Insulated vinyl floor install on a Mercedes Sprinter camper van

[@nebulight]

One of the more detail oriented builds on KZbin. Can't wait to see the rest of the build out!

[@basecamp6222]

Jumping into my build of new 4x4 170 Sprinter. Have been watching and learning much from your very well done videos. Gives me confidence in pursuing the project.

[@robertcordts5083]

I love your attention to detail best self build quality I have seen in awhile. Good job!!

[@luckyclovertour24]

Reall nice! Beautiful work!

[@ourkaravan]

Thank you very much!

[@Thesmallhousecatalog]

Thanks for sharing. Looks great!!

[@ourkaravan]

Thanks for watching!

[@juliakolodziejgrissom5690]

You make the job look deceivingly easy. Incredible share, thankyou!

[@EveMeighen]

Hi Ken! Your videos are so helpful. It's part thanks to them that my husband and I took the plunge and are building our van ourselves, or trying to! ;)

[@ourkaravan]

Hi and thank you; enjoy the van build journey! I would recommend using the van while you build. It helps you realize what you do and don't need, and it also means you get to have fun with it rather than it sitting in your driveway for a year while you build it. :)

[@EveMeighen]

@@ourkaravan Thanks and will do!

[@sihaughey8498]

Mate, awesome vids. Great detail.

[@ourkaravan]

Thank you!

[@daisydela]

Nice job! I actually recognized the floor from the forum. Love the the wiring pass through. I'm looking to pass 1/2" hot/cold PEX under my floor for sink/shower. Your wire chases are about the same size and provide a great example of how to make that happen.

[@xfranger3025]

Ken: since I discovered you from your 80/20 effort I have been back-reviewing your older posts mining all the information. Its been extremely helpful in my build. Just about to do the floor so this video is very helpful. I was intrigued by the comment from daisydela about your post "from the forum", i am assuming she is referring to sprinter-source.com . I tried searching for the subject there but couldn't find it. I am very interesting in the "wiring pass through" & was hoping you could give me a URL to chase you down on whatever forum daisdela was referring to. I plan on the PEX solution too. Additionally since I added an Espar I was thinking of adding a PEX loop under the floor for in-floor radiant heating either in lieu of a blower-rad solution or a both/and solution. Thank you!

[@iwasherefirst786]

Very nice job my friend. I'm thinking about insulating my VW Crafter (sprinter) I was going just do the sides but after watching this video I'm definitely going to do my floor as well. Thanks

[@roygardiner4002]

Lovely work - well done indeed.

[@mmanut]

Going back over some old videos from your build, Great Job with the sliding rail system, Very Clever ‼️👍👍. Vinny 🇺🇸

[@wql1]

Ok ... this is looking very nice!!!

[@rockyalvarez520]

I thought about doing mine like yours but I wanted more durability along with ease of cleaning. I installed plywood on floor after insulating. Then after putting in cabinets and appliances etc I then installed dome beautiful marble tile in center isle. I chose to only tile center isle to reduce weight

[@jasonash9121]

Awesome build. Can't wait to see more.

[@Dan-wo4bx]

Sweet looking van. Basic building technique of overlapping joints and not having 1 directly on top of the other would increase strength and reduce chance of movement. Biscuit jointing board edges together is always a good idea and not as scary as it sounds !

[@suckaducka5607]

Very nice. You do good work.

[@paulkohler4858]

06/11/2017 - Like very much - may purchase a used Sprinter & liked the levels you put on floor for an idea. Thanks

[@brianpetersen8521]

You are an amazing craftsman and teacher - thank you for your videos. 2 quick questions: 1) did you do any sort of vapor barrier? 2) you said in another comment that you would not have used the polyiso or wood and just done the valleys and floor with the closed cell foam. Do you think that will provide enough insulation for hot and cold (with factory floor on top)?

[@edschmitt4233]

how cool ( no play on words ) .....thanks

[@jonnyg4917]

keep the videos coming!

[@EatSleepVan]

Very nice, I'm about to do something similar. My 'floor sandwich' will be: 11mm XPS Foam to level the floor between ridges + 25mm XPS + 6mm cork + Vinyl. I'm going to try without plywood in there first. I currently have a plastic floor that came with the van. I've noticed if you get a beam of sun hitting it, it heats up and warps. As soon as it cooks it goes flat again. Is that what happened to your vinyl?

[@Plastpackad]

Try the metric system, makes life much easier.

[@AXODude69]

Ken, What 3/8" closed cell foam did you use between floor ribs?

[@dominic81634]

Would like to know this as well.

[@ourkaravan]

3/8" cross linked polyethylene, from foambymail.com. I ordered two 72x48" sheets.

[@dominic81634]

@@ourkaravan There's 2lb, 3lb, 4lb and 6lb on foambymail's website. Which one did you choose for your van? Sorry, I'm new to this :)

[@ourkaravan]

@@dominic81634 Their website has changed. There's no reference on my order sheet for the weight. And there are tons more options now such as Minicell L and T. Wish I could be of more help! I paid $28.99 per 7x48" sheet, if that helps any.

[@dominic81634]

@@ourkaravan Must be the 2lb then. Prices match. Thanks for the help!

[@ScottKeagy]

Great job! I've been planning to do a sandwich of Ensolite (NBR-PVC) with MLV (mass loaded vinyl) in the middle for sound deadening, after putting some sound dampening paint (like Noxudol 3101) or Dynamat to stop body resonations. Did you decide against doing specific sound treatments in the floor, to focus on more problematic areas like walls and ceiling? And what about heat conduction through the rails and the bench? I've been wondering about putting some layer of thin hard insulation between the rails and the floor to deal with that, but not sure how much extra torque that would generate on the attachments.

[@eksine]

7:50 this is where the seam is bulging out after you install the fabric right? 9:16 shows the bulge you're talking about. if those are the same seams, what it seems like to me is all you had to do is use drywall or wood screws to bolt down the entire seam on both sections of wood flooring into that piece of wood you glued down in the middle. if they're free floating that's problematic. and then after that sand that seam with a sander and put some filler in there and sand it again smooth. that would make your seam disappear

[@ourkaravan]

That's essentially what I did when I came back to address the issue...I added some wood at the overlap and screwed the two sections to it. The seam is not noticeable now. I now own a biscuit jointer and that might be a way to go as well (if the floor is thick enough).

[@thebg7532]

Nice floor!! Thanks for sharing. What type of vinyl floor did you used?

[@ourkaravan]

Thanks! It’s Earthscapes brand, Pajero 591 style.

[@thebg7532]

@@ourkaravanThanks. No adhesive correct?

[@ourkaravan]

That’s correct, my floor is floating.

[@thebg7532]

@@ourkaravan Thanks

[@GregVirgoe]

Too many joints in all those layers, no wonder you have lots of creases, existing van floor not fixed down either. Think you could have simplified the build up.

[@GregVirgoe]

kenetube as long as you're happy with it that's the main thing. 👍🏼

[@GregVirgoe]

Over tightening the screws would have compressed the foam underneath.

[@theresedignard7445]

Regarding flooring gluing. I do not understand how putting glue in the valleys of the floor, then putting the panel over it....makes it glued. Does the glue expand? Looks great. Been watching your build and will definitely use some of these for my build next year. Thanks for sharing.

[@omgsogood5524]

@kenetube 1. where do you buy your closed cell foam 2. you didnt put any baton 'framing' down for your floor. only thing holding down your floor is the tie down cups, your rails and of the furniture. is this adequate? you seem to like to overengineer everything.. just wondering why not here =) luv the music btw =)

[@omgsogood5524]

yea but you also luv to overengineer =) i do agree the floor is fine the way you did it. appreciate all your vids man.. saves me a ton of time on research. while there are hundreds of these youtube vids on van converts, i find yours the best given the detail and the technically sound approach. thanks again

[@stephenbouis1426]

Can you tell me where the vinyl came from

[@PattiStirk]

Stephen Bouis yes would very much love to know the mfg and pattern of the vinyl flooring.

[@ourkaravan]

The manufacturer is Earthscapes and the design is Pajero 591

[@PattiStirk]

ourkaravan thanks! Love the width of the pattern for such a small space. Love your finishes and color and fabric choices!

[@ourkaravan]

@@PattiStirk Thank you. And if you end up with a Thule awning you'll be amazed to find they match almost 100%. (Just by chance, but I'll take it.)

[@vash6868]

This is good looking vinyl, what is the brand and model of it? Also does it have any backing to it, such as fiberglass or felt? Thanks!

[@ourkaravan]

Hi, It is Earthscapes brand, Pajero 591 style. It has some kind of backing on it but I'm not sure what it is made of.

[@marcmonreal1376]

Great videos Ken. Thank you. Could you tell me where you sourced your linoleum and what color it is as I really like it. Thanks in advance! Marc 2016 Std. Roof 144 4x4 Silver Gray.

[@marcmonreal1376]

Thanks Ken. GREAT job on the RIB. Sure wish the up-fitters in the States did something like this. Just Outstanding! marc

[@jamesclark9806]

About to order my foam, at least for filling the ribs. Curious if you used 2 or 4 lb density? At least for the ribs, I was thinking 3/8" and going with 2 lb in hopes that it will compress some.

[@TheTmell3]

Did you glue the vinyl to the existing MB flooring or is it just placed on top for easier access

[@jamesclark9806]

Ken, I find myself going back to many of your videos because I like what you are doing. Much love if you could give me a few recommendations. I plan to do 3/8" closed cell foam to fill my floor ribs. How much material did you use? Also, my 2015 Mercedes Sprinter has 3 deeper grooves at about 3/4" deep running lengthwise of the van. If you have these, how did you fill? I was thinking doing 1/2" closed cell and then cover with the 3/8" Now I just need to decide on doing closed cell foam or polyiso under the factory floor. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[@morenonesense]

Hi Ken, did you notice any issues/wrinkles in your floating sheet vinyl being held down by the tie-down plates? Did the vinyl expand and contract a whole lot throughout the seasons? Do you recommend using double sided tape along the perimeter? Thanks!!

[@ourkaravan]

Hi, I have had no issues whatsoever with any sort of expansion, winkles or anything otherwise.

[@tednichols2296]

Very nice floor, I'm really enjoying your build. And thanks for including what you had to redo. When you bolted down the floor I assume you had to replace the factory bolts with longer ones? Did you have any troubles re-locating and drilling the holes through the new floor? I want to do something similar and noticed there is a fair amount of play in the factory floor bolt location and could not locate the holes from underneath the van.

[@mccarthyhome]

Are your rails bolted into the van floor metal to metal? Did it come that way or did you drill them?

[@ourkaravan]

The rails are bolted through and supported by custom welded brackets underneath. It was no small undertaking but my kid’s safety is at stake.

[@scottmead8419]

Hi Ken, what caulk did you use between the edge of your floor and the van walls/wheel wells?

[@ourkaravan]

Hi Scott, I used a Dap polyurethane. Don't use silicone based stuff, it has acid in it (to prevent mold in bathrooms) and can compromise the paint.

[@johnrichter9143]

Your videos are awesome! What type of tubing did you use presumably as a conduit under the floor?

[@kristinakurcinka8250]

Great videos! Where did you get your closed cell foam from?

[@ourkaravan]

Thanks Kristina. I ordered the foam from foambymail.com.

[@ianf8005]

Did you put the vinyl directly on top of the factory floor? I know the factory floor is not smooth, so wondering if it need some prep or a thin underlay?

[@ourkaravan]

I did, the vinyl is floating on top of the factory floor. I have various cabinetry sitting on the vinyl and have zero issues with anything stretching or shrinking. I did use a pretty thick vinyl (label says 15 mil 115 gauge), which is thick enough for the pattern in the factory wood floor to not translate onto the vinyl.

[@tontonn9995]

Looks like you sealed the edge of the floor with a white material in other videos- What did you use? Is it permanent? TIA

[@ourkaravan]

I did...I used either a Sikaflex or Dap (not sure which) polyurethane sealant. I recommend against using silcone as it contains acids that can etch paint and cause rust issues down the road.

[@kathleennawalt9855]

Dear Mr. kenetube, very nice. Sincerely, Kathleen

[@chasincloud957]

What manufacturer sells that vinyl? Do you have a link? Looks great!

[@ourkaravan]

I'm a fan! It's Pajero 591 by Earthscapes. Funny, it happens to match the material on the Thule awning almost exactly.

[@jimkirk5079]

Ken, was the closed cell material neopreme, EPDM or Silocone?

[@ourkaravan]

Hi Jim, I used a mix of 1/4" and 3/8" "cross-linked polyethylene" from foambymail.com. Hope that helps! -Ken

[@jimkirk5079]

@@ourkaravan Perfect - thanks!

[@stevebrown6665]

Greetings from the UK Did the seat come from Uberbus? Lovely job so far, looking forward to the next videos

[@velozp1]

Nice video. Did u glue down the vinyl floor?

[@ourkaravan]

Thanks! No, I left the floor floating because I was worried about expansion and contraction as the temps change. I haven't seen any movement with it floating.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Looks great but I'd hate to lose that height

[@timogronroos4642]

Why didn't you fix it with couple of screws? You had wood under it already in the first solution.

[@GeezWizWorld]

Polyiso, wood and foam have different hardness factors. They may be ok layered on top of each other with equal weight distribution but in pieces like that, its a disaster. The polyiso isn't made to support weight and will crumble over time, the foam will compress and the wood won't. Just because they are the same thickness means very little.

[@ourkaravan]

The polyisocanurate is rated at something like 20 psi. The fact that there is polyiso as well wood battons with 1/2" plywood over the top, the floor will never be subjected to anywhere near 20psi. All of the cabinetry is sitting on the battened-sections.

[@millerhoo]

Cool!

[@e.simons6964]

Pool table slate IS heavy! Humm... Pool table slate floor? O.K.!

[@williamryan7403]

Youre never going to get that floor up with siliflex.

[@kelisbest4406]

why yall like ur own comments