Replaced Jacknife Sofa with Recliner

[grumpy0374]

Our Lexi 283ts is just for my wife an I. Decided to get rid of the uncmfortable jacknife sofa/sleeper and get something we both can be comfortable on.
Splurged and ordered a loveseat double recliner from Shop 4 Seats. Pricey, but well made and fits perfectly. Pic shows them partially reclined, but they fully recline like a home recliner. Wall hugger design, and sits about 3" from wall. Had to femove the side shade valances and gained an extre 3".
First pic is of the old jacknife and then the new.
Grumpy

[RSchleder]

Looks very nice and extremely comfortable. Good job!

[bclemens]

Custom wood flooring?

[LittlePM]

Looks great, it also looks like it is about the same color as your drivers seat

[grumpy0374]

The flooring is laminate plank, cherry. Got it at Lowes on a close out. Took out the carpet from the rear of the cab area to where the vinyl starts. Just hated the cheap car[pet that was down. Lot easier to keep clean. Still have the carpet on the two slideouts. Under the sofa it prevents it from sliding.
Color in the sofa is just one of their stock fabric colors with a darker trim. Just kind of accents everything else. Very comfortable to sit in for longer periods, compared to the jacknife with feet up on a collapasable ottoman.
Grumpy

[USNMM1VETERAN]

Hey grump, this MM1VET from forester forum, man that looks great and just what I want to do. Just like you it is only me and wife, she hates the dinette that is why I thought about 2 recliners one on each side.
1) did you do it your self?
2) when you pulled carpet up what was under it and was it easy to put down laminate? We have 2 dogs and getting rid of carpet would be great.

Sent from my SM-T900 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[grumpy0374]

Underneath is just your strand type wood floor. Put down some underlayment sub-floor sheet, basically thin plywood over it. Used pieces that I cut to fit as far as I could under the slideouts. Single 4x8 foot sheet was plenty. I put down some vapor barrier sheeting between the floor and the sub-floor, just used some spray adhesive to hold it down, and used a brad nailer to hold down the sub-floor.
Couldn't do a proper "floating" floor, just used some Liquid Nails caulk, SPARINGLY to glue the planks down..
Did it just after we bought it last July, and haven't had any problems yet.
We also have two dogs, and BH loves the floor. Goes over it with a Swifter in a minute.
We thought about ditching the dinette and getting a wall credenza with a fold out or slide out table and two seperate chairs, but right now, when we on the road, we make the dinette into the "bed" for the dogs to stay on---they love to sightsee out the window.
Mayby later.
grumpy

[oldsmasma]

Wow that's just great. I would love to get rid of the carpet in ours.

[Lexi2007]

We just purchased a 2007 26' FR Lexington. Do some slides slide out further than others?

I would love to replace the jackknife sofa with a sofa sleeper. I haven't put the tape measure to the inside yet to see if there would be enough clearance but what do y'all think of the idea? If the extended length wouldn't be too tight, I think a queen sleeper might do the trick.

[bclemens]

A sleeper sofa normally requires 90" of clearance due to the sofa backs and distance from the wall. That typically prohibits sleepers on anything that is not a dual opposing slide.

[Lexi2007]

Originally Posted by bclemens

A sleeper sofa normally requires 90" of clearance due to the sofa backs and distance from the wall. That typically prohibits sleepers on anything that is not a dual opposing slide.

Ahhh, I understand. Thank you so much. It was a nice idea anyway

[Sherol]

Where did you purchase the sofa recliner? Was it difficult to remove the old sofa?

[grumpy0374]

Old jacknife sofa comes out easily. Its bolted together, and you just have to unbolt it and remove the piaces.
New recliner was ordered from Shop4Seats, online. Their in California, and their furniture is made to order, not off the shelf. You get to pick your fabric or leather, and the colors you want. Quality is very good, but be sure it's what you want cause returning it would be a b---h. Had a problem with one of the cable mechanisms that activates the recliner--simple plastic retainer broke, and it took them a month to get a new one out to me. I was able to fix it myself an hour after it broke, but I still wanted the new part.
Check around as there are other manufactures of custom rv furniture.
Grumpy

[Sherol]

Thanks for the reply. This is just what we are looking for as the couch is very uncomfortable for long periods of time.

[grumpy0374]

Pic's don't show it, but they recline all the way back. It's also a wall hugger design and only needs about three inches of space from the wall. If you look real close, you'll notice I removed the side valances from the window to gain clearence to move it closer to the wall. Seating is firm but comfortable, definately not "squishy".
Grumpy

[Sherol]

We're you able to replace the sofa with the recliners yourself? If so, how difficult was it? What tools did you use?

[grumpy0374]

Yes, replaced it myself. Very easy to do. Original jacknife sofa comes apart into various pieces, bottom, back, and sides. You just need some various sockets and wrenches to unbolt everything.
New recliner sofa came shipped also in pieces, bottoms, seat backs, and center console, and just basically slides togather.
Pretty much any recliner or love seat can be broken down into seat and back, so it's easy to get through your rv door.
Grumpy

[Jim1040]

My Lexington 283 gts slide is elevated 6". Did the recliner have to be modified to compensate for the floor level and the slide level? The recliner seat height is 19" and if placed on slide platform it would raise the height to 25", also would have a gap at the bottom of the leg lift portion of the recliner of 6". Would appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

[grumpy0374]

Jim, I just went out and measured mine, and the seat height is 24" from the floor. Just about any new seating you install will be at approx the same height. The original jacknife sofa is designed for an rv, so it's made lower as they know its going to be mounted on a platform.
That being said, we don't have any problem sitting down, just kinda have to plant your butt and push, like sitting on a poofy bed edge.
Now, all in all we're happy with the recliner, but, after using it for a year there are a few observations I'll make.
Aside from the normal upright position, it only has two reclining positions, halfway and full recline. It's not an infinatrly adjustable type like you'd find in a house type recliner. It's comfortable, but I wish it had more adjustability.
Center storage section is nice, and with the seat down provides a spot for our two small dogs to hop up on and sit. But If I had to do it over, I think I'd look for two small apartment style wall hugger seperate recliners. They offfer more adjustability, and would be wider, without the center section. I'd rather have the wider seats than the center filler section.
As to the gap. I just bought some baseboard moulding and made a "skirt" to fill the gap between the platform and the floor.
For info, almost any recliner you buy may look like its one piece, but in reality the backs are removable. They just slide onto two uprights. Any furniture salesperson who knows their product should be able to show you how to take them apare. Makes it very easy to bring it into the rv.
Hope this helps.
Grumpy