Simple solution ... dowels or biscuits, used in all types of edge joinery. Could have easily salvaged the existing floor using either method my friend. Live and learn huh...lol. Love your content 👍👍.
I was pretty happy with a choice I made in my van that I'll share with anyone who wants to copy it. I didn't know how to do the joinery and didn't want to deal with stuff like H channel so I just screwed the boards done. But, my main piece is the one that has one corner in the front just behind the passenger side door and right up against the sliding door. They piece is one complete 8x4 and it's not cut. It's also the only piece I ever walk on. Along the driver side is just a 1foot wide ish piece contoured to the wall. That'll be completely under my furniture. The garage under the bed as a seem since the back is a large piece too but again I never walk on it. So this was just a very simple way to keep the part of the floor that matters even and free of creaking but I didn't need to have any wood working skills or get anything perfect.
Your "ocd" reminds me of me 15 years ago. I Love your youtube channel. I love when you explain things including mistakes because it teaches how to fix it. If u keep this up u will get your own chanel on television. U r better than "This old house"
wooden battens/furring(firring?) strips placed in the deeper ribs of the floor..place them at the junction of where the plywood pieces meet each other. Apply w construction adhesive. screw the plywood into these where they meet. I did this as well as used the factory tie downs.
Thank you for all the valuable info, especially the mistakes. We are about to start on our Mercedes 170 extended right next door in Sebastopol. I’ll keep watching your videos for guidance!!!
You could get 1/4 inch ply lay that down first then put more 1/4 down over top and stager the joints and glue them together so its like 1 massive 1/2 inch laminated floor
With the panel sections in the van - use lemello biscuits every 6” glued with Tite-bond weather resistant glue on each section that gets CLAMPED so the edge seam is tight - if you can’t use long clamps use hot-melt glue glue blocks for the clamps to have a purchase on to pull the joints tight.( Hot-melt glue blocks can be popped off after clamping) Should be almost as strong as a solid sheet and the plywood joint should be “Seamless”. Easy-Peasy :-)
I feel your pain buddy, I’m on my 4th revision on my floor. I’m almost there. Going to pull it up one more time and hopefully after some fixes I’ll be totally done with it. This floor has been a huge challenge for me. I basically did George’s solution but I ended up not gluing the channels to the van, as when I did that at first the glue popped between the aluminum and van floor and made all kinds of noises So now I’m using 1” square tubing, 1” Polyiso between the square tubing and the 1/2” Baltic birch is screwed into the aluminum. The floor is now just sitting on the van floor with no glue. I’ve decided to use NO GLUE on the floor as it is bound to create noises.
@@seven_o_savage Thanks my dude! Where are you located at?? I think you and I could be good friends. I'm a Transit owner, but you should join the DIY Cargo Van Conversion group on Facebook. Would love to see your insight on there.
We drilled pocket holes with kreg jig in 1/2" plywood every 6" or so and put some insulation expansion foam to cover the rest of the hole. We have similar type of vinyl sheet on top. After 5 months of full time van traveling here in Canada it is still holding very well.
We just ran into the same problem with our van. We ended up using three tie plates, which are used for house framing (think this is the one: www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-HTP-3-in-x-7-in-ZMAX-Galvanized-Heavy-Tie-Plate-HTP37Z/202329565 ) which worked well with our 3/4” BB. We installed those from the underside of the subfloor and can’t feel the seam when walking over. The downside, it’s difficult to attach while also maneuvering the pieces while in the van. In the end we just used the ties for our front seams and have decided that our finish floor, which will be LTV planks, will do a sufficient job for the back seams since they’re under our fixed bed. If we were starting over (ie after talking to our friend who is a cabinetry carpenter by trade) we would have grooved the subfloor pieces so that the first 1/2”-1” of each subfloor board nests with the next piece, allowing the weight to be distributed on both boards at the seams. It would be grooved similar to ship lap at a 90 degree angle. Anyways, hope this helps. My OCD would have loved a redo but my husband, not so much! Can’t wait to see what solution you end up finding!
Sorry I commented before I finished watching. Was wondering if there is longer and wider plywood available. Would turning them the other way work better? Also would solid lumber with T & G work? Composite wood to help with warping.
LUV’ed the NEW Trial and Error Format giving US Subs / Viewers Reality Conversions are NOT always smooth sailing which takes Time / Thought to Achieve Personal Dream Build. End of Vid Humor Added Bonus. 😂🚙👍 GREAT JOB 🤘
First I think you do outstanding!! I would not replace the plywood. I would install biscuits in the joints and support the plywood with rubber or plastic blocks like in the floor channels to fix your problem. Or I would use 2 1/4"plywood and stagger the joint and glue the panels together. I look forward to your answer to the problem
Run some durable low friction tape over the routed edge of the plywood and put it back into the h-channel. It will prevent the primer from sticking to the h-channel, eliminate the noise and save the time and money you've already spent on the floor. Fast and cheap solution to experiment with before throwing it all out. If it doesn't work then your not out of much time or money for trying it
Use 1/4" snap-together laminate over 1/4" subfloor sheeting, and make sure the seams are perpendicular between the top and bottom layers. Or route the top side of the 1/2" plywood and nail a piece of lattice to one sheet and let it float over the other to bridge the gap between each sheet.
I really liked the Thinsulate idea for floor insulation in your previous video. But the U channels (glued to be H-channels) had an obvious flaw. The channel wasn’t deep enough. You could see in your video that the two floor boards could still move independently, and the shallow H channel would just twist to accommodate that. I’m surprised you didn’t simply use back-side plywood and screws from the top. You used back-side plywood for support around the edges. You could have fit many backside plywood pieces (between the sheet metal floor corrugation) to span the plywood seam. Make them long enough to give a lot of support to both plywood sheets. Screw them from the top with countersunk holes and wood screws (or my favorite - sheetrock screws). You’d have to lay your insulation so that it went below these, but I think it would give wide enough support to make the floor move as a single piece without creaking. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what you did. You’re videos are so good. I’m building a van with my daughter for her. And my wife and I will soon start building one for ourselves. Thank you for your great videos. Daughter and I will install the Maxxair fan over the Thanksgiving weekend! So your video on that was super timely.
Hey Seven! I dont think you ran into this issue on the first van. I didn't go back and watch but could you not use the same solution there? Is it that the plywood would just be too large?
Good question I used 3/4 ply in the last van which subdued the issue enough to not trigger my OCD. There were still seams but you really had to be looking for them.
Could you give some more info on what you think about using the thinsulate under your subfloor? I haven't heard of it being used, seems like a good idea. About to use it myself, but was hoping to hear more about how it worked out for you / anyone else you have seen use it! Thank you!
Good question. I believe I have another clip in the 3rd floor video coming up, but to lay out the reasons: first it’s a cushion underneath plywood to reduce rattling/squeaking, second it’s a small layer of sound deadened to reduce road noise, third it’s a thermal break between metal + plywood, fourthly it’s a small amount of additional insulation value. Other options would be a sheet of closed cell foam or a layer of mass vinyl. Pros and cons to each and I think thinsulate is the best overall solution for this.
Have you considered changing your sheet Linoleum to the planked and waterproof linoleum solutions that snap together? These are stiff, so I don’t think the plywood seems would show through. The planked linoleum should hold up better and it looks so much more real than sheet linoleum. I decided on the planked linoleum because I could not find any sheet linoleum that did not look completely fake and plastic.
biscuts or even domino loose tenons are your friend in this situation. you don't need to glue them in. i used dominos to flush out the 15mm marine grade ply floor seams on my buddy’s van build. worked out great.
Buy a "finger joint" router bit and run it over the edges you want to join. It's like having multiple splines between each sheet. It basically makes it all one sheet of plywood.
Thanks Seven (great name...from Seinfeld?) for your videos, I look forward to them. Sometimes I go to the manufacturer's website and see if they have any information that would help. Ideally, I try to do it prior to purchasing the material. Good luck!
Curious about the floor solution from your first video on this topic; was there an issue with that which made you try something different here? A bolt down floor and no glue does seem like a big benefit. For the problem at hand, did you look at wood joiner biscuits (instead of the H-Channel)?
I was wondering why you didn’t glue the laminate to the sub floor, now I’m glad that you didn’t. With the next subfloor how about shaping a tongue and groove joint with a router, then gluing the joints on installation. I am not a carpenter, just a hack of all trades. Looking forward to seeing what your approach will be. Inspired by your first build and learning as much as I can from your videos, recently bought a 2020 144 4x4 to build out. Thanks for putting it all out there for us.
Hi , I think there could be a way to use the old board, cut the routers ends way and ad a new peace with biscuits first then the other board with biscuits to , but where they come together must be something underneath the same in all your wake way . Silicone is only for the Bath, for nothing else on a Bus ore a boat. Take your time bru .
OH man that kinda sucks! I'm not as tall as you but... I did my floor with tongue and groove. I created a 16"x16" grid then insulated it with closed cell foam board, screwed and glued everything down so no squeaks. Aluminium tapped all my seems to cut out moisture issues. I'm now going to tile the floor (only exposed area). I don't believe this will be any heavier than what your plan is, as there will only be plywood under the bed, cabinets and bench seats. Now that you know how to use your router you can create your own T&G but of course this means New Plywood!
A couple of thoughts. Perhaps consider using thin felt with adhesive on one side to tighten up the fit between the floorboards and the H channel. Too bad you couldn’t find suitable factory extruded H channel. If there’s a concern about the lock tight giving way, perhaps install very small nuts and bolds (like number 6 or 8) every so many inches as added insurance. Regarding the felt, you can get as thin as one millimeter thick and perhaps re-mill the edges of the plywood so it fits quite snug. Of course these are just brain storming ideas, perhaps all useless. Best of luck with it!
A good biscuit jointer doesn’t have any play in my experience. The first biscuit jointer I purchased years ago, a Craftsman did leave a lot of play with loose biscuits. I have since purchased a Porter Cable and the biscuits are very tight. The biscuits have to be tapped in, they fit so well. I would place the biscuits every 6 inches, glue them in with Tite Bond 3, glueing the edge also and it will stay perfectly even along the complete edge forever. Problem solved.
Bro..... Batten the entire floor with 1" thick battens (sawn treated) it should look like many squares think about where the weight distribution will be though > stick the wood battens down with Sikaflex 221 use Sika Primer too, no screws. I put 'closed cell foam' 10mm between the ridges of the van floor to make it all level. (Battens glued on-top of ridges) In-between the battens use Celotex 1" thick insulation foam board (or your equivalent in the States). Next layer a 12mm Marine Grade ply or BB sheets, screw down into the battens it will probably require 3x sheets. Use a biscuit cutter and make biscuit joins between each section to eliminate potential squeaks. It won't squeak anyway if you've done the batten layout right and fired in enough screws. Top layer I would use a 3-4mm rubber vinyl (coin floor) in one big cutout using rubber flooring adhesive. You're gonna have to duck either way if height was really the issue you'd have gone for a Ford Transit AWD. Cheers 👍🏻
Another great vid it had me laughing so much. And i have ocd triggers which i wont divulge lol and was born in jan, funny coincidence, keep up the good work.
Dude, I’m fighting with my floor in 144 Sprinter as well. If you can organize a meetup somewhere around north bay. I can come by and show you what I came up with so far. It is inspired by HumbleRoad’s design and the other TH-camr’s design that put recessed L-tracks into his Sprinter’s floor. I modified the design to have less of a profile than what George from HumbleRoad is doing. I placed 1” square tubes into the floor channels. So, the overall gain over factory floor is only about 1/2”. However, it affords slightly more space for insulation than your original design.
Put silicone or grease between the u joints and the plywood to "lube" them. New wood is always going to twist and warp as it ages and with weather so it has to move. Don't scrap that but if you do... Sell it to another van lifer bc it's a nice floor
Could you not just fill the “h channel” with a grab adhesive to stop the squeak? Still has movement to account for expand/contract. We have used Evo-Stik - Sticks like sh*t has worked so far. If not our factory sprinter floor was half lapped, again would fix this and very simple to achieve with new boards.
You could salvage all of your work, by laying down several 12" strips of plywood along the groves under the floor, and screwing the floor from above into those strips. With 6" of strip on each side would could use 2 or 3 screws, and align the sheets with each other. The whole floor will behave like one solid sheet, and most likely you won't have cracking noises anymore.
@@errolmagill1611 I haven't seen it all.... Although i have seen 200 yr old hand painted linoleum made from cork burlap and linséed oil. Many ways to do it. This is one good one. Contractors don't make money doing things twice. His name is Todd. Two times Todd. Ty for the like!
Sorry, I am no help! I am using the floor that came with my van. Just took it up and insulated and 1/4" plywood and then the floor back on top of that. It has the "H" channels but doesn't make those sounds across the floor.
People doing nothing never do mistakes! How about joining the boards using pocket screws and 3M 5200 adhesive? Using that 3M stuff, don't expect to be able to separate them again...
Because of your height so tall u may want to someday add a roof cap to the van. That will give u 10 more inches. Also, since most are made of fiberglass,u don't have to worry about rust up on the Roof with a roofcap. They cost about $800
I'd be happy to discuss a solution with you that works well- not too expensive. Kind of hard to explain in a comment. Something that's creating an issue for you I believe is the method you've used to attach your subfloor to the van. Message me on Instagram @vanlandstore. Thanks for the vids!
Seven-O. I also saw your first build. Should you need aluminum of ANY type for your new build, I HIGHLY recommend Eagle Mouldings in Minneapolis. I used about 6 different material profiles from them for my build. Some of which were welded. www.eagle-aluminum.com.
My heart broke for you. I love that you keep a good attitude and sense of humor even when faced with disappointment.
Simple solution ... dowels or biscuits, used in all types of edge joinery. Could have easily salvaged the existing floor using either method my friend. Live and learn huh...lol.
Love your content 👍👍.
I was pretty happy with a choice I made in my van that I'll share with anyone who wants to copy it. I didn't know how to do the joinery and didn't want to deal with stuff like H channel so I just screwed the boards done. But, my main piece is the one that has one corner in the front just behind the passenger side door and right up against the sliding door. They piece is one complete 8x4 and it's not cut. It's also the only piece I ever walk on. Along the driver side is just a 1foot wide ish piece contoured to the wall. That'll be completely under my furniture. The garage under the bed as a seem since the back is a large piece too but again I never walk on it. So this was just a very simple way to keep the part of the floor that matters even and free of creaking but I didn't need to have any wood working skills or get anything perfect.
Love the candid honesty. I messed up a few times on my van, but the mistakes make you a better builder which is invaluable!
That said... go with a rabbet or biscuit joint ;)
I made sure to design my seams where they are under the structures, ie bench, bed cabinets. So the center living space is one solid sheet.
Your "ocd" reminds me of me 15 years ago. I Love your youtube channel. I love when you explain things including mistakes because it teaches how to fix it. If u keep this up u will get your own chanel on television. U r better than "This old house"
Thanks Bambi. That would be fun
wooden battens/furring(firring?) strips placed in the deeper ribs of the floor..place them at the junction of where the plywood pieces meet each other. Apply w construction adhesive. screw the plywood into these where they meet. I did this as well as used the factory tie downs.
Thank you for all the valuable info, especially the mistakes.
We are about to start on our Mercedes 170 extended right next door in Sebastopol. I’ll keep watching your videos for guidance!!!
You could get 1/4 inch ply lay that down first then put more 1/4 down over top and stager the joints and glue them together so its like 1 massive 1/2 inch laminated floor
This is EXACTLY what I did, but instead of 1\2 ply + 1/2 ply, I made one layer 1/2 XPS. Hardly any flex at all on the joint.
This info on your floors gonna save me a ton of work thank you
With the panel sections in the van - use lemello biscuits every 6” glued with Tite-bond weather resistant glue on each section that gets CLAMPED so the edge seam is tight - if you can’t use long clamps use hot-melt glue glue blocks for the clamps to have a purchase on to pull the joints tight.( Hot-melt glue blocks can be popped off after clamping)
Should be almost as strong as a solid sheet and the plywood joint should be “Seamless”. Easy-Peasy :-)
I feel your pain buddy, I’m on my 4th revision on my floor. I’m almost there. Going to pull it up one more time and hopefully after some fixes I’ll be totally done with it. This floor has been a huge challenge for me.
I basically did George’s solution but I ended up not gluing the channels to the van, as when I did that at first the glue popped between the aluminum and van floor and made all kinds of noises
So now I’m using 1” square tubing, 1” Polyiso between the square tubing and the 1/2” Baltic birch is screwed into the aluminum. The floor is now just sitting on the van floor with no glue. I’ve decided to use NO GLUE on the floor as it is bound to create noises.
Super cool to hear! You should make a video or a write up on sprinter source... this is awesome!
@@seven_o_savage Thanks my dude! Where are you located at?? I think you and I could be good friends. I'm a Transit owner, but you should join the DIY Cargo Van Conversion group on Facebook. Would love to see your insight on there.
I love Jim's words of wisdom, what a cool guy
We drilled pocket holes with kreg jig in 1/2" plywood every 6" or so and put some insulation expansion foam to cover the rest of the hole. We have similar type of vinyl sheet on top. After 5 months of full time van traveling here in Canada it is still holding very well.
I used 1/2 Baltic birch plywood and biscuits on the floor in our van. I also used the tie down locations in the Promaster. Worked great.
We just ran into the same problem with our van. We ended up using three tie plates, which are used for house framing (think this is the one: www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-HTP-3-in-x-7-in-ZMAX-Galvanized-Heavy-Tie-Plate-HTP37Z/202329565 ) which worked well with our 3/4” BB. We installed those from the underside of the subfloor and can’t feel the seam when walking over. The downside, it’s difficult to attach while also maneuvering the pieces while in the van. In the end we just used the ties for our front seams and have decided that our finish floor, which will be LTV planks, will do a sufficient job for the back seams since they’re under our fixed bed. If we were starting over (ie after talking to our friend who is a cabinetry carpenter by trade) we would have grooved the subfloor pieces so that the first 1/2”-1” of each subfloor board nests with the next piece, allowing the weight to be distributed on both boards at the seams. It would be grooved similar to ship lap at a 90 degree angle. Anyways, hope this helps. My OCD would have loved a redo but my husband, not so much! Can’t wait to see what solution you end up finding!
Sorry I commented before I finished watching.
Was wondering if there is longer and wider plywood available.
Would turning them the other way work better?
Also would solid lumber with T & G work?
Composite wood to help with warping.
LUV’ed the NEW Trial and Error Format giving US Subs / Viewers Reality Conversions are NOT always smooth sailing which takes Time / Thought to Achieve Personal Dream Build. End of Vid Humor Added Bonus. 😂🚙👍
GREAT JOB 🤘
Striving for perfection = you're probably going to spend a TON of money haha
Support his strive to perfection by supporting on Patreon! www.patreon.com/seven_osavage
Me thinks that money is not an object for him.
Truth
I think the solution is to carefully remove paint on H channel contact points repaint with oil base flat and top with a dry lubrication
Great video, are you planning to sell it or go traveling with the van?
Good luck with it. I'm sure you'll get there.
Thank you! Simply, thank you. :)
First I think you do outstanding!! I would not replace the plywood. I would install biscuits in the joints and support the plywood with rubber or plastic blocks like in the floor channels to fix your problem. Or I would use 2 1/4"plywood and stagger the joint and glue the panels together. I look forward to your answer to the problem
Thanks John, great ideas!
Run some durable low friction tape over the routed edge of the plywood and put it back into the h-channel. It will prevent the primer from sticking to the h-channel, eliminate the noise and save the time and money you've already spent on the floor. Fast and cheap solution to experiment with before throwing it all out. If it doesn't work then your not out of much time or money for trying it
Great idea Wes! I will try this
@@seven_o_savage Please let us know how it works (or not). Loving your channel and what you're doing for the community with your content.
Use 1/4" snap-together laminate over 1/4" subfloor sheeting, and make sure the seams are perpendicular between the top and bottom layers.
Or route the top side of the 1/2" plywood and nail a piece of lattice to one sheet and let it float over the other to bridge the gap between each sheet.
I’m about to start my conversion, first time. Are you in East or West coast ?
Would biscuit or peg joinery have worked?
I really liked the Thinsulate idea for floor insulation in your previous video. But the U channels (glued to be H-channels) had an obvious flaw. The channel wasn’t deep enough. You could see in your video that the two floor boards could still move independently, and the shallow H channel would just twist to accommodate that. I’m surprised you didn’t simply use back-side plywood and screws from the top. You used back-side plywood for support around the edges. You could have fit many backside plywood pieces (between the sheet metal floor corrugation) to span the plywood seam. Make them long enough to give a lot of support to both plywood sheets. Screw them from the top with countersunk holes and wood screws (or my favorite - sheetrock screws). You’d have to lay your insulation so that it went below these, but I think it would give wide enough support to make the floor move as a single piece without creaking. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what you did. You’re videos are so good. I’m building a van with my daughter for her. And my wife and I will soon start building one for ourselves. Thank you for your great videos. Daughter and I will install the Maxxair fan over the Thanksgiving weekend! So your video on that was super timely.
Hey Seven! I dont think you ran into this issue on the first van. I didn't go back and watch but could you not use the same solution there? Is it that the plywood would just be too large?
Good question I used 3/4 ply in the last van which subdued the issue enough to not trigger my OCD. There were still seams but you really had to be looking for them.
@@seven_o_savage OCD can be such a pain in the ass.
Could you give some more info on what you think about using the thinsulate under your subfloor? I haven't heard of it being used, seems like a good idea. About to use it myself, but was hoping to hear more about how it worked out for you / anyone else you have seen use it! Thank you!
Good question. I believe I have another clip in the 3rd floor video coming up, but to lay out the reasons: first it’s a cushion underneath plywood to reduce rattling/squeaking, second it’s a small layer of sound deadened to reduce road noise, third it’s a thermal break between metal + plywood, fourthly it’s a small amount of additional insulation value.
Other options would be a sheet of closed cell foam or a layer of mass vinyl. Pros and cons to each and I think thinsulate is the best overall solution for this.
@@seven_o_savage brilliant thank you for the thoughts on the subject! I look forward to the next video.
Nice work. I fully support letting the OCD rule the day. Your van will probably be way better because of it.
I might have considered using a biscuit joiner to join the panels.
Have you considered changing your sheet Linoleum to the planked and waterproof linoleum solutions that snap together? These are stiff, so I don’t think the plywood seems would show through. The planked linoleum should hold up better and it looks so much more real than sheet linoleum. I decided on the planked linoleum because I could not find any sheet linoleum that did not look completely fake and plastic.
biscuts or even domino loose tenons are your friend in this situation. you don't need to glue them in. i used dominos to flush out the 15mm marine grade ply floor seams on my buddy’s van build. worked out great.
I hope you watched George on Humble Road
He is an excellent van builder.
Buy a "finger joint" router bit and run it over the edges you want to join.
It's like having multiple splines between each sheet.
It basically makes it all one sheet of plywood.
Put insulation underneath or felt
Thanks Seven (great name...from Seinfeld?) for your videos, I look forward to them. Sometimes I go to the manufacturer's website and see if they have any information that would help. Ideally, I try to do it prior to purchasing the material. Good luck!
Curious about the floor solution from your first video on this topic; was there an issue with that which made you try something different here? A bolt down floor and no glue does seem like a big benefit.
For the problem at hand, did you look at wood joiner biscuits (instead of the H-Channel)?
Wooaaah, just don't use a vinyl floor maybe? I like the clip lock wood flooring planks.
I was wondering why you didn’t glue the laminate to the sub floor, now I’m glad that you didn’t. With the next subfloor how about shaping a tongue and groove joint with a router, then gluing the joints on installation. I am not a carpenter, just a hack of all trades. Looking forward to seeing what your approach will be. Inspired by your first build and learning as much as I can from your videos, recently bought a 2020 144 4x4 to build out. Thanks for putting it all out there for us.
Great idea Michael, awesome choice of van. Should be a fun build!
Add strips of microcell foam in the Sprinter floor channels. Hein sells it on ebay.
Hi , I think there could be a way to use the old board, cut the routers ends way and ad a new peace with biscuits first then the other board with biscuits to , but where they come together must be something underneath the same in all your wake way . Silicone is only for the Bath, for nothing else on a Bus ore a boat. Take your time bru .
Bisuits are the way to go for this. You can rent a biscuit joiner.
Can you install a biscuit in 1/4" plywood? Because that's what he has left after he routed 1/8" off the top and bottom. Good view of it at 5:21.
@@sjackson99 He'd have to do a Google search. But everyone else just do it right from the start with biscuits.
OH man that kinda sucks! I'm not as tall as you but... I did my floor with tongue and groove. I created a 16"x16" grid then insulated it with closed cell foam board, screwed and glued everything down so no squeaks. Aluminium tapped all my seems to cut out moisture issues. I'm now going to tile the floor (only exposed area). I don't believe this will be any heavier than what your plan is, as there will only be plywood under the bed, cabinets and bench seats.
Now that you know how to use your router you can create your own T&G but of course this means New Plywood!
9:03 "We already subscribed! We can't subscribe any further!"
could have routed out channels for hydronic heat also its not that big of a problem if you use the proper plywood..
I think you just need to squeeze some silicone sealer into the H channels.
Could be titled, “Rube Goldberg builds a camper van.”
A couple of thoughts. Perhaps consider using thin felt with adhesive on one side to tighten up the fit between the floorboards and the H channel. Too bad you couldn’t find suitable factory extruded H channel. If there’s a concern about the lock tight giving way, perhaps install very small nuts and bolds (like number 6 or 8) every so many inches as added insurance. Regarding the felt, you can get as thin as one millimeter thick and perhaps re-mill the edges of the plywood so it fits quite snug. Of course these are just brain storming ideas, perhaps all useless. Best of luck with it!
Switch to 3/4 inch and use biscuits (as in a biscuit joiner) to keep panels even.
that would be the best and probably cheaper in the long run. there is still time
wont be effective over that length... biscuits have a bit of play. Better to rout a groove along the whole sheet and insert a wooden spline .
A good biscuit jointer doesn’t have any play in my experience. The first biscuit jointer I purchased years ago, a Craftsman did leave a lot of play with loose biscuits. I have since purchased a Porter Cable and the biscuits are very tight. The biscuits have to be tapped in, they fit so well. I would place the biscuits every 6 inches, glue them in with Tite Bond 3, glueing the edge also and it will stay perfectly even along the complete edge forever. Problem solved.
Bro..... Batten the entire floor with 1" thick battens (sawn treated) it should look like many squares think about where the weight distribution will be though > stick the wood battens down with Sikaflex 221 use Sika Primer too, no screws. I put 'closed cell foam' 10mm between the ridges of the van floor to make it all level. (Battens glued on-top of ridges)
In-between the battens use Celotex 1" thick insulation foam board (or your equivalent in the States). Next layer a 12mm Marine Grade ply or BB sheets, screw down into the battens it will probably require 3x sheets. Use a biscuit cutter and make biscuit joins between each section to eliminate potential squeaks. It won't squeak anyway if you've done the batten layout right and fired in enough screws. Top layer I would use a 3-4mm rubber vinyl (coin floor) in one big cutout using rubber flooring adhesive. You're gonna have to duck either way if height was really the issue you'd have gone for a Ford Transit AWD.
Cheers 👍🏻
Might need some spray foam too
Why not some simple biscuit joints and glue?
That’s how I joined my floor pieces together. Works really well
if that had been the first choice, yes. Too late now. He is in salvage mode
Biscuits aren’t a bad option
Might not be possible since his 1/2 in. plywood is no longer 1/2 in.
Or a simple dado on both edges. This is excessive.
Another great vid it had me laughing so much. And i have ocd triggers which i wont divulge lol and was born in jan, funny coincidence, keep up the good work.
Dude, I’m fighting with my floor in 144 Sprinter as well. If you can organize a meetup somewhere around north bay. I can come by and show you what I came up with so far. It is inspired by HumbleRoad’s design and the other TH-camr’s design that put recessed L-tracks into his Sprinter’s floor. I modified the design to have less of a profile than what George from HumbleRoad is doing. I placed 1” square tubes into the floor channels. So, the overall gain over factory floor is only about 1/2”. However, it affords slightly more space for insulation than your original design.
I would have tried to biscuit the plywood pieces together.
Put silicone or grease between the u joints and the plywood to "lube" them. New wood is always going to twist and warp as it ages and with weather so it has to move. Don't scrap that but if you do... Sell it to another van lifer bc it's a nice floor
Man follow Mr. George - Humble road - the best of the best and practical
You not thought about adding 15mm of rubber vinyl underneath the floor bord.
Vapor barrier
Could you not just fill the “h channel” with a grab adhesive to stop the squeak? Still has movement to account for expand/contract. We have used Evo-Stik - Sticks like sh*t has worked so far.
If not our factory sprinter floor was half lapped, again would fix this and very simple to achieve with new boards.
“Sticks like sh*t” 😂😂😂
@@seven_o_savage it’s the best product name ever 😂
You could salvage all of your work, by laying down several 12" strips of plywood along the groves under the floor, and screwing the floor from above into those strips. With 6" of strip on each side would could use 2 or 3 screws, and align the sheets with each other. The whole floor will behave like one solid sheet, and most likely you won't have cracking noises anymore.
Agree, that is how I would do it too, would be really strong and level.
Glue and screw w baby powder and red rosin paper
@@errolmagill1611 I haven't seen it all.... Although i have seen 200 yr old hand painted linoleum made from cork burlap and linséed oil. Many ways to do it. This is one good one. Contractors don't make money doing things twice. His name is Todd. Two times Todd. Ty for the like!
Sorry, I am no help! I am using the floor that came with my van. Just took it up and insulated and 1/4" plywood and then the floor back on top of that. It has the "H" channels but doesn't make those sounds across the floor.
Sikaflex is the way to go
People doing nothing never do mistakes!
How about joining the boards using pocket screws and 3M 5200 adhesive? Using that 3M stuff, don't expect to be able to separate them again...
I used pocket screws every 4". This has worked on 3 vans.
Wrap the tongue of the ply in a strip of thin fabric or layers of fabric tape.
Because of your height so tall u may want to someday add a roof cap to the van. That will give u 10 more inches. Also, since most are made of fiberglass,u don't have to worry about rust up on the Roof with a roofcap. They cost about $800
Baby powder under the floor will eliminate the noise lol
Rabbet joint and glue.
I'd be happy to discuss a solution with you that works well- not too expensive. Kind of hard to explain in a comment. Something that's creating an issue for you I believe is the method you've used to attach your subfloor to the van. Message me on Instagram @vanlandstore. Thanks for the vids!
Dowels or scarf like you mentioned yourself.
i knew it, youre a capricorn
Seven-O. I also saw your first build. Should you need aluminum of ANY type for your new build, I HIGHLY recommend Eagle Mouldings in Minneapolis. I used about 6 different material profiles from them for my build. Some of which were welded. www.eagle-aluminum.com.
Use Composite Honeycomb Panels
Telegraphing seams woe is me
What? What a pointless comment.
@@MitchellCamps I did floors for 25 years I get to say wtf I want. Triggered much ?😹
@@MitchellCamps you want to control someone else's speech.... get married hahahaha 😹
@@chriseudy4684 Wow. You’re somethin else.
@@MitchellCamps there I fixed the typo feel better now. I'm ok your ok. It's a book
glue the damn thing down Call it a day. After you put cabinets. water tank , solar batteries etc on it it's not going anywhere.
🤦🏼♂️
If it were easy you would not earn anything and your channel might ne boring.
I'd love to see more content and less of the talking head style :(