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cougarfan's avatar
cougarfan
Explorer
Jul 18, 2014

Remove Dinette? (long)

I am seriously considering removing the dinette from my trailer and replacing with a euro chair or recliner.

I have searched all over the net on this subject and I've come up with a few pictures and descriptions, but mostly for Class A's where they're adding theater seating-type sofas, etc. That would be too much weight for my little trailer and I don't have the room for the footstools to go out that direction anyway since I don't have a slide.

I have a small, 19' trailer with a dedicated queen bed in the front and a dinette down one side. A few of my camping trips have been in the rain (this is Oregon after all) and after not being able to be outside, I discovered the dinette is really not that comfortable. The foam isn't very thick and the fact that the back is straight up made it really uncomfortable and my back hurt for a week afterwards. I don't need the extra sleeping space the dinette provides, I'm not concerned about resale, and I'm not interested in purchasing a different trailer with different seating.

I have opened up both seats of the dinette to see what's underneath. The side by the bed just has the drawer. The other side has another drawer, wires for the inside and outside 110 plugs, and the outside cable connection (for watching tv outside) which all run under that dinette seat and then into the floor about 15 inches from the wall so I will need to cover all that. There is also a small box for the wheel well (single axle).

The supports for the dinette table are above the floor so would only need to fill the small screw holes or just throw a rug over the area. The flooring is the same from the front pass-thru storage area to the bathroom in the back. Looks like they put down one sheet of linoleum and then built the trailer on top of it so no worries there.

I would purchase a small recliner or euro chair with an ottoman, and I found a small base cabinet at Home Depot that will work to cover the wires and replace the storage I will lose by removing the drawers under the seats. I would take a sample of the current cabinet finish in to the store so I could find a stain that matches. I would use a tv tray for meals and my laptop.

I have a friend who is a contractor and will do the work for me (although I'm pretty handy and could probably do it myself) but hey, why not use the professional?

So, my question is has anyone done something like this in a trailer? I'm pretty close to doing it but thought I'd throw out the question here in the hopes someone has done it and to make sure I haven't missed something in my planning.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance.

Laura

16 Replies

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  • MitchF150's avatar
    MitchF150
    Explorer III
    Jul 18, 2014
    The other bonus is we still have all the storage space under the benches! :)

    Even the end bench door was retained, so it's easy access for stuff we put there..

    Mitch
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Jul 18, 2014
    MitchF150 wrote:
    I did that very thing to my trailer. It's 22' from hitch to bumper, so the camper part is only around 19' from end to end.

    Here is what it looked like after removing the benches.



    We also thought about adding chairs or a couch or something, but that wasn't going to work... Just not enough room.. So, I moved the existing benches end to end and that was the ticket for us.



    After cutting out for the wheel well and finishing it up, it looked like this.



    If we have to eat inside, we do this.



    Works for us and gaining that extra foot of floor space makes a HUGE difference inside... We talked about doing this after the first year we owned it (2002), but didn't actually do it until 2010... DOH....

    Best mod we've done so far, and I've done a LOT of mods! :)

    Just what works for us.. No concern on 'resale' value, because it really would not take much to put it back to a dinette again (I still have the table and all hardware).

    Good luck!

    Mitch


    Waiting for the warranty to wear out before making any modifications?? ? Just kidding. . .

    Great pictures. I guess you had a compact dinette before, now have unlimited legroom to sit at the table. You could install floor mounted flush table legs, and longer table legs than your factory table legs, then use the table again (or a smaller one).

    Table legs : http://www.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?Ntt=table+legs&N=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=primary&Nty=1&Ntpc=1

    Fred.
  • JohnnyG73's avatar
    JohnnyG73
    Explorer
    Jul 18, 2014
    My bro-in-law has a 2012 30' TT that already has two recliners. The dinette was in a slide out. They never used the dinette and ate outside or in the recliners while watching TV. He tore the dinette out and built a bar complete with bar stools for entertaining. 3 can sit on the outside and 1 behind the bar. It looks great and functions well.

    Anything is possible.
  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    Jul 18, 2014
    HI,

    I was able to order my motorhome without a dinette. Instead, they install the couch on the drivers side where the factory dinette would have been, (passenger side would have been the couch), and mine they put three chairs on the passenger side, along with a tiny coffee size table, about 12" square.

    This gave me three captains chairs on the passenger side, in a row, with the passenger seat forward, then the twin captains chairs and tiny table. I removed the center captain chair, then installed a 29" deep X 38" wide table. It is in a rack of sorts, that allows me to lift up the table top and slide it into the cabinet, built onto the wall. That cabinet is 4" deep, 29" tall, and has a slot about 3" from the passenger sidewall, so that the pins in the end of the table board slide up and down when I store it. It has a board (oak) that is 4" tall and sits below the table top, to support it, and a 2"X2" board on the other side, above the table top, to also support the top, from tilting to low, and keep it level. Above it all, there is a 4" wide top that is hinged, to fold up while moving the table into or out of storage area. It all fits just below my window, that is 30" off the floor.

    You can also buy the table legs, in various lengths, and table tops of several sizes. I even had a 20" X 30" table in my first camper with a USA map built in, and laminated with a clear finish on top! You could sit at the table and plan your next trip. It was also easy to keep clean.

    Many times the dinette is over something. Like a wheel well, or water tank, or water pump, or it is easy to remove with nothing under it. Sometimes a RV manufacture puts a small carpeted cover over the wheelwell, but normally there is a cabinet if the wheelwell is higher than the floor level.

    I have a friend with a massage easy chair in his Country Coach RV. It makes a great place to sleep. So would a Lazy Boy recliner. They tend not to move around much while driving.

    I personally find the dinette the most uncomfortable thing in the RV! Especially the upright seating positions that many manufactures use. THey could have tilted the backs of the dinette a little bit, but that might make the bed 4" shorter than one that is not tilted. You might find the cushions more comfortable if you cut a pool noodle to the width of your seats, then place this at the bottom, so the cushions sit at a angle? Worth a try, or just try it with a extra pillow at the bottom of the cushion - to see if it works out better.

    It is your RV, enjoy it!

    Fred.
  • MitchF150's avatar
    MitchF150
    Explorer III
    Jul 18, 2014
    I did that very thing to my trailer. It's 22' from hitch to bumper, so the camper part is only around 19' from end to end.

    Here is what it looked like after removing the benches.



    We also thought about adding chairs or a couch or something, but that wasn't going to work... Just not enough room.. So, I moved the existing benches end to end and that was the ticket for us.



    After cutting out for the wheel well and finishing it up, it looks like this.



    If we have to eat inside, we do this.



    Works for us and gaining that extra foot of floor space makes a HUGE difference inside... We talked about doing this after the first year we owned it (2002), but didn't actually do it until 2010... DOH....

    Best mod we've done so far, and I've done a LOT of mods! :)

    Just what works for us.. No concern on 'resale' value, because it really would not take much to put it back to a dinette again (I still have the table and all hardware).

    Good luck!

    Mitch
  • profdant139's avatar
    profdant139
    Explorer II
    Jul 18, 2014
    I have heard of others who have done this -- if you are not concerned about resale and you'd like a really good place to hang out during the rain, why not?? Great idea! The only trick will be making sure that it is properly secured to the subfloor, which should not be too difficult.

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