It is challenging for campers to accommodate the guests while traveling with their families due to limited space in RV.
How to Make RV Dinette Bed More Comfortable? RV Dinette Convertible Bed provides a compact and additional space for sleeping during camping with a family of more than 2 persons. Few prominent solutions to make it comfortable are using egg crate foam, increasing foam thickness, purchasing foam toppers, pads, and comforters, and adopting regular memory foam mattresses.
You can use these DIY methods to make it more comfortable. Remove the table stand, settle the tabletop between the two sofas, fill in space with back seats, and your bed is ready to fulfill the needs of 1-2 persons.
How to Make RV Dinette Bed More Comfortable?
Here are a few techniques to customize the dinette bed in your RV on your own economically and improve the comfort level.
Improve the base under the cushion
With the passage of time, tabletops and sofas in your dinette sets become saggy due to continuous use.
That depression in the center and any side of the bed makes it uncomfortable to sleep on and develop back problems.
You can resolve this matter by installing about ¾-1-inch thick sheets of plywood underneath the base of sofa cushions and the table with the help of nails or screws.
It will significantly improve the comfort level, weight handling capacity, and usable life of the dinette bed.
Increase foam thickness
Standard RV dinette sets have cushions of 2-3 inch thickness with rigid foam making them uncomfortable for long-term use.
One of the cost-effective solutions to improve their comfort level is adding an extra foam thickness of 3-4 inches underneath the cushions.
Purchase a single piece of seat foam according to the dinette set’s size and cut it into 3 pieces to fit under both sofas and on the tabletop when you convert it into a bed.
This domestic hack will improve the comfortability of the mattress by increasing overall cushion thickness.
Install barrier to Avoid Slipping of Cushions
The RV bed mattress is a combination of 2 sofa cushions and 2 back cushions lying on the table surface.
Due to the gap between or loose-fitting, they can skid under the sleeper, causing inconvenience and disturbance in sleep.
You can stop the sofa cushions from slipping from their place by installing a wooden trim or barrier in front of both sofa cushions.
Another solution can be to glue them with the surface to avoid their movement. Campers also use a piece of carpet underneath the cushions to hold them in their place on its rough surface.
Therefore, you can settle the cushions tightly on their surface by adopting these few techniques or purchasing matching-sized ones to avoid gaps.
Use egg crate foam over the Cushions
They have small egg-shaped protrusions on their surface in regular patterns to provide a surface with air circulation.
Moreover, it is comfortable and recommended by doctors to offer sound sleep and improve blood flow at pressure points.
It is available in different materials and thicknesses from 1 to 4 inches. Choose the one according to your requirement and the size of the RV dinette bed.
Lay it on the cushions supported by the armrests of both sofas.
It will help resolve the heat retention problem associated with memory foam, discomfort due to cracks between cushions, and a comfortable surface to take rest.
Use an air mattress for RV Dinette Bed
Air mattress on top of dinette set cushions provides a comfortable surface to take rest. Air mattresses are available in the market in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.
Plenty of them has unique designs according to the dinette convertible beds. You can purchase the one according to the space available.
Use memory foam topper
Mattress toppers act as a source to enhance the comfort level of your bed. They are available in various materials like cotton, wool, latex, and foam, and varying thicknesses.
Memory foam topper consists of flexible foam material that changes its shape according to your body figure.
It is lightweight and easy to store, and also more comfortable than other materials. However, lack of air ventilation makes it accumulate body heat.
Therefore, you should select the one without heat retention properties. Moreover, it is a bit expensive to purchase if you want to save some money.
Use anti-fatigue mats
Although thick foam mattresses provide you cushion against the hard surface of a dinette bed.
But adding a layer of anti-fatigue mat underneath the mattress or cushions will add to the comfort level of your bed.
Moreover, they also provide insulation against the heat and moisture from underneath.
Choose the thickness between ½ to ¾ inches for maximum comfort. Then, you can purchase the one for $20-$30 according to the size of the dinette bed.
Use removable mattress pads
Mattress pads are a cheap alternative to relatively expensive foam toppers. They increase the mattress’s comfort level and protect it against dust, dirt, and other stains.
They are removable and easy to wash. Moreover, their foldability makes them easy to store in any cabinet without requiring extra space.
Choose the mattress pad with soft, water-resistant, and luxury properties. They can cost $20 to $40 that is 3 to 4 times cheaper than mattress toppers.
Use multiple layers of cushions on the RV bed
An easy-to-do and straightforward strategy are to stash available cushions to make a multi-layered mattress.
It will increase the thickness between your body and the rigid base of the dinette bed. Thus, it will serve the purpose of improving the comfort level without spending extra money.
You can also use old cushions available in the camper for this purpose. First, however, you need to take care of these cushion stacks to keep them in their place while sleeping on them.
Change the foam of Dinette bed cushions
Dinette cushions wear out with time, and their comfort level reduces due to the compression of foam.
You can improve it by removing the upholstery and replacing the worn-out foam blocks with new ones of desired thickness.
Moreover, you can also change the upholstery to give a new look to your dinette set. There are numerous vendors available to provide services for the replacement of cushion foam and upholstery.
Use bed comforter sets
Adding a layer of comforter or duvet gives it the look of a proper bed at your home.
Moreover, it serves the purpose of keeping the sleeper warm during the winter season.
You can choose the duvet or comforter according to your budget and requirements according to weather conditions.
Whatever the situation may be, they serve the purpose of comfortable sleep during the winter season.
Use heated mattress pads
Air mattresses become cold during the winter season due to the cooling of the air inside them.
Therefore you should use heated mattress pads to ensure a comfortable sleep at night.
They have different heating methods, from heated water to electricity.
Electrically heated pads are best suited for RV use because of their portability and easy-to-use properties.
You can purchase it according to the size of the mattress and use it on top to provide comfort and desired temperature.
Use an appropriately sized mattress
Having lesser dimensions than required, the seat pieces will slip from their place, leaving significant gaps between them and resulting in an uneven surface.
Oversized ones will also not fit in their area, causing an uncomfortable feeling to sleep.
Therefore, select an appropriately sized mattress with suitable thickness to keep your camping experience comfortable without raising any health problems due to inadequate sleep.
Dinette convertible beds come in standard sizes, and their cushions are also available in suitable sizes.
If you don’t find the one matching the requirements, you can prepare them according to the requirements using custom upholstery and foam thickness.
Use Hyper Vents underneath the RV Mattress
Lack of air ventilation and moisture underneath the mattress gives rise to mold growth on its surface.
HyperVent is a sheet of polymer material with paths for air circulation. They can vary in thickness from ½ to 1 inch.
Therefore, you can add 1-2 layers of these sheets underneath the mattress to make it comfortable and also protect it from fungal growth due to moisture content.
Purchase New Mattress for RV bed
One of the great solutions to an uncomfortable dinette bed is to purchase a new mattress if you plan on going camping for a longer duration and your mattress is 8 to 10 years old.
Measure the exact dimensions of space between both ends and order according to measurements.
There are many manufacturers available in the market that supply custom-sized mattresses according to your requirements.
Spending extra money will give you a comfortable camping experience without worrying about the extra work of changing cushions, foam, or installing toppers.
People also use regular memory foam mattresses with comforters to achieve the comfort of sleeping in a standard bedroom.
Use extra Pillows
Plenty of pillows on the sides, especially on the wall sides, are also economical to make it comfortable.
They on the head side and along the wall sides will protect your head from bumping into walls.
Moreover, while watching TV or doing some work, extra pillows will make your stay more comfortable by providing support.
How Much Does it Cost to Improve the RV Dinette Bed?
There are numerous options available to make the RV dinette bed better and more comfortable.
Each solution has its pros and cons, and you can choose one or a combination of two or three according to your choice and comfort level.
The price of each solution varies according to the type of selected material and an increase in comfort level.
It can range from $10-$200 or even higher while purchasing a new mattress. Therefore, it is up to you to opt for any available options according to budgetary constraints.
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