you want out of the RV. Those same 3 steps will be reversed when you bring in the replacement piece.
Before you start tearing out the old sofa, (and this is just an example), you need to measure the space. You need those measurements so you can find the right sofa, theater chairs, recliners, etc. That fit that spot.
This is vital as you do not have any spare room to work with. Once you have your measurements, go looking for a replacement item. That item can be whatever you want it to be.
After finding it, make sure it fits and will look good in your RV or trailer. To remove the old sofa, you have to remove the cushions or lift up the seat of the sofa if it doubles as a hide-a-way bed.
You should have someone holding the sofa seat up for you. That makes it easier to remove the bolts. That is the second step. Get a socket that fits and remove all the bolts holding the sofa seat to the base of the sofa.
Once that is done, take the sofa seat out of your RV, etc. Get it out of the way as you will need room to remove the bolts from the upper part of the couch. In this process, you are removing all the bolts no matter where they are at.
Step three has you removing all mechanisms that operate the couch or hold it in place. Leave nothing behind but empty space. Once the old sofa is out, bring in the new chairs or sofa, etc., and start securing them in place.
This is not a quick task and it will take at least an afternoon to get it done. There is not a lot of room to work in so you may get frustrated from time to time.
How do You Take Furniture Out Of an RV?
This is a good question and the right answer is piece by piece. It is almost impossible to take the whole chair or sofa, etc., out of an RV. There just is not enough space to allow a lot of movement.
To begin, you take all the loose pieces off the sofa or chair, etc., and get them out of your RV, etc. Put them out of the way as you do not want to trip on them when you are exiting the door.
Next, you take the furniture apart piece by piece. Do not try to do it all in one move as it usually won’t work. After you get one piece detached, remove that from the RV, etc., and put it with the loose cushions.
You keep following that second step until the item is completely removed. Make sure to remove all mechanisms as your new furniture item may not need them.
One word of caution here, if the furniture is stapled or nailed into place, you have two options. One is to take your RV to a professional and let them remove the furniture, or two, use a nail puller to get those nails out.
There is a staple remover tool you can use for staples as well. Both tools are cheap to buy. This situation just makes it longer to remove the furniture item.
Where To Buy Replacement RV Furniture
Your search should not include the word ‘replacement’. Instead just put RV furniture on sale, where to find RV furniture or other similar search terms? While you are buying a replacement, those items are listed as RV furniture in the stores.
Your search results will bring you to new and used furniture outlets. If you need to save money, you can look on Craigslist, local classified ads, ads at campgrounds, and similar locations, including yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. Those locations will be where you will find used RV furniture.
For new and used you can check Facebook Marketplace, Discount RV furniture outlet, RV Yard, and more. New will be found through Kathy Ireland Collection. Thomas Payne collection (sold by Lippert), RV Furniture, and a host of other furniture outlets.
Getting replacement furniture is the easy part of this task. Getting it inside your RV and securing it in place will be the difficult aspect. Oh, and, you can even get good furniture at IKEA for your RV.
The key to this task is that the replacement furniture has to fit the empty space and it has to be able to be secured in place. If weight is not an issue for you, then you can also try replacing RV furniture with pieces that fit your traditional home.
You have endless options to use when you want to change the furniture n your RV.
Can You Replace RV Furniture With Regular Furniture?
As you just read, this is a possibility. The key is the same as replacing old RV furniture with new RV furniture. The traditional home pieces need to fit the space, can be bolted in, and looks good.
There is one issue we have not mentioned yet. When you are thinking about replacing your old RV furniture, you have to make sure that the new pieces are DOT compliant. That is often a regulation no one thinks about.
Being DOT, Department of Transportation, compliant means that the replacement furniture has to have seat belts where required. While some people may put seat belts on every chair no matter the direction, some directions are not required to have seat belts.
It is best to check those regulations to make sure. If you found a lovely traditional home sofa or recliner and want it in your RV, you may have to add seat belts to it.
This regulation is only for self-drive RVs and not for trailers. The reason is that no one is supposed to be riding in the trailer while it is being towed. Working with RV furniture means you have different rules to follow and meet. Check those rules out before you make your purchase.
Forest River RV Replacement Furniture Tips
1. Do not go too heavy with the new furniture- as we explained earlier, the heavier the furniture the more space you lose in weight capacity. If you just have to have that piece of furniture, then you may have to make sacrifices elsewhere to not overload your RV or trailer.
2. Sell your old furniture- if it is still in good shape, don’t throw it away. Other RVers are always looking for good deals. Sell it on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, in local classified ads, or even on the Forest River discussion forum.
3. If you do not want to sell, donate it- Goodwill and other thrift stores are always looking for good items they can resell. They would be happy to take it off your hands for you if the furniture is still good and too damaged.
Salvation Army is the same way, but don’t donate broken, damaged, ripped pieces, and so on.
4. Throw it away- the local landfill should take your old furniture for you. But if it is still good, that would be a waste of furniture. Try the other options first.
5. Recycle- RV furniture is made from many different materials. Some materials may be recycled, like wood and metal, and that is a good option when the landfills are getting full.
Taking apart old furniture for recycling may be a good project for you and the boys to do together.
6. Take the old furniture to Camping World- you have to contact the individual outlets to see if they still do this but our research says they offer this service.
The word is that Camping World employees will remove your old furniture and dispose of it for you. Talk to the outlets near you to see if this is still a viable option.
Factors That Make RV Furniture Different
While it is easy to think that furniture is furniture, this is not the case when it comes to RVs or trailers. There is a world of difference between this option and the furniture you buy for your home.
1. It's lightweight- RV furniture is made to be light to keep the weight down in your RV and trailer. The lighter the weight of the furniture, the more supplies and equipment you can bring along on your trip.
You will have to do the math when you start picking out your replacement furniture items to make sure you stay far underweight.
2. DOT rules- we have talked briefly about this before. Just make sure the furniture you buy meets these rules and regulations. You never know when someone will check inside your RV so err on the side of caution.
3. RV furniture comes with the right hardware- this is important as the old hardware may not work with the new furniture including home furnishings. When you buy new RV furniture, you will have the right hardware included in the purchase.
Securing your furniture is vital as you do not want it moving about and breaking other items like cabinets, TVs, and so on.
4. Durability- this is a two-sided coin, as while RV furniture is known to be lower quality than other pieces of furniture, they are still made for camping. Non-RV furniture is not in most cases.
You will need to select replacement items that are camping tough. Also, the furniture has to withstand the vibrations that come from driving or towing your RV. RV furniture is made to handle that stress.
5. Fabrics- RV furniture is also known for using faux leather and other synthetic materials. While they will fade or peel in direct sunlight, they still may last longer than traditional furniture upholstery.
The upholstery is made to handle the tough camping life, other fabrics you like may not.
6. Their multi-functional design- this is an ability that many traditional home furnishings do not come with. Regular home furnishings are designed for one purpose and one purpose only.
RV furniture is designed to handle more than one purpose.
7. Fits the entry door- yes and no. Some furniture items will need to be taken apart and removed piece by piece. But traditional home furnishings are not designed to be taken apart and put back together again.
Some Final Words
After years of ownership, your RV furniture may look older than they really are. When they are in that condition, it is time to replace, repair, or re-upholster. Each option has its pros and cons and you need to consider all possibilities.
Also, ask yourself if removing and bringing in new furniture is worth the hassle. Sometimes re-upholstering the furniture will save you money, time, and a lot of headaches.
