Working around RV slide out protrusions

Remodeling an RV with a slide-out rooms may present problems. For instance, if you plan on laying new tile in your rig you may need to remove the decorative molding around the interior slide-out frame and extend the slide-out room enough to expose the floor. It's a hassle which requires a level of expertise and tools most do-it-yourselfers don't possess. The most common problem is working around a platform "lip". The first modern RV slide-out rooms used a mechanical means to move the slide straight out leaving the platform lip exposed inside the coach. Later improvements allowed the slide room to be lowered so the platform lip was level with the floor of the RV. The old platform lip can still be found in new coaches usually covered by a couch or bed. Since these furnishings cover the lip you don't notice it and it's cheaper to build.

But what if you want to get rid of that extra couch and replace it with a desk or a recliner? What do you do about the platform lip? Fulltime RVers JC and Bev Webber faced this challenge when they wanted to remove a couch and install an heirloom desk and a Lazy Boy chair. Once the couch was removed they simply used a half round wood slab to support the chair. They bought a round table top at one of the large box hardware stores in the lumber department, cut it in half, glued it together and voila - problem solved.

They also used a piece of wood to support one of the legs of their desk.They move the chair along with the supports into the slide when they bring in the slide room. You could go a step further and find some matching carpet to cover the supports. Remodeling frequently requires innovation and imagination, so if you can imagine it you can do it! Helping you think around the box - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing