Installing A Vinyl Van Floor | Ep 7 | Nissan NV200 Camper Van Build

In this video, I’ll be sharing the work I’ve done on my van floor; removing the existing plywood and installing a smart, comfortable wood-effect vinyl van floor, as I convert my Nissan NV200 into a micro camper.
0:00 - The existing van floor
0:59 - Removing the existing floor
3:24 - Preparing the floor
5:19 - Covering the floor with vinyl
7:00 - Replacing the floor
8:14 - Rubber back edge trim
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👉 Bond-it medium viscosity cyanoacrylate superglue: amzn.to/3yYnah5
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Under the plywood I glued wooden strips between the floor ribs to use as fixing points and insulated it. The ply is secured in place by 4 screws, which go through into the wood strips.
I started work on the floor by removing the screws holding it down. I will not be replacing these when I am finished because I want to keep the floor removable. The fuel pump for the NV200 is located on the floor behind the driver’s seat, and I want to keep access to it.
I decided that given the weight sitting on the floor from the bed and other bits I carry around, that screws wouldn’t be missed, but I didn’t want the floor to slide around. After some thinking, I decided to use wooden dowels as locator pins, so the ply wouldn’t shift from its position.
I drilled out all of the previous screw holes in this way, including ones near the rear doors which held the edges of the plywood down, and then inserted the dowel to check the fit.
I glued these dowels in and sawed the tops off them so they were flush with the top of the plywood. I would be sanding the floor later, so I wasn’t worried about the cuts being perfect.
The next step was to mark out any areas that I wanted to trim off of the plywood. Layers of insulation, carpet and vinyl would make the floor impossible to remove, so cut some more off the plywood was imperative.
The floor underneath is in very good condition which means that there isn’t any pooling of condensation or dirt getting in. The strips of wood were stuck directly to the metal and then, once I had made a note of their location, I insulated over it with Thermawrap bubble wrap insulation.
Although this is a very simple way to insulate a floor, I am pleased to see that it is working well.
With the van cleaned, I started trimming the plywood. I would be covering the edges, so they didn’t have to be neat, and sanding them got rid of any splinters .
I then sanded the face of the ply, filling any holes or dents with wood filler as I went. I wanted to get rid of any dirt that might hinder the adhesion.
Re-installing the floor, the dowel locator pins worked really well keeping the floor in place.
Next, I pulled the seals away from the back door edge and took off the trim and started carpeting from the metal edge of the van up over the bits of stripwood, so that it was all neatly covered.
I had ordered a 2 x 2.5 metre piece of dark wood-effect vinyl, which was much more than I needed but I wanted to be sure I was leaving myself a sufficient overlap.
Once positioned, I began spraying the vinyl adhesive on both the wood and the vinyl. I could then roll the vinyl over the glued wood and apply pressure.
With the vinyl successfully stuck down, I began gluing the edges to the back of the plywood.
I then started gluing down the flaps of carpet by the wheel arches. I had left these after carpeting the van as I knew I would have better access to stick them down with the floor removed.
I used velcro to help the end of the plywood stay flat, whilst still enabling the floor to remain removable for the future.
I used lengths of rubber l-section to finish the door edge off as I wanted something flexible to work with the curves on the edge.
I then abraded the inside of the rubber to help adhesion. I used Bond It medium viscosity cyanoacrylate glue, which is for EDPM rubber such as this. I worked my way along the back door edge until it was all covered with rubber.
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#Vanlife #NissanNV200 #LensOfJames
DISCLAIMER: In this video, I am in no way stating that this is the proper way to undertake the conversion of a van, however after research and experience using the van, I believe this to be the way that is best suited to my van and the way I intend to use it.

[@melessiabates814]

I'm so glad to have found you before i started my van build!

[@graya44]

Oh’man 🙌 ... a real tonic during this crazy lockdown time ... ingenious 👍 methodical 👍 & absolutely brill .. you & yours .. & everyone out there .. stay safe & sane ah 🙌 love’it James 👏👏👏

[@LensOfJames]

Thanks so much Gray, hope you keep well too!

[@jj8526]

Very well thought through and very informative video, thank you...🤗👏👏☘

[@CleonaPattersoneFluentEnglish]

Thanks for sharing.🙂 Just starting the floor of my Berlingo and the folding of the vinul over the edge of the plywood seems like an excellent idea.

[@Debrajoy]

Good job! I love that floor 💜

[@automockery420]

Great edit ❤

[@TG-se5sk]

loved

[@Zerpersande]

In Japan they plywood is too small to use a single sheet. Something like 910mm x 1900mm. So I’m piecing together 4mm plywood to cover the floor and serve as a base and then gluing down regular tongue and groove flooring.

[@timrober75]

Hi James, thanks for all you're doing and sharing... how thick is the ply on the floor? 9mm ,12mm ,18mm?? Thanks :)

[@filippoprojetto1847]

Hi James, well done! How have you installed the strips of wood to the floor? Cheers.

[@AndrewJeffs1]

May I please ask if you have link to the rubber L-section you used? Many thanks!

[@LensOfJames]

🔥 Want to see more from my *Nissan NV200 Micro Camper Van Conversion Series* ? Check out the entire build here: kzbin.info/aero/PLsBWh_QNwDUcgnWcDnJeoHZI_nelRdkUY 🔥

[@lindzhoward7752]

James, the floor looks fantastic, however I'm not sure of the wisdom of covering over the hatch to get to the fuel pump access point. It would mean a major job of having to remove the whole floor for you, I thought long and hard about this with my own van, in the end I cut a circular hole in the wood that can be lifted to gain access to it.......with your skills and attention to detail I'm sure you could make a neater job than I did......but it means very easy and quick access if I ever needed. Anyway loving the build so far.

[@LensOfJames]

Hi Linda, yes this was a consideration when doing the floor and I saw that some people had cut access in their floors, but I decided not to because everything in my van is easily removable: bed, floor etc. so it wouldn't be too much trouble to lift the floor in the unlikely event I need to access the pump. Also, it would mean cutting a hole in my neatly laid floor right in the middle of my side entrance walkway which would likely catch dirt and deteriorate with use over time, so I'm quite happy to leave the floor intact and put a couple of minutes extra effort in when it matters.

[@bethcoulter952]

Hi how thick where the wooden strips on the floor ? :)

[@LensOfJames]

Hi Beth, I can't remember exactly but they were approx 2x1cm. I measured the gaps in the ribbed floor to make sure they weren't too high

[@ruhlm]

How thick the plywood is?

[@LensOfJames]

The floor plywood is 12mm thick

[@ruhlm]

@@LensOfJames is 6,5mm thick too thin for floor plywood? what do you think?

[@LensOfJames]

I reckon so, needs to withstand a bit of wear and tear, but I could well be wrong. If it's all you've got, give it a go!

[@desrynne2720]

At 1-10 seconds you mention the fuel pump . Then you stopped talking .Is the fuel pump on the NV200 under the ply

[@LensOfJames]

Looks like the audio got lost - the NV200 fuel pump is indeed under the ply, which is why I've left the floor (and all my furniture) easily removable (takes a couple of minutes). I didn't leave a hatch because it would likely catch dirt and deteriorate with use over time, especially as it's near the side door I use for regular access. Plus how often do you need to access the fuel pump?!