26. April 2026
Static Caravan Upholstery: The UK Owner's Guide to Costs, Fabrics & Getting It Right
Static caravan upholstery is a strange corner of the trade — the cushions are awkwardly shaped, the conditions are punishing, the fabric choices matter more than they do in a house, and the price quotes vary wildly depending on whether the upholsterer has actually done caravans before. Here's what we've learned from years of doing them, including the bits the showroom won't tell you when they're trying to sell you a "factory replacement" set.
Why caravan upholstery is its own thing
A static caravan looks like a cottage living room from the inside but behaves like a boat in terms of what its furniture goes through. In a typical year, a static caravan goes from sub-zero in February to 30°C+ in August, with no heating in between, often with months of unoccupied damp condensation, occasional door-open weekends with sand and saltwater walked in, and intense sun bleaching whatever fabric faces the window. None of that is what living-room sofas are designed for.
This is why caravan upholstery from the original manufacturers tends to look tired within five to seven years even with light use. It's not built for the conditions. It's built to look good in a sales hall.
The four reasons people get in touch about caravan upholstery
1. Faded and worn after years of seasonal use
By far the most common. The cushions still hold their shape, the foam isn't completely shot, but the fabric is bleached on the window-facing side, has compression marks where people sit most, and has lost the brightness that made the caravan feel new. Owners want a refresh without paying for a full new suite from the manufacturer.
2. Damp damage and mildew staining
If a caravan has been left closed up over a damp winter (or worse, had a small roof leak no one noticed), the fabric covers can develop dark spotting, musty smell, and visible mildew on the underside. Sometimes the foam underneath has absorbed moisture too. Both are dealable with — fabric covers are replaced, foam is either dried, reformed, or replaced — but it's a more involved job than a simple recover.
3. Modernising an inherited or bought-second-hand caravan
Lots of people buy older statics on park sites for a fraction of new prices. The structure and layout might be perfect, but the 1990s-2000s upholstery — typically heavily patterned, dated colour palettes, often pink or peach — instantly dates the whole interior. Recovering the upholstery in a current neutral palette transforms the whole space cheaper than any other change.
4. Manufacturer's quote was a shock
A surprising number of customers find us after getting a quote from the original caravan manufacturer (or their approved supplier) for a new factory upholstery set, and discovering it's £3,000-£6,000+ depending on caravan size and brand. Independent reupholstery — using the existing foam where it's still good, with the customer's choice of fabric — typically comes in well under that.
Real prices for static caravan upholstery (UK 2026)
What's includedTypical costSingle seat cushion recover (existing foam reused)£70-£140Single back cushion recover£55-£120Foam replacement per seat cushion (medium-density grade)£40-£90Bay seating wraparound — full recover, fabric on top£900-£1,600Two-seater settee plus armchair set — full recover, labour£700-£1,200Curtains, scatter cushions, pelmets (matching set)Quoted by piece — typically £30-£90 eachFabric (caravan-grade, 8-25 metres depending on layout)£200-£900Typical full caravan recover (settee, armchair, dining bench, scatter cushions)£1,400-£2,800 all in
Compare that to £3,500-£6,000 for a manufacturer's factory set on the same caravan and the case for independent reupholstery is straightforward — assuming you choose someone who knows caravan work specifically.
The fabrics that actually survive caravan life
Caravan-suitable fabric needs to do four things that ordinary domestic upholstery fabric doesn't: resist UV fading, handle big temperature swings without splitting, shed condensation moisture without staining, and meet the fire-retardancy standards required for caravan use (BS 5852, plus FR-treated foam underneath).
Best for caravans
- Solution-dyed acrylics (the same family as awning and outdoor furniture fabric, but in upholstery weight). The colour is built into the fibre rather than dyed onto the surface, so it doesn't fade in sun. Slightly more expensive but the right answer for window-facing pieces.
- Performance microfibres with FR backing. Easy to wipe down, resistant to mould, available in current neutral colours.
- Marine-grade vinyls for the bench seating in dining areas where spills are most likely. Wipes clean instantly, handles damp without staining, lasts essentially forever. Less cosy than fabric so usually used in combination with fabric on the lounge seating.
- FR-rated chenille and weaves designed for the caravan trade. Specifically formulated to meet caravan fire regs and handle the conditions.
Avoid in caravans
- Domestic-grade linen and cotton. Will fade, mildew, and look tired within two seasons.
- Velvet and cut-pile fabrics. Hold damp, hold dust, slow to dry.
- Anything not FR-rated. Apart from being illegal in caravan use, ordinary domestic fabric without the proper backing fails the fire safety standards required.
The fire safety bit (which most people don't realise)
Caravan upholstery in the UK has to meet stricter fire-retardancy standards than domestic furniture. Both the cover fabric and the foam underneath need to be specified to caravan-grade fire performance. This isn't optional — if a fire investigator ever needed to look at upholstery in a caravan, non-compliant materials could affect insurance and liability.
This is one of the main reasons we don't recommend buying random upholstery fabric off a roll for caravan use, however nice it looks. Caravan-rated fabrics are clearly labelled at point of sale and we use only those for caravan work. Worth asking any upholsterer who quotes for caravan work to confirm in writing that their materials meet caravan FR standards.
The awkward shapes nobody warns you about
Static caravan furniture isn't standard sofa-shop furniture. The seating is usually built into the structure of the caravan — bay seating wrapping around two or three walls of the lounge, dining benches that double as storage, scatter cushions in non-standard sizes. Each cushion has to be templated individually and the geometry of corner pieces is genuinely tricky.
This is where a lot of "general" upholsterers fall over on caravan work. They quote for a job assuming standard rectangular cushions and find themselves dealing with trapezoidal corner pieces, angled bolsters, and dining bench cushions that have to wrap around door hinges. The job takes longer, and the customer ends up with a higher bill or a compromised fit.
If you're getting quotes, ask the upholsterer specifically: have you done static caravans before, and can you show me a recent example? The honest ones will say yes or no. Caravan work is its own skill.
Should you take the cushions to the upholsterer, or have them collected?
Most of the time, customers bring the cushions to us — the cushions come off the caravan structure and load into a car easily. We template, recover, and you collect or we deliver back. The caravan stays on site the whole time.
For larger jobs (full bay seating with the structural bench replaced as well as the cushions, or a job that requires fitting upholstery to fixed surfaces), we can arrange to come to the caravan if it's within sensible distance of West Yorkshire. Most caravan sites within a couple of hours of Hebden Bridge are workable.
What to send if you'd like a quote
To get an accurate caravan upholstery quote, the most useful information is:
- Photos of the lounge area showing the seating layout from a couple of angles
- Photos of any cushions you want recovered, ideally with a tape measure laid alongside one of them so we can gauge sizes
- The make and model of the caravan if you know it (helps us anticipate the layout)
- An honest description of the foam — does it still feel supportive, or does it sink and stay sunk?
- Whether you want fabric, vinyl, or a combination
- Any colour or style direction you've already decided on (or "open to suggestions" — most people prefer that)
The DIY question
Recovering caravan cushions is genuinely possible as a DIY project for someone competent with a sewing machine, and we don't pretend otherwise. The cushions are simple geometric shapes, the covers can be made with zips for removability, and there's plenty of advice online for the basics.
The catches are: caravan-grade FR fabric isn't easy to source through normal retail channels, the corners and curves on bay seating are harder than they look (you'll struggle to get a clean tailored finish on the trapezoidal pieces), and getting the foam right is its own job. If you'd like to learn properly, our upholstery courses cover the underlying skills — caravan work uses the same fundamentals as domestic upholstery, just with different materials.
For a one-off caravan recover, most owners decide it's not worth the kit and the learning curve. For owners with multiple caravans, or who genuinely enjoy the work, it can be a satisfying project.
Thinking about reupholstering your static caravan?
Send us a few photos of the lounge and seating, tell us roughly what you're hoping to do, and we'll come back with realistic options and pricing. We've done plenty of caravan work and we'll tell you straight what's worth doing.
📩 Email photos to pat@greenwoodupholstery.com
📞 Or call us on 07882 014449
Free quotes within 24 hours. Greenwood Upholstery is an AMUSF-accredited workshop based in Hebden Bridge, serving Calderdale, West Yorkshire and beyond.
Greenwood Upholstery · AMUSF accredited · Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
