What Kind of Laminate Wood Flooring Does Art Van Sell
Installing your van flooring is typically one of the first camper van build projects since all the floor makes up the bottom layer of your van and yous won't be able to build anything else until that's in place.
In addition to all the layers that become into a van flooring like insulation and sound dampening which nosotros'll cover here, you'll also want to consider things like cost, peak, immovability, aesthetic, and cleanliness. No matter what type of van lifestyle y'all live, your van will gather a lot of clay and dust, fifty-fifty if you stay on the principal roads. Then it's best to choose a van floor that will be easy to clean (no carpet!).
Acquire about the best van flooring options and key layers that make upwards a long lasting, comfortable van floor.
Important Considerations for Van Flooring
Earlier deciding what flooring is all-time for your van build, consider the following:
- Durability: Your van floor is going to take a chirapsia then you want something durable and easy to keep clean. Consider materials that tin can handle moisture and constant use. If you lot accept pets, wait at flooring that is easy to clean merely scratch-resistant. There'southward zip worse than hit the road and actually putting your van flooring to work just to realize it peels, cracks, or scratches easily or is mold-prone.
- Weight & Thickness: Using lightweight materials should always be superlative of mind in your van build. Consider the total thickness of your subfloor and flooring materials and how that volition touch on the interior meridian of your van as well, particularly if y'all're tall.
- Cost: There are many budget-friendly flooring options out in that location, but be sure to do your inquiry and balance cost with durability. If you are DIY'ing, bank check out Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to see if yous tin can find a good deal on leftover subfloor or flooring materials since van floors don't require a lot of textile.
- Aesthetic: How do you want your van floor to expect and experience? I recommend a mixed-grain color and then clay and domestic dog hair blends into the floor until you can sweep.
Van Floor Layers
Your van floor will accept a few different layers, depending on your choices. Your get-go step will be to remove the manufacturing plant floor. In a Sprinter Van, the manufactory floor is a wood composite and has a lot of flex, so equally yous load upwardly the flooring with varying weights, information technology can create a chimera or bow in places…hence why you want to remove it.
Van flooring is comprised of three layers, typically:
Sound Dampening & Insulation
Offset, y'all'll install sound dampening and and so insulation. Proper insulation is an of import and necessary component in creating an energy-efficient and comfortable camper van. Without insulation, you lot lose a ton of heat and cool air through the floor, and in the wintertime, that means very cold anxiety when you are walking around in the van. Plus, insulating your floor, with or without boosted sound dampening material, will help reduce road noise.
Outside Van insulated my van floor with 3M Thinsulate, the same material they used to insulate the walls.
Here are three popular brands of sound dampening materials:
- FatMat Cocky-Adhesive Rattletrap Audio Deadener
- Kilmat Automotive Sound Deadener
- Noico Automative Sound Deadener
Subfloor
After sound dampening and insulation, y'all'll want to install a plywood subfloor layer.
If yous're DIYing your build, I propose using the factory floor equally a template for your new flooring. This will salvage a lot of time and headache involved in measuring the curves of the van.
For the subfloor of my second Sprinter van, Outside Van used seven-layer marine class plywood. Information technology'due south a piffling thicker and heavier than some van builders might utilize, but information technology's very stiff and durable, and then there's no flex in the flooring when you place heavy items on it.
Keep in listen hither, everything you build into the floor and ceiling will reduce the overall standing space in the van. If you lot're tall, pay attending to the thickness of the materials you're using.
Top Layer
Once you have your subfloor installed, then comes the superlative layer of flooring – the ane y'all'll be standing on and looking at every day.
Depending on your van layout and floor plan, you might demand different types of floors in sure spaces. For example, you might want a smooth, aesthetically pleasing floor in the living space but a durable, utility floor in the garage space nether the bed. You've got options for both since typically the garage space will not exist seen from the living expanse (and vice versa).
If y'all're DIY'ing, although your sound dampening, insulation, and subfloor demand to be installed early on in your build, yous can decide whether to install your top layer in the beginning or once you have other key pieces of your build (like the kitchen and bed) installed. Although it's a bit more work to install your top layer later on, information technology does protect your van flooring from spills and scratches during your build, and it will save you money since y'all'll merely be roofing the flooring where you will meet it. The downside of installing subsequently on is that y'all will have to make more custom cuts of your flooring to fit the layout of your van.
Best Van Floor Materials (Top Layer)
Laminate
Laminate tongue-and-groove floors are inexpensive, easy to install, and come up in a wide variety of colors and designs, making them popular for DIYers. Hardwood flooring is beautiful only tends to exist very thick and heavy (and more than expensive), then laminate is a wiser pick for your van floor.
If you lot're going for a wood look, I recommend something that has a mixed grain of darker and lighter colors (like the image below), so all the wood you use throughout the van will complement the floor. Plus, it will hide both low-cal and nighttime debris.
In my first Sprinter van, I had a dark tongue and groove laminate wood flooring that looked squeamish when it was clean, simply otherwise, all I saw was my canis familiaris's dirt-covered mitt prints. If wood isn't your await, natural language and groove is also bachelor in tile designs and other solid prints, and so you should exist able to find something that suits your fashion.
The biggest downside to laminate floor is that information technology's not the near moisture-resistant and it tin swell or warp with moisture, which can cause mold problems. If you choose laminate flooring, look for a high-quality, h2o-resistant laminate.
Luxury Vinyl Plank
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) is a great van flooring option because it'due south waterproof, has the wait and experience of woods, and it's very easy to install with a click-lock mechanism. Luxury vinyl plank is more expensive than laminate, but it's definitely more durable and can withstand more wet. It also has a texture on summit, which makes your van floor more slip-resistant. Some other perk of luxury vinyl is that it tin be installed without an adhesive – called a "floating installation", which makes information technology easy to replace 1 plank if needed instead of the entire floor.
The downside of luxury vinyl plank is that it can exist pretty expensive, however, when you lot weigh the durability, it'due south worth the price.
Vinyl
Vinyl is another pop option considering information technology's relatively thin, lightweight, waterproof, and strong. A company called Lonseal makes a variety of high-density vinyl flooring, and you tin can browse options on their website.
In my 2nd van, I went with a high-density vinyl in the forepart living infinite. It'due south a lighter-colored vinyl weave with a hint of black, so information technology tied in with some of the other black features inside the van. While it looks great from a distance, the texture of the weave fabricated information technology very difficult to clean. In retrospect, I would have called something with a smoother texture upfront to make sweeping and wiping upward messes easier.
Vinyl Rubber
Vinyl rubber is a great flooring choice for your van garage, although people who haul a lot of gear and want an industrial van look may use it throughout the entire van. It'south easy to install, waterproof, easy to make clean, and tin withstand a lot of wear and tear. The downside of rubber flooring mostly comes down to aesthetics, which is why people typically only use information technology in the garage. Coin grip is some other vinyl pattern that is a trivial more than aesthetically pleasing to utilise if you want your entire van floor covered in vinyl rubber.
In my 2d van, I had Lonseal'south diamond plate manner vinyl flooring in the garage because it's one of the most durable flooring types and is highly scratch-resistant, and then I tin can store my bikes and gear without worry.
Cork
Cork flooring is another van flooring option, but it's much more expensive than the other options. The benefits of cork are that information technology's the about eco-friendly floor option, it's naturally anti-microbial, and acts as natural insulation and sound dampening (it most doubles vinyl's R-value). Cork as well has a nice, soft feel to information technology which may feel nicer on your feet.
The biggest downside to cork is that it requires resealing and regular budget to prevent damage, it takes longer to install than other flooring options, and it's the most expensive flooring selection. Cork is also decumbent to scratches and the flooring absorbs spills if you don't immediately clean up.
Other Flooring Considerations
Rugs
Some van lifers choose to apply a rug on height of their van floor to protect the elevation layer from scratches and wear and tear. Plus, a rug adds a bit of color and personality to your van! I would non recommend using a thick, plushy carpeting in your van. Although it feels nice on your feet, it traps a lot more dirt and is harder to keep clean.
A Ruggable Carpeting is peachy for van life because it tinbe washed and dried in a regular washing machine. Keeping the van floor clean is an virtually impossible task, simply with a durable, washable rug like Ruggable, it's a whole lot easier. Plus you can ever remove it to milk shake it outside. I had a Ruggable Carpeting in my second Sprinter and with two dogs, I couldn't imagine my van without it.
What material are yous considering for your van flooring? Share your questions, tips, and experiences in the comments below, and brand sure to sign upward for our van life newsletter!
Source: https://bearfoottheory.com/van-conversion-flooring/
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