Sealing Inside of Van with Compound

[user 29503]

I am in the stages of taking care of the little rust spots inside of the van after I tore everything out. Once I'm done I thought of doing something to promote longevity of the van. My thought, however unoriginal, was to spray the entire inside with Raptor white bed liner, or at least the floor.

Or- Fork over some dough at a Line-X vendor and have the inside done.

My sole purpose for doing this is to make my van as waterproof as possible.  I no I'm not going to eliminate moisture but I want to deny rust a chance anyway I can.  I understand that this will either take substantial effort/time and/or money.  I am willing to go to this length to preserve my "beloved" though.

Will this help?  Is it risky, as in, will it end up trapping moisture between the walls and the coating in some way (on the happenstance it is not done correctly)?  I guess most importantly, are other van-lifer's doing this? Should I not do it?

 

[highdesertranger]

I moved your thread to the "Van" sub-forum. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

Car restorers replace metal, treat and deal with rust all the time but an old rusty van might not be worth welding new panels in which is really the best way to deal with rust. Once the rust has been removed or converted And the surface prepared for primer and paint. Holes need to be repaired and prepared for paint as well. Once you get a good coat of primer on a coat of automotive paint should be plenty of protection. If you want to put an additional coating on just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and it should be fine. The prep work will determine how long it lasts and how good it looks so take your time and make sure you get rid of or convert all rust as well as insure all surfaces are clean before you paint.

 

[grummy]

98% of a vehicles rust problems start from what you do not see, inside lower panels and pinch welds. Ths means the painted surfaces you SEE are less important to protect than what you do not see.

If you want to protect a vehicle from future rust, you have to put something into the specific areas where the rust starts, and this is primarily areas low to the body and in pinch welds. Door bottoms, tailgate bottoms, rocker panesl all rust inside early on when not protected because water is slower to dry out or run away in those areas.

The very, very best product there is for this in my opinion is a product called FLUID FILM. Spray this in every possible opening, every possible crack making sure the area is coated, and rust will only show up where you failed to get it. You can purchase it in spray cans and also purchase really long spray "Straws" that will let you get into every door or rocker panel without taking very much apart.

When you see these late model pickup trucks with the rear fenders rusted out, know that this could have been practically avoided if the owner would have simply removed the tail lights and shot the area full of Fluid film. This product will travel up hill as well while it creeps into even the smallest crack.

It's an interesting product. Smells like the wool of a sheep farm for a while but goes away, is not a harmful chemical, makes your hands really smooth, and also doubles as one of the very best lubricants I have ever used. Protects rubber, electrical wires and a billion other things. Google it. It does stay "wet", but as it weeps out of the pinchwelds, it can easily be wiped off. Awesome product.

I have bought a new vehicle and literally soaked that rascal in it. I'm positive it will look better than others 20 years from now.

 

[riptorn]

Presuming you only have rust and not cancer , Never ever cover bare metel or rust with silicon/calk or puty of any kind !! , Check into a product called -  POR-15  - then go from there,
This is not Advise , Just something to consider
As for bed liner, Check into a product called - Lizard Skin - Sprayed 8gal in my '16 & love it , First 2 coats sound proof second 2 coats inslation (pepole think I bed linerd it) , No longer driving a coffee can

 

[user 29503]

Hey Riptorn, I will check on all the suggested above.  I'm going to re-ask my question a little more accurately, and a little more concisely.  But first, my rust issues are extremely minimal, in fact surface if you could call it that.  I got lucky and the van is really clean.  I did plan on taking care of those areas with primer and covering up the bare metal.  I guess I should have mentioned that in my original post.  So that being said, would you still say it would be a good idea to spray some type of liner material, at least on the floor?  Will it aid in anything or will the primer and paint pretty much do all I can hope to happen?

 

[bullfrog]

Most likely, especially if you use unvented propane heat you will get condensation which is why ventilation is so important. As long as you don’t have continuous wet material or puddles of water against the paint it should be fine. High traffic areas like floors can be coated with coatings like bed liner but it must be applied properly so it sticks and forms a good seal to the base paint. I use carpet runners so I can remove them for cleaning or if I spill something I can hang them up to dry. The slick surface of the automotive paint allows me to use a microfiber towel to easily wipe up water and keep it clean. For me simple is better. If it gets scratched up I just use a roller or brush and repaint.

 

[riptorn]

Rabbit , surface rust sounds encouraging , Some automotive primer's arn't water proof , Read and make sure it's water/moisture proof I'd still lean strong towards - POR-15 - as rust/bare metal primer not seeing your van , any half decent auto body supplier should have it on the shelf , If it says 24 hours to full cure after last coat give it 48 the more humid or cooler the longer before top coat no mater what you use , Also about preprime prep , after cleaning wipe area with lacquer thiner or 90% rubbing alcohol , There are other degreasers you can use but stay away from things like mineral spirits (any thing that will leave an oil film & that includes gas)
Remember This is not Advice  just my thoughts

 

[riptorn]

What make model& year? 
If your only doing the floor in bed liner  , I'd look into a factory rubber floor cover instead ,
If you insist on bed liner Don't go black go light as you can stand or color match , Also on the net look up EastWood auto look for glass micro beads (name slips me at the moment old timers) mix in liner then apply 
Pre liner prep , degrease , scuff with scotch brite rewipe with degreaser 
Like always THIS  IS NOT ADVICE  just something to consider

 

[Matlock]

Just sand off the rust and then primer and paint the finish color. Use a low VOC product, read the label or ask at the hardware before you buy. Bed liner on the inside will smell and off gas for months. I can't imagine trying to sleep inside a metal box with that lingering smell.

Anyway as mentioned above, fluid film all the seams a week after painting and your good.

just my ol 2¢

 

[wayne49]

That is what I was wondering about bed liner. It is not intended for interior usage.

Someone may make a similar product for the floor in a cargo vans, but that alone wouldn't guarantee no off gassing. The expectation would not be 24x7 human habitation versus a driver on a 8-10 hour shift.