Wildfire Interiors

DIY and Home Decor

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise & Privacy
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop My Home
  • Tour My Home
  • Project Gallery
  • Popular Posts

February 22, 2019

Reupholster RV Cushions…Without Sewing!

6.8Kshares
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email
RV interior redo

This is it, the last project of the RV remodel! Admittedly, reupholstering the banquette cushions is the project I’ve been dreading most… which is why I saved it for last. It’s always a good idea to save the worst for last, right? I’ve been putting it off was becuase I thought that I was going to have to sew actual cushions, which for me would be a terrible project. I can sew, but I really only flat square things like curtains and throw pillows. Thankfully I ended up conquering this project without even touching my sewing machine, which is a huge win in my book.

So here is the original banquette –

RV cushions before

and here it is now!

No sew RV cushions

Is there anything more satisfying than a good before and after?! Man it feels good to finally be at this stage.

So the original banquette had storage underneath it, but to access it you had to take off the cushions, fight with the plywood underneath, the table was in the way….it was a whole thing. In order to make the storage more usable, Adam and I decided that adding drawers would be the best idea. I actually can’t believe it didn’t already have drawers, but that’s another conversation.

adding storage to an RV

So Adam built some drawers, then in true Domestic Imperfection fashion we got carried away and decided to rip out everything….the floor, the trim….it all came out.

RV remodel

The carpet in the “dining room” was replaced with simple, non-gross black paint, and the ripped fake leather trim was replaced with white painted pine. All that was left was those dang brown cushions.

RV renovation

The addition of the drawers meant we no longer had to move the cushions to access the storage, which meant I could permanently attach them to the plywood. In other words, this project just became 1,000% easier.

So let’s jump into the tutorial!

How to reupholster RV cushions (without sewing!)

Materials –

  • upholstery fabric (I used canvas dropcloth)
  • foam (I used three inch, best price was at homedepot.com)
  • serrated knife (an electric turkey knife would be even better)
  • stapler (manual or power)
  • batting
  • scissors

The material I used for the cushions is just canvas dropcloth from Home Depot. I’ve used it for upholstery before, and it is thick and well made, plus a really nice neutral color (kinda like linen). Best of all, it’s cheap and easy to come by.

using dropcloth to reupholster cushions

To make the cushions you have to have a backing (plywood) so that you can staple the dropcloth to something solid. If you don’t have the plywood you are going to have to sew actual cushions, which is to be avoided at all costs.

DIY RV cushions

Then cut your drop cloth to the correct size, lay it on the floor, place your cushion on top of it, and then your plywood on top of that.

no sew cushions

Once everything is in place you just start wrapping and stapling (this is the stapler we have).

no sew dinette cushions

how to reupholster camper cushions

That is how I redid the bottom cushions, it was super simple since I reused what was already there.

dinette remodel progress

Related Post – How to Recover a Dining Room Chair

The back cushions were slightly more complicated since I didn’t reuse the existing ones (they were too thin and needed to be reconfigured anyway), but still super simple. For these Adam created new plywood backs out of garage scraps, and I bought new foam and batting. Foam, by the way, is not cheap. I scoured high and low for the cheapest foam, and it turns out that Home Depot actually sells it (online only) and it is a great price.

Also, here is a tip about cutting foam. You would think scissors would be the way to go, but using a serrated knife is the best way to cut foam. If you have an electric knife, even better. Just cut it like you would a loaf of bread and it will have a nice smooth (enough) edge.

how to cut foam

Since I was using new foam I also used batting, which I wrapped and stapled over the foam before adding the dropcloth.

reupholster cushions without sewing

And that’s it! So simple, so pretty.

RV banquette remodel

Here is the same shot with the old fabric and the new –

RV cushions beofre

farmhouse RV makeover

 

using dropcloth for upholstery

easy no sew cushions

RV dining area makeover

RV cushions

So much better, right? The dropcloth fabric is thick and should be easy enough to clean, but let’s be honest…I have four boys. We will be camping and getting dirty. Eventually, this booth will probably look pretty gross. The good news is that this project is so easy and cheap that ripping off the old dropcloth fabric and adding fresh stuff isn’t a big deal.

Anyway, I still have to add some decor/storage/bedding, etc, but next up is the final reveal!

Inlinkz Link Party

Filed Under: Decor & Crafts, Furniture, Projects, RV remodel11 Comments

« Lightweight Rustic Wood RV Walls
RV Remodel – Dark and Dated to Bright and Inviting! »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Kim says

    February 22, 2019 at 10:57 pm

    This looks great! Y’all did such a good job. And just in time for spring break. You might consider adding adhesive Velcro to the drop cloth and the plywood when you replace the fabric. That way you can wash them and put them back on! You might have to label each panel/plywood piece to make it easier to put them back. Way to go!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 23, 2019 at 5:11 pm

      Attaching them with velcro is a GREAT idea. Like…why didn’t I think of that?!

      Reply
  2. Jan says

    February 23, 2019 at 5:09 am

    So much better!!
    So many fun memories to be made in the RV! Excited for your family :)

    Reply
  3. Rose Lefebvre says

    February 24, 2019 at 1:45 am

    So clever and a great re-do! I love the new look!

    Reply
  4. Laura M says

    February 24, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous transformation. Love Love Love.

    Reply
  5. AD says

    February 25, 2019 at 11:54 am

    Looks SO good! Consider spraying the cushions with Scotchgard to repel stains and liquids. I spray my girls’ school backpacks and canvas shoes between washings. Have fun camping!!

    Reply
  6. beast says

    April 19, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    Great post keep it up!

    Reply
  7. Magen Dain says

    May 5, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    Can the dinette still be used as a bed with the new cushion configuration? Great job! SO much inspiration for our camper.

    Reply
  8. Jem Horwood says

    September 7, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    SUCH a good idea to convert the storage to drawers! And the cushions look gorgeous. The whole thing looks gorgeous! You guys are amazing – both vision and talent!

    Reply
  9. Ian says

    July 1, 2020 at 8:05 am

    Hi Would you know the measurements of the seat and table parts. I would like to build one the same

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Easy RV Makeover Ideas on a Budget – The Motorized Home says:
    January 25, 2020 at 11:06 am

    […] and after” photo of Ashley’s RV in her blog Domestic Imperfection, where she has a tutorial on how to reupholster RV cushions… without […]

    Reply

Ashley - Wildfire Interiors
Welcome to Wildfire Interiors! I’m Ashley, and I think you should love where you live. Small budget or big budget, color-obsessed or neutral lover, trend follower or trendsetter, and whether you know anything about design or not…we can all have homes that make us smile. Read more…

Join the list

Stay Updated
Keep up with the latest when you subscribe to the newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing!

Categories

Follow on Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Copyright Policy

Sharing is always encouraged! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of Domestic Imperfection. Feel free use one or two photos provided that a link back to the original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any images without first obtaining written permission from me. Thank you!

Stay Updated
Keep up with the latest when you subscribe to the newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing!

Copyright © 2022 · Design by Alpine Lane