Search for rock and roll beds and everyone wants to sell you a new one. But if your frame is sound, what actually wears out is the upholstery: covers scuffed by boots, dogs and festival weekends, and foam that has slowly flattened until the "double bed" sleeps like a park bench. Re-covering the bed you already own renews everything you touch for far less than a new bed, and it is a job very few upholsterers set up for properly. This page sits alongside our main campervan upholstery service, with the detail specific to beds.
What a bed re-cover involves
A rock and roll bed is really a set of hinged boards and cushions doing two jobs: sofa by day, bed by night. We strip each board, assess the foam honestly, and rebuild from there:
- New covers, patterned to your bed's exact boards, in leather, leatherette or hard-wearing fabric to match your cab seats
- Foam replacement or rebuilding, with grades chosen for combined seating and sleeping rather than whatever is cheapest
- Detail work that makes the difference: keeping seams away from lying surfaces, wrapping board edges cleanly, and leaving belt paths and the folding mechanism completely clear
- Matching pieces done at the same time: bolster cushions, mattress toppers, buddy seats and side cushions
We work on the common frames found in UK conversions, and on one-off builds. If we trimmed your cab seats, the bed can be patterned to match them exactly; if someone else did, we colour-match to what is in the van.
Sit-test honesty
Not every bed is worth re-covering. If a frame is bent, a mechanism is worn out, or a board has broken down, we will say so before you spend money on trim. That honesty costs us the occasional job and wins us the rest of the van.
Part of a bigger refresh
Most beds come to us as part of a wider interior: cab seats, kombi rears and bed done together so the whole van matches. See our model pages for the VW T5, VW T6 and VW T6.1, or the Sprinter and Crafter page for the bigger vans. Heated seat pads can be added to cab seats at the same time.
Rock and roll bed questions
If the frame and mechanism are sound, we re-cover it. Bed frames from the established makers are built to outlast several sets of upholstery, so replacing the whole bed because the covers are worn or the foam has flattened is usually money wasted. We strip the boards, renew the foam where needed and make new covers to your spec.
Can you re-cover my existing rock and roll bed, or do I need a new one?
Yes, and it is the most common reason beds come to us. Seating foam compresses with use, and the cheaper foams fitted to some beds flatten quickly. We replace or rebuild the foam with grades chosen for the double duty a rock and roll bed does, firm enough to sit on all evening, comfortable enough to sleep on.
My bed cushions have gone flat and uncomfortable to sleep on. Is that fixable?
Yes. Matching the bed to new or existing cab seats is most of what we do here. We pattern the covers to your bed's exact boards and match materials, colours and stitching to the rest of the van, whether we trimmed it or someone else did.
Can you match the bed to my cab seats?
The bed itself and its mounting are the safety-critical parts, which is why we work on the upholstery and leave frame fitting to the bed manufacturers and converters. On the trim side we use appropriate materials and keep belt paths and mechanisms completely clear, so the bed folds and locks exactly as designed.
Do the covers need to meet any safety requirements?
Not necessarily. Many customers remove the boards and cushions and bring or send just those, which keeps the van on the road while we work. If the bed is staying in the van, you are welcome at the Wirral workshop, or ask about onsite fitting.
Do I need to bring the whole van?
Give the bed a second life
Send us photos of your bed made up as a seat and as a bed, plus your van model, and Craig will quote for covers, foam or both.
Request a quote