Building FLOOR In Our VAN - Renault Master Conversion DIY #2

[@zavadventures]

Do you like cutting wood as much as we do? That smell!

[@MateuszBabiakBabs]

Nice Job!!!

[@zavadventures]

Thanks Babs! :)

[@Robinooode]

Wow, great quality video, guys! And very inspiring, for people who claim to have no experience in this, that seems very professional! If I didn't live in a big city, I'd definitely want to buy a van and do the same 💙

[@zavadventures]

Oh thank you Robin! We're really glad to hear that :) we learned many things along the way but still we're no pros. We hope to inspire following dreams even if it seems hard. And hey! We also live in a city and yes, it is challenging to find a good spot and timing for the build. But after it is all done we won't be stuck in the city all the time. If you feel the same way consider planning such an adventure, maybe it is more feasible than you think ;)

[@pavic2705]

extra filmy, gdzie kupujecie tą srebrną matę i izolację na podłogę lub jak to się nazywa to sobie sam poszukam?

[@zavadventures]

dzięki! generalnie używaliśmy 3 materialów: bitmat mata wygłuszająca z jednej strony gruba folia z drugiej masa butylowa bitumiczna; maty samoprzylepne z pienionego kauczuku (czarne, też bitmatu); płyty twardej izolacji PIR. W większości zamawialiśmy po prostu z allegro :)

[@NykowskiSpaceruje]

with this foam Your van converts to "floatation device" :D I dee a very good video and direction quality - love it

[@zavadventures]

Thanks Piotrek! It is kind of a floatation device :D it will evolve into a spaceship soon though. Before turning into sauna :D only after that it will become the real living place. It's funny but it seems to be the journey for all conversions. Glad to hear that it's good. We were so focused on manual labour that we weren't so sure about the coherence of the video.

[@maxmuster3993]

I really like the way you made the floor - not the easiest way but very effective in order to get decent insulation combined with a "low" profile. I am rather nervous about your idea to fill the lower part of the sidewalls (rocker panel) with insulation foam. The reason is that at the bottom you have holes to allow humidity and water to escape. You put Duct-tape on the upper row of the holes where the outer plastic side covers are mounted, but there is a second row of holes and clips further down where you put the foam. Rainwater might be able to enter through the holes and find its way between foam and metal. Also be careful with the doors - do not block the holes there either and be aware that rainwater is entering around the door handle - do not put any insulation there or below that section. Personally I would not "overdo" the insulation and I would not put any insulation on the sidewalls BELOW the upper row of holes you covered - especially not in the rocker panels. Keep in mind that even the best vapor barriers always tend to have holes somewhere especially in a car where it is almost impossible to seal off areas absolutely airtight. In other words I would try to ensure that the space between your insulation and your INNER wall panels (plywood maybe?!) is well ventilated. You might get some moisture behind the panels, but never mind as long as it allowed to find its way out again ;) Good luck with your build - I am excited to see your next steps!

[@zavadventures]

Thank you Max for your contribution to our knowledge! The low profile is a must in our situation. We knew about the door holes and parts but not about the side walls (rocker panels - learned a new term thanks to you!). It is a great comment! We fortunately only managed to do a little pieces at the back of the walls yet. We need to dive deeper into this topic and think it through again before continuing. Idea was that the foam will prevent the water from entering even through these clips because it expands and covers the tricky small parts, but we're not so sure about that any more. What do you think about that? As for the walls we want to put mineral wool (rockwool) insulation inside them. Above the rocker panels and up to the roof. Then aluminum vapour barrier, air space for cables and finally inner plywood wall. Keeping that, and what you wrote, in mind it seems to be a reasonable idea to leave the rocker panels as they are :) But we're wondering if we should seal them out of the rockwool which will go above them. Again what do you think about that? Or do you think that this part of insulation shouldn't have a vapour barrier at all? :)

[@maxmuster3993]

@@zavadventures Dear Aga and Marcin. I am happy that my comments could "help" you to re-think your insulation. Firstly - "rocker panels" :-) I had to look up that term too and it was not as easy as expected because the German expression "Schweller" did not lead to the correct term (thank you Google) In fact I am in the same stage of build as you are, even if I started quite a while ago. The drain-holes in the rocker panels are hidden extremely well - in fact it is almost easier to find them from the outside (under the car). I thought about foam myself in some corners, put the plain fact that it is almost impossible to remove it if necessary made me change my mind. I heard that back in the 80ies insulation foam was often used as a "quick fix" in rocker panels but you can never be sure that it expands into every remote corner and it will most surely not seal the holes watertight. The result was a disaster. The Duct tape you used on the upper holes might last a while but water will still be able to get in from the outside. Instead of dripping down and evaporating, it will stay behind the duct-tape for longer time than necessary and maybe cause corrosion. I spray sealed the entire wallsection below the holes and down into the rocker panels with cavity wax (thanks google). I chose a product that dries almost completely without getting sticky in the hot summer sun. As far as Rockwool is concerned I am not exactly a huge fan of it because I have used it in my home several times and it is really nasty to work with and you need gloves and respiratory protection unless you want to deal with the effects for several days. If you want to avoid foams like Armaflex, K-flex (very easy to apply) you might find some soft insulation that are made of wooden fibers instead. It's just an idea, Rockwool is of course a cheap solution. I totally agree with your idea to leave some space "air" between your inner wallpanels and the insulation layer but I do not trust the vapor barriers. Even if you manage to completely seal of your rockwool you will have to attach your inner wallpanels and if you use screws, every screw punctures your vapor barrier again. The benefit of Armaflex is that it barely absorbs any humidity - the material is (almost) its own vapor barrier and it is plain simple to attach. If you use insulation from wooden fibers, you will not need any vapor barrier because the material is able to "capilary" absorb quite a bit of water (soak it up) whereas Rockwoll is non absorbent. This effect prevents direct water condensation (no drops) The absorbed humidity will evaporate as soon as the temperature rises to a level above condensation. I'm am not sure if my comment is really helpful. I do not want to confuse you especially as I can not refer to any proof that my opinion/strategy is correct. You will have to re think it and do it the way you believe is the best way. You are not be the first to use Rockwool that's for sure - it might work better than expected but at least you have some input from a different perspective now ;-)

[@zavadventures]

@@maxmuster3993 hey Max! We actually ended up tearing the tape and fixing our mistake with a cavity wax before putting the insulation in. We also changed the approach to the wall insulation. Thank you very much for your input!

[@maxmuster3993]

@@zavadventures Hello there! Good to hear that my comment was not in vain and helped you, even if it caused you some extra work. Unfortunately I have not been able to work very much on my own van, so now it is time for me to watch some of your newer videos for more inspiration :-)

[@Dalniel]

Czapka VANS - przypadek? :)

[@zavadventures]

Haha! Przypadek, ale jak to napisałeś to uśmialiśmy się strasznie 😂 teraz za każdym razem tak na nią będę patrzył 😅

[@Dalniel]

@@zavadventures haha ^^ Poza tym świetnie zmontowaliście i nagraliście materiał, mega b-rolle :)

[@zavadventures]

@@Dalniel dzięki wielkie Daniel! Super się cieszymy, że tak uważasz. I że to wyszło! Mieliśmy tyle pierwszych razy i zagwozdek przy budowie, że nie do końca byliśmy przekonani czy udało się wszystko co chcieliśmy i jak chcieliśmy uchwycić do video.