Thanks for stopping by to see the beginning of our van build. A bit over 2.5 years later, we have finally "finished" it! Here are some related playlists and videos that might be of interest! - Timelapse of build from start to finish: th-cam.com/video/agRMdep86-U/w-d-xo.html - Official van tour: th-cam.com/video/relQG6hyVYo/w-d-xo.html - Van build playlist: th-cam.com/play/PL7bb1Ftno7hhoqzCZ7kZUx2jL3pUVd6UZ.html - Van life travel (how we do van life & some of the places we've visited): th-cam.com/play/PL7bb1Ftno7hhNuHOo8SYSTsaPmFd7o1zp.html
Just now finding your channel, looks like you're taking the time to do it right. Wife and I are in our early sixties and have the same idea to do some traveling. We'll be following you guys. Stay safe. Nan and Pop
Hi Nan and Pop! Thanks for following along! Nice hearing from you. If you're sharing your build process or travels somewhere on social media, please let us know! We enjoy seeing what others are up to. We're really glad we took our time building out our van and that we were able to travel during the process!
Thanks for taking time to watch another of our episodes! Yes, a van build can be pretty stressful so it's pretty important to have a little fun along the way!
One thing I highly recommend is using "Tongue and Groove" plywood. This will align the plywood and prevent the seems between sheets from rising at a later time.
Thanks for watching and leaving feedback. We do try to include as much as possible in the hopes that it's helpful to others. We've definitely learned a lot in our whole build process - a big learning curve with plenty of mistakes along the way!
If you use marine grade ply on the floor it is less likely to warp like your cuts did. Also, it handles moisture better than standard ply. I used 3/4 inch marine grade ply, but it was before the crazy lumber prices.
Marine grade sounds like a good way to go. We've been trying to minimize costs while not compromising quality. With the ply being bolted down it seems to be holding up well and we haven't noticed any warping.
Thanks for this video! We are doing our floors similar to yours only we did NOT glue anything down and likely wont. We are having the same issue with warped and noisy plywood using only the tiedowns... so your bolting secured method is something we WILL follow your advice and do it that way. Thanks again!
We're so glad you found the video helpful! It was so frustrating until we decided to do the bolts. We wanted to avoid drilling holes in the van but are glad we did! No problems since.
Very nice! For whatever reason some builders really freak out about drilling holes into the van. It’s as if a 14” hole in the roof is ok. Perfect use of T nut to secure the subfloor! Much better then simple sheet metal screws. Perhaps a lock washer and lock tite on the bolt. I would not worry about rust. You painted it. I would also paint the bolt head from the undercarriage with rubberized paint material to seal from air and water (you must have the two to rust ((oxidize)).
Thanks! We try try to avoid putting extra holes in the van if we can but felt that step was necessary. Thanks for the recommendations. We did cover the bolt head with QuadMaxx caulk, although we didn't show that step in the video. Hopefully that should suffice.
We're so glad to hear that! We've been traveling off and on now for over a year and everything seems to be holding up well. We hope you'll check out our other build videos too. It's taking us awhile to complete the build but we think we're getting close to the finish line - and we've enjoyed using the van even though it hasn't been finished!
We're so glad you found it helpful. We look forward to seeing all your progress! We better get moving on our build or you'll finish yours before we do! LOL!
We really do feel a sense of accomplishment having started out with no experience and being able to now enjoy the result so much. Little did we know when we started out that we'd be living in the van full time several years later! Steve certainly keeps things interesting! 😆 And I'm so proud of him for all he was able to do building out the van!
Hey HOW did you get a piece of wood that big? I’m stressing because I have a 2018 ford transit 250 and I measured the length of the floor at 127 inches and he width on the inside between the wheels to be 54 inches but nobody seems to have plywood big enough
Hey Dominick! We used 4x8 sheets cut into pieces to fit. Good luck with your build. We hope you'll find our build series helpful! It can be quite the learning curve and challenging to build out a van with all the crazy curves and angles!
For us, it gave a nice firm foundation for the rest of the build plus some extra insulation and sound barrier while driving. Mainly, we don't like to drill holes in the van, so the plywood provided something to screw into when building out the rest of the van. We also installed vinyl plank flooring (which you can see in a later van build video) and we thought the plywood was a better surface to install that over.
Okay. I subscribed. You guys are fun. But most importantly youre actually showing each step that the glampers arent showing. I learned something new in the videos I've watched so far. Thank you guys. Can't wait to see how this works out.
so, we shouldn't use any glue between foam and plywood and just screw it down? We almost started following faroutride guide for our subfloor, and thankfully saw your comment on Facebook tread! Thanks!
Far Out Ride was also one of the places we looked when choosing the method we used, as well as several others that recommended the same adhesive. We're not exactly sure why it didn't work for us. One reason could be high temps but who knows... I did just see a women post in a group we're in that the same exact thing happened to her. Several people responded that they bolted the floor. One person suggested: "Contact adhesive, liquid is stronger. Go to a local flooring supply shop." (Maybe that's the same thread you saw?) We're no professionals but all we can say is the adhesive we used certainly didn't work for us but now that we've bolted it, it's totally fine!
Great job on your first episode you guys are cute and fun. Excited to see how the rest of the build goes for you. Also glad to see you guys ran into some adversity and quickly found solutions because I have to say... That is what VanBuilds are about. Nothing is as easy as TH-camrs make it look (ourselves included because nobody wants to watch the 200+ hours of us making small adjustments to get something perfectly right like you experienced with the plywood boards). You guys have great attitude, spirit and knowledge though so I am sure it will turn out beautifully!
Thanks so much! The van build and the videos both take a lot of work - but we enjoy it and that makes all the difference in the world! We went into the build knowing it might be a little (or a lot) stressful. We're trying to remember to have fun with it and enjoy the process. We know we couldn't do this without other vanlifers and TH-camrs. We'll have to check out your videos!
@@SteveAudra It is insane how much work it is honestly, at least for us. Especially when you are trying to record the whole thing. Feel free to reach out anytime with questions/comments :)
At least you got thru it... I'm thinking of gravity holding down 1/2 inch foam and very heavy horse stall rubber floor... no cute homey feel. Bachelor camper w thro rugs indoor out door throw aways... ha wtf
Hi, just found your channel. I haven't seen anyone share the problems with installing a van floor the way you two have in this video. Thanks very much for sharing! I just had to subscribe. Just one question for your - do you think taping the edges of the insulation helped prevent squeaking or is that not an issue with the whole assembly being bolted to the floor? Happy travels!
Nice to hear from you, Pete! Thanks for watching and subscribing. Steve thinks the tape wasn't necessary because we ended up bolting the floor and all of the weight we've added. I think it didn't hurt and cost was minimal so I'm glad we did it. I'd hate to have squeaking now that it's too late to do anything about. Probably no way to really know if it was necessary though!
That's a great question that I don't think anyone else has asked. We just weren't convinced we needed it. We budgeted for it early on but after doing research, listening to the van as we drove, and knowing our plans for how we would build it out, we decided it was unnecessary weight and expense. We insulated the van really well. In the back we also used the self-adhesive duct insulation in some spots which seemed to have some similar properties as rattletrap type material but much lighter. We also have a lot of insulation on the ceiling. Now that the van is built out, the noise we really notice is more in the cab. We don't regret not using sound deadener it at all.
@@SteveAudra Great answer. The reason I asked is because so many videos out that have used it. I seen 1 video where the entire van was covered in it. I could imagine the amount of weight it must add. I don't know but I guess it might be a good at insulation too. There are much lighter materials that can do that job too.
6:21 ... THIS is your problem .. beinig "Detail Oriented" means you tried to hard to make it fit perfectly .. If you jus went a1/2 Smaller on all the cut lines, it would have drop right in first try :) The like you said just, use filter, or foam in the gaps.
I'm a master wood krafter. I been making furniture guitars Houses cabinets and many other things out of wood for over 50 years..and I still made a 100 mistakes on my first build. and in the second one and third one..you always will make little mistakes but you learn from the mistakes you made
It's especially easy to make mistakes on a van build since nothing is straight! We hope to never have to build out a van again, but if we do we're sure this experience will help! We've certainly learned a lot along the way!
I know I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to thank you for the honest video. It's a nice breath of fresh air. Of course most (if not all) of the other vanlife videos cut all the difficult parts out, or the stuff that didn't quite work out as planned. They need to keep up appearances, you know. It needs to appear easy or they can't get the views (that, or getting their wife/girlfriend to pose provocatively in the thumbnail, that's guaranteed at least 50k bonus views right there). Anyways, you'll be glad you bolted down the floor. I've seen too many videos in which the floor was only glued down, and then they have their counters/cupboards just screwed into the plywood. I'd hate to be in that van cruising down the highway and someone bumps into you and you end up rolling it over. A van in a tight rollover with pieces of plywood flying around is not a very nice place to be. So I would not call what you first attempted a mistake, it was a blessing in disguise. Me? I'd be screwing straight down through the plywood and foam insulation and the metal floor with self tapping metal screws. Just make sure to get the screws long enough to bite into the floor, and that's far enough. The screw will seal the hole through the van floor from rust, but you can get underneath the van and spray the ends of the screws with rust prohibitor if it makes you feel better. I'd put a screw about every 6 inches on opposite sides of each seam.
Thanks, Richard! We try to make videos that are helpful to others and to keep it real. Maybe some of the other channels just don't make as many mistakes or have as many challenges as we do! LOL! We're happy with how the floor turned out - and most of all we love that the van allows us to travel and explore so much more easily than our pre-van life! It's definitely been a learning process though. We hope you'll check out our other build videos and follow along on our adventures!
I would cut the insulation to fit and put it *between* the wooden strips. But then the strips would probably have to be a little bit thicker. Also, I wouldn't drill holes in the metal of the van floor if I could help it. It kinda defeats the whole purpose of insulating if you have metal going through from the sub-floor to the outside of the van 🤪
There are lots of different ways to do it, which is overwhelming when getting started with a build if you are inexperienced! We're pretty happy with how the subfloor and insulation turned out and it's performed well since we started traveling. As you saw in the video we tried to avoid drilling holes, but it didn't go as planned. In hindsight we're actually glad we bolted the floor though - and there are only 4 bolts. There are plenty of other places where there is a whole lot more heat loss! LOL!
I think your videos are the only van videos which actually make me laugh out loud. In all reality, our sub flooring took FOREVER, and there was no “simple solution” like some others would try to show. Glad to see you guys struggled but got it finally as well!
We take that as a huge compliment! We're glad to provide some laughs! We appreciate you watching and commenting. Pretty much each step of the build is a little bit painful and takes forever, but it's all SO worth it! Where are you with your van still building?
That’s styrofoam, not xps. Big difference. If gluing to floor the floor paint must be grinded off down to bare metal for long term adhesion. All joint should be tongue and groove if possible
Pre planning is very important 👌 1st Put it on paper 2s assemble it On your mind 3d repeat the process..never cut a single pcs or screw a single screw wit out this 3 steps 🚶♂️..and even so you make some mistakes. But the biggest mistakes you could make is get exited and rush the van conversion
Thanks for watching, David! We have certainly done a lot of pre-planning although it seems no matter how much we plan, sometimes it still doesn't come out quite how we thought it would! We've learned to measure many times before cutting anything and to dry fit before attaching anything!
Sorry about your flooring headaches. Quality materials ARE costly, indeed. However, it's wise to avoid building solely on the principle of "saving money"; an invaluable lesson I'd needed to learn for myself. Ouch!
We certainly love saving money when we can, but we don't think in this case that the problem we ran into was from cutting any corners financially. We had read recommendations for the adhesive we used. It just didn't work for us. Maybe because of higher temps? We're really not sure. We agree, sometimes it's not worth it to sacrifice quality to save money.
Bolting to the floor seems way safer than glue. I liked a lot of your tips and tricks along the way that I wouldn't have thought of. You all have earned a subscriber.
Hey Shawn, thanks for watching, dropping us a note, and subscribing. We really appreciate it! We were really hesitant at first to put holes in the body but in hindsight we are glad we did. We're also glad if others can benefit from our process. Are you building out a Transit?
The foam will take a set very quickly, and all your bolt load will drop drastically. Check how much torque on all your bolts now, I bet they are very loose. Never try to compress foam. You should place some wood beams between foam panels.
Thanks for watching and taking time to leave feedback. We followed the lead on what some others had done with their builds long before we started ours. It's been over two years now since we installed the flooring in our van. We just double checked our bolts, and they are all still snug. We think (and hope) they'll stay that way!
I kind of get what you're saying but then there's the other issue of wood to metal and heat and moisture transference. sometimes the devil you know is the best choice
You actually don't need to use anything to hold down the insulation or subfloor. Yo have a tight fit as far as the cuts, and once you have the rest of the build in, it will not move.
In hindsight, we agree with you. If we were to do it again, we wouldn't worry about glueing down the insulation. Even though the rest of the build would hold down the subfloor, we do like that we bolted that down. We feel it helps secure it all better.
You two are great but one does not use squeaky Styrofoam and ordinary plywood for a sub-floor. Styrofoam, as most plastics do, emits toxic gasses and its highly flammable. You created a death trap. You were correct to make a template but paper is not accurate. Use the Styrofoam, the cheap white stuff, to make a one piece template. Locate fastening points on template. 1st You need to completely paint the entire metal van floor, Do not patch paint. POR Epoxy paint is an excellent choice. Rustoleum is not. 2nd Install Kilmat or Dyna mat to entire floor. Two layers on wheel wells. This stops road noise. 3rd Run any wiring. 4th Install a clear polyethylene thick vapor barrier 1-2 " up on all sides. #80 Spray glue in place. 5th Install SUB-FLOOR: Use a waterproof and non-flammable sub-floor material such as 3/8" fiberglass board, or flame retardant 3/8" Tongue and groove marine grade 8' x 10' plywood. 1/2" is too thick and heavy. Glue any plywood - plywood seams with epoxy. Drill 3/4" holes in the sub-floor for the recess cups every 12-16". Do not use flat head screws. Fiberglass requires no painting. IF Plywood: Paint both sides and edges of the plywood with POR. Sand between coats. At least two coats. Should resemble steel when done with no wood grain. Use self drilling pan head or hex head stainless steel fasteners #8 x 3/4 with recessed cups to hold it all down every 12-16". 6th Install a vinyl 9ft x 11ft single solid vinyl floor. The thin lightweight stuff. IT is important to use only a single seamless piece of vinyl flooring. The vinyl will that goes up each side 1-2" . This creates a waterproof "bowl" to contain any spills. Glue edges and center only using Mastic or #80 3M Spray adhesive. #90 will not work. Install electric heating mats under the Vinyl if desired. If carpeting then install electric heating mats under the carpet over the vinyl. Then carpet over this if desired after installing cabinets. Add metal edge thresholds in doorways. Now you have a sound dampened, nonflammable quiet waterproof lightweight (heated ???) floor that you can build on. Now cover this floor with rugs, cardboard and Rubber runner mats to protect it during the floor during the rest of the build. Plus the floor will never rust out. Next do all electrical in wall wiring. Now insulate the van with Areogel blankets (highly preferred) or Rock wool or great stuff (sparingly). Do not insulate with Styrofoam.
We appreciate you watching and that you think we're great! 🙂 As far as how we're doing the build, it seems that everyone has a different opinion. We researched and researched before starting the build and have done what seems to make the most sense for us at a cost that isn't exorbitant. We hope to never have to do another van build again and that what we've done will hold up for a long time! Once is enough for us! LOL!
Thanks for stopping by to see the beginning of our van build. A bit over 2.5 years later, we have finally "finished" it! Here are some related playlists and videos that might be of interest!
- Timelapse of build from start to finish: th-cam.com/video/agRMdep86-U/w-d-xo.html
- Official van tour: th-cam.com/video/relQG6hyVYo/w-d-xo.html
- Van build playlist: th-cam.com/play/PL7bb1Ftno7hhoqzCZ7kZUx2jL3pUVd6UZ.html
- Van life travel (how we do van life & some of the places we've visited): th-cam.com/play/PL7bb1Ftno7hhNuHOo8SYSTsaPmFd7o1zp.html
I just discovered your channel and you're very honest with your build and mistakes, but also very entertaining and likable. You have a new subscriber!
😊😊😊
@@DiabloOutdoors For some reason, we never saw this comment before. Thanks so much! We hope you've stuck around on the adventure with us!
Honesty is the best policy! I'm a big fan! Keep pounding!
Thanks, Danny! We're just trying to share our experience in the hopes that it helps others!
Just now finding your channel, looks like you're taking the time to do it right. Wife and I are in our early sixties and have the same idea to do some traveling. We'll be following you guys. Stay safe.
Nan and Pop
Hi Nan and Pop! Thanks for following along! Nice hearing from you. If you're sharing your build process or travels somewhere on social media, please let us know! We enjoy seeing what others are up to. We're really glad we took our time building out our van and that we were able to travel during the process!
Into every job, some fun must be had! Air guitar was neat.
Thanks for taking time to watch another of our episodes! Yes, a van build can be pretty stressful so it's pretty important to have a little fun along the way!
One thing I highly recommend is using "Tongue and Groove" plywood. This will align the plywood and prevent the seems between sheets from rising at a later time.
Thanks for sharing that tip!
I like the bolt attachment style you used to secure the plywood. And spray foam the gaps to stop squeaking. Good stuff, cheers.
We really didn't want to put holes in the van but bolting definitely seemed necessary. It's held up well since.
My guide! Appreciate this! Yes, everyone else makes it look like first-try if you're a bit detail oriented.
Thanks for taking a moment to comment. We hope the video is helpful. For us, there was a pretty big learning curve as we built out our van!
I like that you show the problems. Great!
Thanks! We tried to keep it real for all our build videos so they'd be helpful to others.
"Other TH-camrs make it look so easy" - because they cut all that out! I much prefer seeing the mistakes as well as the successes.
Thanks for watching and leaving feedback. We do try to include as much as possible in the hopes that it's helpful to others. We've definitely learned a lot in our whole build process - a big learning curve with plenty of mistakes along the way!
Also they don’t duct tape a pencil to a piece of wood and use it as a measurement device lol.
If you use marine grade ply on the floor it is less likely to warp like your cuts did. Also, it handles moisture better than standard ply. I used 3/4 inch marine grade ply, but it was before the crazy lumber prices.
Marine grade sounds like a good way to go. We've been trying to minimize costs while not compromising quality. With the ply being bolted down it seems to be holding up well and we haven't noticed any warping.
Thanks for this video! We are doing our floors similar to yours only we did NOT glue anything down and likely wont. We are having the same issue with warped and noisy plywood using only the tiedowns... so your bolting secured method is something we WILL follow your advice and do it that way. Thanks again!
We're so glad you found the video helpful! It was so frustrating until we decided to do the bolts. We wanted to avoid drilling holes in the van but are glad we did! No problems since.
Very nice! For whatever reason some builders really freak out about drilling holes into the van. It’s as if a 14” hole in the roof is ok. Perfect use of T nut to secure the subfloor! Much better then simple sheet metal screws. Perhaps a lock washer and lock tite on the bolt. I would not worry about rust. You painted it. I would also paint the bolt head from the undercarriage with rubberized paint material to seal from air and water (you must have the two to rust ((oxidize)).
Thanks! We try try to avoid putting extra holes in the van if we can but felt that step was necessary. Thanks for the recommendations. We did cover the bolt head with QuadMaxx caulk, although we didn't show that step in the video. Hopefully that should suffice.
Thanks guys! I found you on the Ford Transit Facebook page. PS I think you are both funny!
Thanks so much, Bobbi! Are you currently working on a build?
You have answered a number of questions that I have had. Thanks
We're so glad to hear that! We've been traveling off and on now for over a year and everything seems to be holding up well. We hope you'll check out our other build videos too. It's taking us awhile to complete the build but we think we're getting close to the finish line - and we've enjoyed using the van even though it hasn't been finished!
Phew you made hard work of that! Drill through the ply and the floor, countersink the ply, use self tapping screws screwing the ply to the floor.
Thanks for the suggestion for those who might be in the process of building out a van and prefer not to use bolts.
We watched this a couple of times - thanks for the ideas guys!
We're so glad you found it helpful. We look forward to seeing all your progress! We better get moving on our build or you'll finish yours before we do! LOL!
@@SteveAudra I doubt that! Once we get the fans and bed in, we'll be travelling for sure!
This is exactly what I'm looking for! How did you choose your L-Track installation dimensions on your flooring?
We're glad you found the video helpful! We're not sure what you mean about L-track installation though. Do you mean where we bolted the floor?
Good to watching Episode. I will do make it mext month. Good reference.
Thank you so much! We're glad you found it helpful!
Good job !
Thank you! The whole build has been quite the labor of love! Lots of learning along the way!
The time spent getting the build right and the attention to detain has certainly worked out well. Also, when is Steve not goofing off?
We really do feel a sense of accomplishment having started out with no experience and being able to now enjoy the result so much. Little did we know when we started out that we'd be living in the van full time several years later! Steve certainly keeps things interesting! 😆 And I'm so proud of him for all he was able to do building out the van!
Great job guys. Thanks fir sharing.
Thanks so much! We hope you'll check out the rest of our videos and follow along on our adventures!
Hey HOW did you get a piece of wood that big? I’m stressing because I have a 2018 ford transit 250 and I measured the length of the floor at 127 inches and he width on the inside between the wheels to be 54 inches but nobody seems to have plywood big enough
Hey Dominick! We used 4x8 sheets cut into pieces to fit. Good luck with your build. We hope you'll find our build series helpful! It can be quite the learning curve and challenging to build out a van with all the crazy curves and angles!
What purpose does the plywood sub-flooring serve? Why not attach the finish flooring directly on top of the foam boards?
For us, it gave a nice firm foundation for the rest of the build plus some extra insulation and sound barrier while driving. Mainly, we don't like to drill holes in the van, so the plywood provided something to screw into when building out the rest of the van. We also installed vinyl plank flooring (which you can see in a later van build video) and we thought the plywood was a better surface to install that over.
Great video! Getting ready to do my subfloor too, we'll see how it goes!
Thanks, Matt! We hope it goes well for you. Two years later, and ours is still holding up well.
@@SteveAudra 2 years later, have you ever had problems with moisture or mold in your van? Trying to plan ahead on mine.
Okay. I subscribed. You guys are fun. But most importantly youre actually showing each step that the glampers arent showing. I learned something new in the videos I've watched so far. Thank you guys. Can't wait to see how this works out.
Thank you so much, Duana! We appreciate the sub and that's our goal - provide a little entertainment but also provide helpful info!
LOL loving your Van Conversion adventures...
Thanks so much, Ann! Thanks for watching and we're glad you're enjoying the videos!
I'm trying to put a floor in my cargo van with etrax do you guys no anyone in the north Carolina area
Thanks for watching. We wish we did know of someone to recommend but we don't. Good luck with your build!
so, we shouldn't use any glue between foam and plywood and just screw it down? We almost started following faroutride guide for our subfloor, and thankfully saw your comment on Facebook tread! Thanks!
Far Out Ride was also one of the places we looked when choosing the method we used, as well as several others that recommended the same adhesive. We're not exactly sure why it didn't work for us. One reason could be high temps but who knows... I did just see a women post in a group we're in that the same exact thing happened to her. Several people responded that they bolted the floor. One person suggested: "Contact adhesive, liquid is stronger. Go to a local flooring supply shop." (Maybe that's the same thread you saw?) We're no professionals but all we can say is the adhesive we used certainly didn't work for us but now that we've bolted it, it's totally fine!
Great job on your first episode you guys are cute and fun. Excited to see how the rest of the build goes for you. Also glad to see you guys ran into some adversity and quickly found solutions because I have to say... That is what VanBuilds are about. Nothing is as easy as TH-camrs make it look (ourselves included because nobody wants to watch the 200+ hours of us making small adjustments to get something perfectly right like you experienced with the plywood boards). You guys have great attitude, spirit and knowledge though so I am sure it will turn out beautifully!
Thanks so much! The van build and the videos both take a lot of work - but we enjoy it and that makes all the difference in the world! We went into the build knowing it might be a little (or a lot) stressful. We're trying to remember to have fun with it and enjoy the process. We know we couldn't do this without other vanlifers and TH-camrs. We'll have to check out your videos!
@@SteveAudra It is insane how much work it is honestly, at least for us. Especially when you are trying to record the whole thing. Feel free to reach out anytime with questions/comments :)
Good stuff 👏 👍
Thanks so much for watching! We're glad you enjoyed it!
Looking good guys! And Steve still has all his fingers!
Thanks, Meg! And let's hope it stays that way!!!!
Thanks for being realistic.
We try to be helpful to those who go through the same process!
At least you got thru it...
I'm thinking of gravity holding down 1/2 inch foam and very heavy horse stall rubber floor... no cute homey feel. Bachelor camper w thro rugs indoor out door throw aways... ha wtf
That we did! School of hard knocks. And hey, you do what works for you! Thanks for watching! 🚐
Set rivnuts in the floor from above to secure floor.
Hi, just found your channel. I haven't seen anyone share the problems with installing a van floor the way you two have in this video. Thanks very much for sharing! I just had to subscribe. Just one question for your - do you think taping the edges of the insulation helped prevent squeaking or is that not an issue with the whole assembly being bolted to the floor? Happy travels!
Nice to hear from you, Pete! Thanks for watching and subscribing. Steve thinks the tape wasn't necessary because we ended up bolting the floor and all of the weight we've added. I think it didn't hurt and cost was minimal so I'm glad we did it. I'd hate to have squeaking now that it's too late to do anything about. Probably no way to really know if it was necessary though!
Why didn't you any sound damping material?
That's a great question that I don't think anyone else has asked. We just weren't convinced we needed it. We budgeted for it early on but after doing research, listening to the van as we drove, and knowing our plans for how we would build it out, we decided it was unnecessary weight and expense. We insulated the van really well. In the back we also used the self-adhesive duct insulation in some spots which seemed to have some similar properties as rattletrap type material but much lighter. We also have a lot of insulation on the ceiling. Now that the van is built out, the noise we really notice is more in the cab. We don't regret not using sound deadener it at all.
@@SteveAudra Great answer. The reason I asked is because so many videos out that have used it. I seen 1 video where the entire van was covered in it. I could imagine the amount of weight it must add. I don't know but I guess it might be a good at insulation too. There are much lighter materials that can do that job too.
6:21 ... THIS is your problem .. beinig "Detail Oriented" means you tried to hard to make it fit perfectly .. If you jus went a1/2 Smaller on all the cut lines, it would have drop right in first try :) The like you said just, use filter, or foam in the gaps.
Thanks for the feedback
I'm a master wood krafter.
I been making furniture guitars
Houses cabinets and many other things out of wood for over 50 years..and I still made a 100 mistakes on my first build.
and in the second one and third one..you always will make little mistakes but you learn from the mistakes you made
It's especially easy to make mistakes on a van build since nothing is straight! We hope to never have to build out a van again, but if we do we're sure this experience will help! We've certainly learned a lot along the way!
I know I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to thank you for the honest video. It's a nice breath of fresh air.
Of course most (if not all) of the other vanlife videos cut all the difficult parts out, or the stuff that didn't quite work out as planned. They need to keep up appearances, you know. It needs to appear easy or they can't get the views (that, or getting their wife/girlfriend to pose provocatively in the thumbnail, that's guaranteed at least 50k bonus views right there).
Anyways, you'll be glad you bolted down the floor. I've seen too many videos in which the floor was only glued down, and then they have their counters/cupboards just screwed into the plywood. I'd hate to be in that van cruising down the highway and someone bumps into you and you end up rolling it over. A van in a tight rollover with pieces of plywood flying around is not a very nice place to be. So I would not call what you first attempted a mistake, it was a blessing in disguise.
Me? I'd be screwing straight down through the plywood and foam insulation and the metal floor with self tapping metal screws. Just make sure to get the screws long enough to bite into the floor, and that's far enough. The screw will seal the hole through the van floor from rust, but you can get underneath the van and spray the ends of the screws with rust prohibitor if it makes you feel better. I'd put a screw about every 6 inches on opposite sides of each seam.
Thanks, Richard! We try to make videos that are helpful to others and to keep it real. Maybe some of the other channels just don't make as many mistakes or have as many challenges as we do! LOL! We're happy with how the floor turned out - and most of all we love that the van allows us to travel and explore so much more easily than our pre-van life! It's definitely been a learning process though. We hope you'll check out our other build videos and follow along on our adventures!
I would cut the insulation to fit and put it *between* the wooden strips. But then the strips would probably have to be a little bit thicker. Also, I wouldn't drill holes in the metal of the van floor if I could help it. It kinda defeats the whole purpose of insulating if you have metal going through from the sub-floor to the outside of the van 🤪
There are lots of different ways to do it, which is overwhelming when getting started with a build if you are inexperienced! We're pretty happy with how the subfloor and insulation turned out and it's performed well since we started traveling. As you saw in the video we tried to avoid drilling holes, but it didn't go as planned. In hindsight we're actually glad we bolted the floor though - and there are only 4 bolts. There are plenty of other places where there is a whole lot more heat loss! LOL!
Sooner or later unless you bolt it on that subfloor is coming loose.
So screws is the solution 🤔
We're definitely glad we bolted it!
I think your videos are the only van videos which actually make me laugh out loud. In all reality, our sub flooring took FOREVER, and there was no “simple solution” like some others would try to show. Glad to see you guys struggled but got it finally as well!
We take that as a huge compliment! We're glad to provide some laughs! We appreciate you watching and commenting. Pretty much each step of the build is a little bit painful and takes forever, but it's all SO worth it! Where are you with your van still building?
WHY No GLUE "if you could do it again"❓
@@shelby131 The glue didn't hold so it was a wasted step.
That’s styrofoam, not xps. Big difference. If gluing to floor the floor paint must be grinded off down to bare metal for long term adhesion. All joint should be tongue and groove if possible
Lol! Basically building out a camper is always double the work (AT LEAST) that you initially planned on doing. (: Happy building!
Yes, that's what we are discovering!!!! We're just trying to make sure we enjoy the process despite that and keeping the end goal in mind!
Tapcons & counter sink in plywood to hold floor down could be another solution
We hope to never have to do another van build, but we hope your suggestion will be helpful to others! 🙂
Pre planning is very important 👌
1st Put it on paper 2s assemble it
On your mind 3d repeat the process..never cut a single pcs or screw a single screw wit out this 3 steps 🚶♂️..and even so you make some mistakes. But the biggest mistakes you could make is get exited and rush the van conversion
Thanks for watching, David! We have certainly done a lot of pre-planning although it seems no matter how much we plan, sometimes it still doesn't come out quite how we thought it would! We've learned to measure many times before cutting anything and to dry fit before attaching anything!
Sorry about your flooring headaches. Quality materials ARE costly, indeed. However, it's wise to avoid building solely on the principle of "saving money"; an invaluable lesson I'd needed to learn for myself. Ouch!
We certainly love saving money when we can, but we don't think in this case that the problem we ran into was from cutting any corners financially. We had read recommendations for the adhesive we used. It just didn't work for us. Maybe because of higher temps? We're really not sure. We agree, sometimes it's not worth it to sacrifice quality to save money.
Bolting to the floor seems way safer than glue. I liked a lot of your tips and tricks along the way that I wouldn't have thought of. You all have earned a subscriber.
Hey Shawn, thanks for watching, dropping us a note, and subscribing. We really appreciate it! We were really hesitant at first to put holes in the body but in hindsight we are glad we did. We're also glad if others can benefit from our process. Are you building out a Transit?
😂🤣😂😎very good yes
Thanks, Patrick!
The foam will take a set very quickly, and all your bolt load will drop drastically. Check how much torque on all your bolts now, I bet they are very loose. Never try to compress foam. You should place some wood beams between foam panels.
Thanks for watching and taking time to leave feedback. We followed the lead on what some others had done with their builds long before we started ours. It's been over two years now since we installed the flooring in our van. We just double checked our bolts, and they are all still snug. We think (and hope) they'll stay that way!
I kind of get what you're saying but then there's the other issue of wood to metal and heat and moisture transference.
sometimes the devil you know is the best choice
A larger brush would help..
That's very true 😂
You actually don't need to use anything to hold down the insulation or subfloor. Yo have a tight fit as far as the cuts, and once you have the rest of the build in, it will not move.
In hindsight, we agree with you. If we were to do it again, we wouldn't worry about glueing down the insulation.
Even though the rest of the build would hold down the subfloor, we do like that we bolted that down. We feel it helps secure it all better.
You two are great but one does not use squeaky Styrofoam and ordinary plywood for a sub-floor. Styrofoam, as most plastics do, emits toxic gasses and its highly flammable. You created a death trap.
You were correct to make a template but paper is not accurate. Use the Styrofoam, the cheap white stuff, to make a one piece template. Locate fastening points on template.
1st You need to completely paint the entire metal van floor, Do not patch paint. POR Epoxy paint is an excellent choice. Rustoleum is not.
2nd Install Kilmat or Dyna mat to entire floor. Two layers on wheel wells. This stops road noise.
3rd Run any wiring.
4th Install a clear polyethylene thick vapor barrier 1-2 " up on all sides. #80 Spray glue in place.
5th Install SUB-FLOOR: Use a waterproof and non-flammable sub-floor material such as 3/8" fiberglass board, or flame retardant 3/8" Tongue and groove marine grade 8' x 10' plywood. 1/2" is too thick and heavy. Glue any plywood - plywood seams with epoxy. Drill 3/4" holes in the sub-floor for the recess cups every 12-16". Do not use flat head screws.
Fiberglass requires no painting.
IF Plywood: Paint both sides and edges of the plywood with POR. Sand between coats. At least two coats. Should resemble steel when done with no wood grain.
Use self drilling pan head or hex head stainless steel fasteners #8 x 3/4 with recessed cups to hold it all down every 12-16".
6th Install a vinyl 9ft x 11ft single solid vinyl floor. The thin lightweight stuff. IT is important to use only a single seamless piece of vinyl flooring. The vinyl will that goes up each side 1-2" . This creates a waterproof "bowl" to contain any spills. Glue edges and center only using Mastic or #80 3M Spray adhesive. #90 will not work.
Install electric heating mats under the Vinyl if desired. If carpeting then install electric heating mats under the carpet over the vinyl.
Then carpet over this if desired after installing cabinets.
Add metal edge thresholds in doorways.
Now you have a sound dampened, nonflammable quiet waterproof lightweight (heated ???) floor that you can build on.
Now cover this floor with rugs, cardboard and Rubber runner mats to protect it during the floor during the rest of the build. Plus the floor will never rust out.
Next do all electrical in wall wiring.
Now insulate the van with Areogel blankets (highly preferred) or Rock wool or great stuff (sparingly). Do not insulate with Styrofoam.
We appreciate you watching and that you think we're great! 🙂 As far as how we're doing the build, it seems that everyone has a different opinion. We researched and researched before starting the build and have done what seems to make the most sense for us at a cost that isn't exorbitant. We hope to never have to do another van build again and that what we've done will hold up for a long time! Once is enough for us! LOL!
DON'T !! use spray foam ..
We didn't! 🙂