The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
RV and camper dinette cushions: measuring seats that become a bed
A dinette works two shifts: breakfast table by day, bed by night. Pattern it like a boat, one cushion at a time, and it does both jobs without a gap down the middle.
SaveThe quick answer
Measure RV dinette cushions one piece at a time: every seat, back and side run gets its own length, depth and thickness. Then lower the table and check that the pieces cover the bed with no gaps. Backs are often narrower than seats, seats can be 8 in (20 cm) thick or more, and firm foam under zip-off washable covers suits both sitting and sleeping.
Why no RV dinette cushion is as square as it looks
In a converted school bus, the seat back measured 46.5 in (118 cm) wide. The seat under it measured 48 in (122 cm). That inch and a half is the whole lesson of RV dinette cushions: nothing in a rolling home is as square as it looks.
Breakfast table by day, bed by night. So every seat, back and side run gets its own tape measure, and the set still has to lie flat as one bed when the table drops.
Pattern it the way a sailmaker patterns a cockpit, one piece at a time. The boat and RV cushions hub has the wider family, and the van and skoolie builds show what others did with theirs.
Measuring a dinette that turns into a bed
Build the frame, then measure
Measure the frame you have, not the plan you drew. One buyer converting a school bus needed two 75 x 26.5 in (190.5 x 67 cm) cushions for a sofa that pulls out into a double bed, and held off ordering until the frame was built. Conversions rarely match their drawings.
Give every seat and back its own numbers
Write length x depth x thickness for each piece, with the unit after every number. In vans and RVs, backs and seats are rarely the same width, so the workshop sizes each one separately. A back can be narrower than its seat and still look right.
Take the backrest off the seat depth
A back cushion stands on the bench and eats into it. Seat depth = bench depth minus backrest thickness. On one U dinette, a 15.5 in (39 cm) seat turned out too shallow; a 4 in (10 cm) back let the seat grow to 17.5 in (44.5 cm).
Cut a U into three straight runs
Order each run of the U as its own cushion. The back seat runs through and the side seats butt against its front edge, so each side cushion is the total run minus the back cushion's depth. That dinette ended as a 65 x 17.5 in (165 x 44.5 cm) seat and two 17.5 x 24.5 in (44.5 x 62 cm) side seats, all 8 in (20 cm) thick. More in U-shaped banquette cushions.
Pattern sheet Back run 65 in, left run 42 in, right run 42 in, all 17.5 in deep. The back cushion runs through; the two side cushions butt against its front edge. Drop the table and check the bed
Lay every cushion on the lowered table and platform, and look for gaps and overlaps before you order. Splitting a base in two over storage lids is fine: 14 x 70 in (36 x 178 cm) and 24 x 70 in (61 x 178 cm) pieces have made a slide-out bed that doesn't look or feel odd to lie on.
Draw the wheel arches and notches
Anything that isn't a rectangle goes on a drawing with every edge measured, plus a photo of the space. A hand sketch is fine. Production follows the drawing, not the photos, so mark each notch where it really sits. See notched cushion cutouts.
Check headroom before thickness
A camper owner asked for two 71 x 28 in (180 x 71 cm) top-bunk cushions, and the workshop pointed out that the pictured cushion was 12 in (30.5 cm) thick. The owner kept it. Measure bunk to ceiling first; every inch of foam comes out of the air above your nose.
Decide how each cushion stays put
Seats on lift-up lids need a plan. Ask for ties on the hinge side only, with each hinge's position from a stated end, its width and a photo. Or size the cushion inside the lid's bevel with a non-slip base, and split it at each lid break. See cushions on hinged storage lids.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Callum’s workshop make it
Sun, rain, salt. Say which of them your cushion will meet, and the workshop will plan around it. — Callum
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
RV dinette cushion spec: 32-density foam, 4 to 8 in thick
| Pieces | Each seat, back and side run cut as its own cushion |
|---|---|
| Foam | High-density polyurethane, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), medium-firm to firm |
| Thickness | 4 in (10 cm) standard; dinette seats 8 in (20 cm) or more on request |
| Backs | Measured on their own; often narrower than the seat |
| Shapes | Notches, angles and wheel-arch cuts made from your drawing |
| Cover | Zippered and fully removable, zipper on the back edge or underside |
| Care | Machine-wash at 86°F (30°C), gentle cycle, air-dry |
| Fastening | Ties on the hinge side, or a non-slip fabric base |
A 46.5 in back on a 48 in school bus seat
A buyer in the US wrote in about a loveseat in a converted school bus. The back measured 46.5 x 17.5 in (118 x 44.5 cm). The seat measured 48 x 16.5 in (122 x 42 cm). Plenty of people would have ordered two 48 in cushions and called it close enough.
The workshop didn't. It made the back cushion narrower than the seat, to the inch the buyer measured, and worked the backrest thickness into the sizes so the two pieces met without fighting over the same space. Both went out in linen, color 8.
That's the rule on wheels. Walls lean, frames flex, and the builder who drew the plan wasn't always the one holding the saw. Measure what's there.
- What it taught
- In vans and RVs, measure back and seat separately; they are rarely the same width.
Where road cushions go wrong
- Guessing the seat depth. Measure the bench, then subtract the backrest thickness. One U dinette still came out 5 to 6 in off in depth: usable, not right.
- Leaving the unit off. '71 x 28 x 12' reads as inches or centimeters. Write the unit after every number and keep the whole order in one system.
- Typing ties into the size box. Ties and straps aren't standard and get overlooked there. Ask in writing, with position and length, then confirm by message after ordering.
- Skipping the pre-dispatch photo. Every order is photographed before it ships. Check it for the small extras, ties and non-slip base, before you approve it.
- Ordering the photo's thickness by default. A 12 in (30.5 cm) bunk cushion is a lot of foam under a low ceiling. Choose thickness for the space, not the listing picture.
Fabric for a home that moves
Road cushions take sun through the windshield, boots at the door and coffee at breakfast. A zip-off cover earns its keep here. Every foam cushion has one, and it washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
For the look, velvet and linen-look are the usual pair, and on these builds they're priced alike. Velvet colors are picked by number from the chart. Happy with the foam you have? Covers alone can be made for it; one was a corduroy cover for a 27.5 x 78.75 x 4 in (70 x 200 x 10 cm) cold-foam van mattress. See covers for existing foam.
So tell me, friend: what does your dinette measure with the table down?
A 12 in thick cushion on an RV top bunk takes 12 in of headroom with it, so measure bunk to ceiling before choosing the thickness.
Callum
Buyer questions: vans, buses and bunks
- A common question
We're converting a camper. Can you make cushions for a van, an RV or a bus build?
The workshop's answerYes. Send the measurements and the workshop sends a purchase link. Past builds include a corduroy cover for a 27.5 x 78.75 x 4 in (70 x 200 x 10 cm) cold-foam van mattress, a 6 ft x 31 in (183 x 79 cm) travel-trailer cushion at least 3 in (7.5 cm) thick, and two 71 x 28 x 12 in velvet cushions for an RV top bunk. Velvet colors are picked by number.
- A common question
Can you do cushions for the U-shaped dinette in our trailer?
The workshop's answerYes, U-shaped vehicle and dinette seating is made regularly. Send a drawing with every run of the U, the depth and the thickness, plus a photo of the space. Each piece is sized on its own: one dinette used a 65 x 17.5 in seat, two 17.5 x 24.5 in side seats and a 65 in back 4 in deep. Seats can be 8 in thick or more.
- A common question
Our van bench slides out into a bed. Should the base be one cushion or two, and does the back have to match the seat width?
The workshop's answerTwo is fine: split over storage compartments, the base doesn't look or feel odd to lie on, and 14 x 70 in plus 24 x 70 in pieces have been made for a slide-out bed. The back can be narrower than the seat, such as a 46.5 in back on a 48 x 16.5 in seat, with the backrest thickness worked into the sizes so the pieces fit together.
- A common question
The RV bench seat lifts up for storage. How do I keep the cushion on the lid?
The workshop's answerAsk for ties on the hinge side only, giving each hinge's position from a stated end, its width and a photo so the ties line up. If ties won't work with the hinges, the cushion can sit inside the lid's bevel, for example 42 x 18 in (107 x 46 cm), on a non-slip base. On RV lids that fabric base is often preferred, but it can't hold a cushion on a lifted lid.
- A common question
How do I figure the corner on an L or U dinette so the cushions don't overlap?
The workshop's answerOrder each straight run as its own cushion, then subtract the corner: the short side is the total run minus the depth of the long cushion sitting in the corner. A 61 in (155 cm) run next to a 19 in (48 cm) deep cushion needs a cushion of about 42 in (107 cm), not 61 in. Piping comes as standard.
Dinette questions, answered short
How thick should RV dinette cushions be?
Thick enough to sit and sleep on, thin enough to clear the table and the ceiling. The standard seat is 4 in (10 cm); dinette seats have been made 8 in (20 cm) or more, and one travel-trailer cushion was ordered at least 3 in (7.5 cm). Check bunk headroom before going to 12 in (30.5 cm).
Can I keep my camper foam and only replace the covers?
Yes. Camper and trailer covers are made from a template or a drawing with the dimensions of each cushion. Measure the foam itself, write the unit after every number, and send a photo of the whole set so each cover is matched to its own piece.
Do wheel-arch notches or angled ends cost extra?
Shaped pieces cost more than rectangles because cutting and sewing take more labor. On the custom-shape listing a notch adds nothing by itself, cut-outs around obstacles cost a little more, and there is no template charge. Production follows your drawing.
Can the dinette covers go in the washing machine?
Yes. Every foam cushion has a zippered, fully removable cover, with the zipper hidden on the back edge or the underside. Wash it at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and let it air-dry before it goes back on the foam.
