2003 295u 36 foot
Our original sofa is showing cosmetic signs of wear. Any suggestions as to how to best deal with it? Reupholster? Try to find oem replacement? Replace with Thomas Payne or similar? If you have already dealt with this issue, what did you do?
Thanks
Ron
I wouldn't touch Thomas Payne furniture with a 10 foot pole. We had it in our fifth wheel.
I am yet to find anything that can compete with the quality of the original furniture that came in these coaches, I would reupholster, and that was our plan when we were going to keep the U320
Trina at MOT does magic. We have a 93 GV that had the original upholstery and padding. She redid everything for us last month's and it's awesome. The guts were in good shape but she made it new, and comfortable. All new cushions and fabric.
Edited to add: when I can, I'll post a picture of before and after.
(https://i.postimg.cc/k5sh5sqR/70403713867-E4-CA903-C-09-FE-483-F-BC5-B-1593-B1-E636-D8.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/B88CYx8J)
(https://i.postimg.cc/fbDrZpnh/IMG-9165.png) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://i.postimg.cc/FHjBMm6Z/IMG-9200.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Snxd80k2)
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Reupholster. The jack-knife sofa Foretravel used is high quality Villa, I believe. We went from OEM fabric (which didn't wear well) to Ultraleather Brisa. The Brisa line has micro-perfs so it's vented and isn't sticky like some other pleathers. Cleans up easily with a damp microfiber.
FOT's upholstery group did ours, but we've also seen Trina's work at MOT in person and would not hesitate to choose either shop.
If you want the same fit, remove, take apart, and take to any upholster shop. New ones are always different size.
Trina at MOT gets our vote. A reupholstered OEM in our rig. You can be very creative with the front chairs as well.
I took mine apart and delivered it to a good local upholstery shop - furniture not auto. We picked a high quality automotive vinyl from his sample book. I picked it up after he finished, brought back into coach and reassembled. Less than half the price of MOT. We also had him do the dining chairs in the same fabric and at the same time. Definitely would not trade it out for a Thomas Payne.
I put RecPro products in the same class as Thomas Payne! Our recliners are peeling the so called leather on the chairs.
Probably bonded leather. It's 10-20% shredded bits of leather fiber/pulp and 80-90% polyurethane binder, extruded like thin dough or thick paint onto a backing, then embossed to look like real leather. They put a great marketing spin on it, though... "Real Bonded Leather" ::)
What was the lead time on the reupholster? I would like to have our jackknife sofa redone and our Flexsteel captains chairs at the same time.
Since this question quoted my post,
Ours was done over 10 years ago when we had a major remodel done to the coach. Your best bet is to call both and find out the current scheduling.
Reason i ask is because 2 years ago i tried to get an upholstery appointment. Sorta got ignored and when we showed up for some other work (over 2300 miles from our home) , found out they had a huge coach that fire destroyed the inside being completely rebuilt. No time for anything else.
Having said that i prefer to patronize Foretravel every chance i get. Very important to me to keep them supported so. We're giving them another shot at it in spring of 25. Our coach will have its 30th birthday and it deserves a little makeover.
Whether you stick with the original or go with something else depends on what you want from the furniture. We had the original jackknife sofa that had good fabric but took it out and replaced it with Thomas Payne "Theater Seating" (we sold the old sofa on Facebook). Why? Because while the original sofa was built like a tank, it was not very comfortable if you sat on it for very long. The seating we put in will not last as long as the original, but it reclines, has adjustable lumbar and headrest, has heat and massage, and is comfortable enough to sleep in. I have tried sleeping on the jackknife with it folded out, and I hope to never do it again. So if the jackknife sofa meets your needs, reupholster it. But if you want more than just a basic sofa, consider other options.