DIY Van Framing with Plywood, Rivet Nuts, and Self-Tapping Screws | Van Build Series (Ep. 10)

In this episode of our van build series, we started framing the ceiling and walls in our Ford Transit. We applied Low-E reflective insulation to areas of exposed metal, cut strips of plywood to use for framing the van, installed rivet nuts in areas we expect to support heavier loads, and used self-tapping screws for securing our framing in other spots.
We decided to go with 0.5" plywood for our van framing because we're trying to keep the weight down and believe it's thick/strong enough for our purposes.
If you find this video helpful/entertaining, please let us know by liking it and leaving us a comment :)
We plan to share more about prewiring and framing our shower/bed area in the next couple of episodes of our #vanbuild series, so stay tuned and subscribe to our channel if you want to follow along. Thanks for supporting us!
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Products mentioned in this episode:
-Plywood (0.5")
-Rivet Nuts (M6)
-Bolts (M6-Pan Head 25mm)
-Low-E Reflective Insulation
-Havelock Wool
-Self-Tapping Screws (#10 1")
-Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig
-Pocket Screws (1")
Chapters:
0:00: Intro - Cutting Framing Strips
1:11: Installing Rivet Nuts
3:25: Installing Low-E Reflective Insulation
4:19: Rambling & Recap
5:27: Sharpening Bolts / Pointy Bolts
5:47: Van Ceiling
6:40: What We're Doing Next
7:40: Our Framing System - Low-E, Rivet Nut, Plywood
8:25: Monster Break
9:10: Framing Progress
10:46: Walkthrough - Attaching Plywood Board to Walls
12:18: Struggles We've Had & Tips
13:09: Walkthrough - Attaching Plywood to Ceiling
15:32: New Tool - Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig
17:03: Attaching Vertical Studs with Pocket Screws
18:19: Progress Update / The Plan
#vanbuildseries #vanbuild #vanconversion #vanlife #diyvanbuild #diyvan #projectvanlife #fordtransit #fordtransitcustom #framing #plywood #selftappingscrew #rivetnuts #vaninterior #insulation #vancouple
Music: www.bensound.com

[@alakans216]

Low- e also helps with wood not squeaking against the metal. Are you going to paint the plywood with Kilz ?
I am in the same step of building the frame, I am going to treat all the woods used with Kilz.

[@itstimetocrunch]

Yes, good point with the squeaking! We didn’t treat all of our framing but we are priming and painting our plywood walls and ceiling that we’re putting in.

[@ryankim3612]

So all of the van building videos and forms I’ve been on, I haven’t seen the low E used up against the steel like that. Is that for a kind of thermal break? Would it cut down on the condensation due to the fact that there’s no cold steel to collect moisture out of the air?

[@itstimetocrunch]

Yes exactly, in our case it’s mostly to help reduce the thermal bridging between the van walls and wood framing but it would help reduce condensation too. Many people use Low E for creating a vapor barrier but with its own set of pros and cons. We believe it’s best to not over think it!