Furniture and RVs – How To Get It Through the Door…


How To Get RV Furniture Through the Door

Getting furniture through your RV door requires some advanced planning and preparation. You should measure and check that furniture is correctly sized for your RV before attempting to bring it inside. You should also make sure that you have enough helpers to lift and maneuver furniture safely into your RV. Larger items may need to be turned or pivoted through the door. 

Whether you’re completely furnishing or refurnishing your RV or just bringing in one new chair or bed, you will need to get the furniture through the doors of your RV. With proper preparation and planning, this can be an easy task. If you get it wrong, you may damage your RV or furniture, and the task may finally prove impossible.

Read our article to find out more about how to get furniture through RV door spaces.

How to get furniture through RV door frames

A few steps should help anyone get furniture through their RV door and into the RV. 

Firstly, measure your RV door frame first, as well as measure the space available inside your RV and the furniture item itself. Only buy furniture items whose dimensions are smaller than the door frame. If you have been given an item of furniture, measure it before trying to bring it into your RV.

Thirdly, bring in some friends or paid helpers to assist you in bringing the furniture item into your RV. This will be essential with heavier furniture items and make the process easier even with lighter but awkwardly shaped furniture.

What furniture is best for RVs?

The best furniture for RVs will be furniture that has been specifically designed for RV use and conforms to average RV specifications and dimensions. RV furniture should be light but robust and able to be easily secured for when you’re driving your RV, either permanently or with zip ties, velcro straps, or bungee cords.

Custom RV furniture can be more expensive but has many advantages. Often more easily disassembled, with built-in securing mechanisms and easy to clean materials, the initial outlay may more than repay itself in terms of saving later trouble and expense. 

Furniture that has been designed for use in houses may be larger and heavier than typical RV furniture and be harder to secure when your RV is on the move. If you wish to permanently bolt it down to the floor, you will have to work out how to do this yourself.

Even if you can physically fit a particular furniture item inside your RV, if it’s too large, it might dominate the small space and leave you feeling cramped. Remember also that your RV will have a maximum load weight that it can safely carry. Heavy furniture could exceed this limit.

Don’t forget to check out our Recommended RV Equipment list!

How To Get RV Furniture Through the Door

What should I do if my furniture doesn’t fit through my RV doors?

If you’ve already acquired some furniture and found that it doesn’t seem to fit through your RV doors, don’t give up immediately. There are a few things you can try first.

Turning

Depending on its shape, have you tried turning the item on its side? Sometimes this simple shift is enough to get furniture through the door.

Angling and pivoting

Sometimes an item of furniture that won’t fit through the door frame when held in a straight position will fit when turned at an angle and pivoted gradually as it’s moved through.

For these types of maneuvers, you will probably require at least 2-3 people to handle heavier items safely.

Compressing and squeezing

This option might be suited to softer furnishings but should only be used with care and with the item protectively wrapped to prevent damage to your door or the furniture.

Suppose an upholstered or soft furniture item doesn’t pass easily through the doorway but is only very slightly too large. In that case, you could try compressing it (e.g., by wrapping tightly in plastic or thin fabric) or squeezing it gently past the doorframe.   

Remove detachable components

A chair, sofa, or another item might have detachable parts (e.g., large armrests, feet), which can be easily pulled off or unscrewed without much effort. This can reduce the width by a few centimeters or inches and make a big difference in getting your furniture into your RV.

Dismantling

Some furniture can be completely dismantled into several pieces to be brought through a narrow door space and then reassembled inside.

Certain items may be marked to be taken apart in this way and will come with instructions that you can follow. For other furniture pieces, it might not be as immediately apparent whether this is an option.

If you have good DIY skills and tools available, look carefully at the screws and joints. If you feel confident about dismantling an item, it may be worth a try. Always retain instructions and take a photograph of the item before dismantling to enable quick reassembly on the other side of the door.

Replacing

If all else fails, you will have to give up on bringing your new furniture item into your RV and sell or give it away. Next time, do your measurements in advance and make sure any new furniture is compatible with your RV and its door.

A final word

Read and follow our guidance well in advance for a smooth and successful experience if you need to get furniture through the RV door space.

Specialist RV furniture is best, and measuring your RV, its doors, and the furniture item in advance is essential. For custom RV furniture at a lower price, look out for clearance sales from retailers and watch second-hand selling sites like eBay for gently used items that fit your requirements.

Don’t forget to check out our Recommended RV Equipment list!

Want to learn more about different types of RVs? Check out:

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Andy

Hi, my name is Andy. I have been camping my whole life. I started camping with my parents as a little kid and remember hanging out around a campfire roasting marshmallows. As I got older, car camping was a regular occurrence. After I got married and started a family, we decided we wanted to share the travel and camping experience with our kids. Out of that experience, this site, GoTogetherGoFar.com, was born.

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