Gideon33w
Well-known member
On the new build I had a bit of a problem ... With such a small budget I really wasn't willing to spend the money on insulation. This was exaggerated by the fact that I live in Arizona and insulation definitely benefits in the cold more than the heat. BUT ... I had an idea and a few things laying around ...
Once I cut the wall panels to fit I flipped them over and laid down a coating of 3M spray adhesive. Already had it but I think it's about $10 a can. One can is enough for this on all panels. Once the adhesive was tacky I applied a layer of mylar. AKA "space blanket" material. Pulled taught, layed down, and smoothed by hand. I already had a bunch of these but one $3 space blanket available from Walmart is only a little smaller than a 4x8 wall panel. You can get a whole roll of the stuff on Amazon for cheap too. The large air gap between the panels and the van walls/windows is plenty of space for a radiant barrier (that's all the mylar is, NOT insulation) to do its job well.
The results ? ...
Well, I temporarily put up a section without the mylar laminated on the back to test side by side. Now, my results may be a little exaggerated since I have a window van and I paneled over most of the windows too but ... WOW ... The unlaminated panels would get hot to the touch on the interior side during the really brutal hours here in Arizona in July. The laminated panels? They got warm but never hot.
Plus, with the 5% tint on the windows and the very reflective mylar behind it the windows are VERY nicely blacked out. The little bit of light which makes it through the heavy tint just gets bounced back out.
Also, unlike foams or fiberglass this can't move, fall down, come unstuck, or squeak. Plus, it literally only adds a hairs width of thickness. No space sacrifice.
Is this better than insulation? No. --- It's just a radiant barrier --- Is this a cheap and easy option for warm environments which has a pretty noticeable improvement? Absolutely.
Now ... Do this AND have proper insulation and you'll really have something. Let me know if you give this a shot
Once I cut the wall panels to fit I flipped them over and laid down a coating of 3M spray adhesive. Already had it but I think it's about $10 a can. One can is enough for this on all panels. Once the adhesive was tacky I applied a layer of mylar. AKA "space blanket" material. Pulled taught, layed down, and smoothed by hand. I already had a bunch of these but one $3 space blanket available from Walmart is only a little smaller than a 4x8 wall panel. You can get a whole roll of the stuff on Amazon for cheap too. The large air gap between the panels and the van walls/windows is plenty of space for a radiant barrier (that's all the mylar is, NOT insulation) to do its job well.
The results ? ...
Well, I temporarily put up a section without the mylar laminated on the back to test side by side. Now, my results may be a little exaggerated since I have a window van and I paneled over most of the windows too but ... WOW ... The unlaminated panels would get hot to the touch on the interior side during the really brutal hours here in Arizona in July. The laminated panels? They got warm but never hot.
Plus, with the 5% tint on the windows and the very reflective mylar behind it the windows are VERY nicely blacked out. The little bit of light which makes it through the heavy tint just gets bounced back out.
Also, unlike foams or fiberglass this can't move, fall down, come unstuck, or squeak. Plus, it literally only adds a hairs width of thickness. No space sacrifice.
Is this better than insulation? No. --- It's just a radiant barrier --- Is this a cheap and easy option for warm environments which has a pretty noticeable improvement? Absolutely.
Now ... Do this AND have proper insulation and you'll really have something. Let me know if you give this a shot