Wanda's old dinette really didn’t fit our needs and was a waste of space. By re-configuring the layout and maximizing the space, our new dinette meets all our requirements and works much better for us. The original booth style dinette, which is built into many different RV layouts is designed to accommodate 4 people with storage under the seat and can be converted into a small bed. The drawback to this design is it takes up a lot of room and interferes with the layout of the whole kitchen. The walkway is tight, the seats are tight and there is no usable counter tops. Even after adding a flip up counter top and cover for the stove on the other side of the kitchen, we still did not feel there was enough room. Features of the New L Shaped Dinette Seating for 4 or More
How to Make an L Shapped Dinette with Versatile Table, Pull Out Storage, Converts to a Full Size Bed Step 1: Remove/Demo the Old Dinette Step 2: Measure Dimension We wanted to use the existing footprint of the old dinette. On average bench has a height of 18 inches and a depth of approximately 17 1/2 inches. Depth should not exceed 20 inches for comfort. We made the backrest as tall as the bottom of the window. We didn’t want to obstruct the window.
Step 4: Make a Cut List I use MaxCut to make my cutlist. This is also a free application you can download. You simply type in the dimension from your sketchup plan and it automatically lays everything out and provides you with cutting diagrams and an estimated cost. Step 5: Purchase Lumber, Screws, Drawer Slides, Piano Hinges and Stain/Paint Go to Home Depot or Lowes and bring your cut list. The cut list will tell you how much material you will need to complete your design. For our design we use ¾ inch birch plywood. It is a little heavy but I wanted to ensure that it would last forever. Step 7: Finish and Paint Lumber After a quick sand around the edges, finish the each piece in paint or stain. We stained ours and gave it a distressed rustic look. We first applied gray stain and layered in white stain over it. After we got the desired look we wanted, we applied two coats of matte poly. ![]() Step 8: Lay floor (If necessary) Since we ripped all the carpet out of our RV (Wanda), we needed to install our new flooring before assembling the dinette. Step 9: Move electric (if necessary) The original electric box was on the back wall. Since we were going to cover that location we needed to move it to a more convenient spot. If you are moving it, you might want to update the outlet to one that has USB outlets on it. You can also add another outlet if needed. Step 10: Assemble and screw down Dinette Assemble the back pieces together first. This way the screws are not seen. Then screw the long back piece to the wall and then both pieces to the floor. Continue to attach the rest of the walls to each other first then screw them to the floor. Next attach the seat pieces. I used a piano hinge for the seat so they can flip open. For the doggie door I used flush opening hinges and added a cabinet pull to easily open the door. For the pull out shelf, I made wooden brackets to mount on the drawer slides so the shelf can clear the doors. I used combination butt joinery and pocket holes joinery . I made sure you couldn't see any screws when putting it together. Step 11: Order Cushions For the cushions the best/cheapest/fastest place we found to get them done was through Esty. Our cushions are 3 inches thick and have zippers so we can wash them easily. We also used Sunbrella material so they can stand up to camp life. Step 12: Install Lagun bracket Our L shaped dinette was planned around this bracket. The Lagun Bracket provides so much flexibility. Install the wall bracket first and then attach the table to the bracket arms. We didn’t center the bracket because we wanted to be able to flip the table around to the couch as well. Find a location that will benefit you the most. For the most stability, make sure most of your weight is centered towards the center of your table. Note: Our table is actually a piece of wall art that was hanging in our original house. We re-purposed it to use as our table. The wood is warped and very heavy. Our table tilts because of this. We are definitely maxing out the capabilities of the bracket. If you use a the same ¾ plywood from the benches as your tabletop, you shouldn't experience this problem and you can use the same piece to complete the bed. We carry a separate piece to complete the bed. We just really like the look of our tabletop so we deal with the tilt and carry the extra piece of wood in a bay underneath. By: Kevin Quiambao
20 Comments
Ashley
10/11/2019 12:15:38 pm
Glad we could help! Let us know how it turns out.
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Lacee Brown
1/7/2020 09:04:30 pm
Is your table top part of the bed when turned into a bed? If not, what else are you using to create the bed?
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Kevin Quiambao
1/10/2020 10:32:33 am
In our case we carry a separate plywood to make the bed. The plywood sits on the lip of the bench on two sides. On the other corner we have a leg to support the bed/plywood. If you design the plywood to also be your tabletop you don't need to carry a separate piece. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Deb finney
2/9/2020 08:26:05 pm
how thick is the ply wood for the bed? Also, how did you make and connect the leg to the ply wood.
Kayleigh Barrow
4/25/2022 08:52:48 am
interested
katherine gilbert
2/26/2023 06:12:39 pm
The person that made ours cut a piece of wood out of the plywood and put a hinge on it so you can use that as the leg and it folds back into the board when not in use....easy peasy..
Kevin
2/9/2020 10:00:48 pm
Our entire dinette is made out of 3/4 plywood. To make the leg was simple. We used a leg for a table. If you go to any Lowes, in the wood aisle, they sell table legs and the mounting plates. Cut the leg to size, screw the mounting plate in the corner, and screw the leg in when you need to transform the table into a bed.
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Derek
2/14/2020 07:30:17 pm
Do you have this cutlist you could post or send along? This is EXACTLY what I want to do in my RV
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Kevin
3/23/2020 11:11:43 am
I do. Email me at kevin@sidetrackedbyadventure.com and I will be happy to share it with you
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Ricardo Ilko
2/23/2020 02:08:56 am
Awesome design one question though.Did you have any trouble with the electrical panel.In my MH the electrical panel is under the bench of the dinette
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Kevin
3/23/2020 11:14:02 am
In my MH we didn't have our electric panel under the bench. It shouldn't be hard to fit under the new dinnette. There is plenty of space. You might have to move to fit. Send me an email at kevin@sidetrackedbyadventure.com and I will be glad to help.
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Carre
10/24/2020 01:43:00 pm
HI!! Hope you still respond to these questions .. I've been saving this post for a while to eventually remodel our dinette to use one of these lagun table legs. Most I've seen have used tinier table tops but yours looks to be a good heavy size - which is what we would need - something bigger. So, my question is: Which size Lagun swivel did you get? Thanks!!
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Nick Peterson
12/5/2020 09:54:07 am
Your tabletop is really cool. Where did you buy that?
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Ashley
12/13/2020 03:56:53 pm
Hey Nick, thanks! The tabletop is actually repurposed art, we bought it at Home Goods and it was hanging on our wall in our old house. We just routed the bottom to make it lighter and finished it so we could use as a tabletop.
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Elissa
2/23/2021 09:37:08 am
Hi, we have a raised slide out like yours. Did you end up ripping out the carpet underneath before laying the laminate?
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Michele Zamenski
1/17/2022 10:40:27 am
How big is your slide put area? I like this layout, our slide area is 11'
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Hey guys 👋 Thank you so much ❤️ I've been hunting for ideas for exactly this 😃 for my new narrowboat that in my senior blonde madness will be fitting out myself! I will be downloading your Sketchup as soon as I fire up the pc! 🙃 Thank you 😊 🙏 Laura and Acorn 😘
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Herman
9/13/2022 08:23:40 pm
Can you provide dimensions for the dinette?
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Crystyne S Lavallee
5/19/2023 02:32:21 pm
I love this! Looking to build this in our camper. I can't seem to open the file. Do you have a link for your cut list and plans?
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