DIY SEATS

[RV LOVE]

Has anyone ever built their own seats. My dog has ripped my seats up and I need new ones. I don't want to pay full price for seats so I was thinking about building my own. I was thinking about using the existing wood and adding new padding and just stretching vinyl across it. Has anyone done this before? If so do I go to Joann Fabrics for padding and vinyl or are there better places out there? I found some cheap vinyl at Marine Vinyl Fabric .com so I think I might just get it there, but do people have any "do or don'ts" before I get started?

Thanks!

[bpfick]

Details, specifics and photos would help. We've done quite a bit of re-uphosltering but I honestly have little idea about how to apply that to the specifics of which you speak.

[Bob in Mb]

You should not have a problem . From my experience it is much easier to use upholstery fabric rather than vinyl , plus vinyl tends to stretch over time and gets kind of uneven especially in the extreme temperature range in a trailer.

[RV LOVE]

Thanks Bob! I have small kids so I was thinking the vinyl would be best for easy clean up. Would you still recommend avoiding vinyl?

[Franswa]

not sure if it will apply to your plan/problem but here goes...

in a boat once I did the "plywood backing, foam and fabric stapled to the underside" solution....and it worked very well...it requires an electric stapler to "bury" the staples into the fabric....found some quality, left over L-Z Boy fabric at a fabric store...I used 1/2 inch ply to span openings and wanting to fasten things to underside but thinner ply could be used depending on conditions/applications

the only thing I would have done differently is use just a few spots of glue between foam and ply to prevent "foam creep"...wans't a huge problem but still....there's ALWAYS something you'd do differently/better

a picture being worth a thousand words...

[RV LOVE]

Thanks Franswa for the advice! The boat looks great! I'm starting to feel better about tackling this project.

[Bob in Mb]

Bob's wife is also thinking that, although vinyl does wipe down easily, it is not so comfy to sit or sleep on when the weather is hot -- which is when we camp! Good upholstery fabric will have good cleanup and you can Scotchgard it when you are done. Good luck.

[Franswa]

and a few deatails after your comment.....

I'm not faliliar with your interior....it worked on the boat...it wouldn't work or be a bit more complex on my present RV with hinged seats but worth working that out IMO...especially after finding out what people want to make new comvers for my foam pieces (big $)

if you go this route the electric stapler is a must (30 bucks and a great tool to own BTW)....there is no sewing at all and only rough cutting as the material is doubled over where it is stapled...the corners were done like you wrap a christmas present....I went with 5" high density foam but 4" would be just fine.....and if you buy more material than you need you'll always have a stash of it at home in case your dog does it again.....I used SS staples because of the damp envirionment

I had never attempted something like this before.....real easy...good luck

[MRClaus]

looks great

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by RV LOVE

Has anyone ever built their own seats. My dog has ripped my seats up and I need new ones. I don't want to pay full price for seats so I was thinking about building my own. I was thinking about using the existing wood and adding new padding and just stretching vinyl across it. Has anyone done this before? If so do I go to Joann Fabrics for padding and vinyl or are there better places out there? I found some cheap vinyl at Marine Vinyl Fabric .com so I think I might just get it there, but do people have any "do or don'ts" before I get started?

Thanks!

First, what's a "Roo" and what do the seats look like?