Floor Insulation

Thought I would post here about being warm in my van. 

We have a Nissan NV2500 High Top Cargo Van. Insulated it extremely well on the roof, sides, back and floor.
Insulating the front cab area on any van I think is difficult to do. So stuffing comforters up in the foot area while
parked is helpful, too.

Most vans, or vehicles, probably have cold floor areas. Even the floor in a house is cold unless you have radiant heat in your floor. This would certainly be nice in my van.  But, I don't have radiant heat. 

As I have gotten older, it seems I am more susceptible to the cold.  I do not like my lower legs and feet to
be cold.  So...

On top of the floor we initially installed:  insulation on the bare metal of the van, then a 3/4" plywood covered with
good wearing office type carpet.  Realizing the cold on the floor I found a large roll of rubber backed carpet. I
believe this is like what you would put in an entry way.  Then, I bought very large bath mats with the rubber
backing and covered my floor.  I think this has really helped keep the van a bit warmer, plus it is nice and soft to
walk on. The bath mats can be vacuumed, shook out, and even washed.

Any other ideas to keep your floor warm without using a heater or furnace?

Nissi, wish you had posted this a month ago.  Only put 1 sheet of insulation and plywood flooring in my Ram Promaster 2500 high top.  Also bought a thin rug to put on area I will be walking on.  Hate when my feet get cold.  I noticed in Europe some vanners are putting in heated flooring in their vans.  Doubt solar is enough to run these so I didn't look into it any further. Check out you tubes on this I saw quite a few.

ColdBrook

I used 1/2 inch foil faced poly, covered with 3/4 inch plywood. A few throw rugs make cleaning easier. I thought about hydroponic heating from engine block. But time was short and other projects called.

ColdBrook said:

Nissi, wish you had posted this a month ago.  Only put 1 sheet of insulation and plywood flooring in my Ram Promaster 2500 high top.  Also bought a thin rug to put on area I will be walking on.  Hate when my feet get cold.  I noticed in Europe some vanners are putting in heated flooring in their vans.  Doubt solar is enough to run these so I didn't look into it any further. Check out you tubes on this I saw quite a few.

ColdBrook

Click to expand...

Kat it is not too late!   

Got the rugs at Sam's.  I think they were a little cheaper, for the size and quality, than I
was able to find anywhere else. Those at WallyWorld and other stores were not as thick
as these from Sam's.  I have used them for several years and really like them. They wear
really well, also.

They also work well under our feet when driving or traveling. I fold them in half and they
are nice and fluffy.   When Pete is driving I love the way the thick fluffy feels on my feet
without my shoes. So very relaxing!

These in front are great to use outside the van on the ground to clean our feet and leave
our shoes on when in the van, too.

A good pair of slippers makes all the difference in the world for me.

I also use rugs (sometimes stacked) on the linoleum floor of my RV and I think it makes a world of difference.

Opinions about insulation of van floors is all over the place. I just have a rubber backed "hall' rug and wear the insulated booties Bob Wells recommends.

My floor is wood laminate. Only use the rug when it's cold because the wood floor is easier to keep clean. Many laundromats don't want rubber backed rugs washed in their machines.

dextours said:

Opinions about insulation of van floors is all over the place. I just have a rubber backed "hall' rug and wear the insulated booties Bob Wells recommends.

Click to expand...

I bought those insulated booties Bob recommended too.  They are very nice but are so big they come off when I wear them at night to keep my feet warm...think I will need to safety pin them to my pjs..LOL.

Bob W doesn't think floor insulation is worth it, others think at least a single sheet of Isoboard (R-3 or more) is enough, especially if you use a throw or like Bob recommends, the booties/double socks or whatever slippers.

Since heat rises and we want to retain winter heat, it does seem to make more sense to work on insulation in the roof area if there is a choice. I mean, in a sticks and bricks house, the most common flooring is a cement slab, with only carpet pad and carpet or laminate directly over the concrete. It makes for a colder floor in the winter but a cooler one in the summer...

All depends on - besides just how feezing it gets where you are - how susceptible you are to the cold, how long you're in those conditions, how much fuel you're willing to burn and so on.

A ski bum vs following the 70's, completely different.

If insulating against the cold, then R-value ratios something like this

floor::walls::roof
3 :: 4 :: 6

are ideal

If regular aircon usage against hot conditions only, then reverse.

If both then even all round.

Getting a tight vapor barrier, cutting down on air movement (convection) - only the ventilation you control - and eliminationg metal conductive bridging, are just as important as R-values.

People willing to move to stay in a comfortable spot, or very hardened against discomfort will quite rightly see such details as overkill.

ColdBrook said:

I bought those insulated booties Bob recommended too.  They are very nice but are so big they come off when I wear them at night to keep my feet warm...think I will need to safety pin them to my pjs..LOL.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have more room for some warm socks in there!