Securing the Floor?

[climberslacker]

Going to be starting to actually build out my van (2001 Dodge Ram Van!) in the next few days. Its purpose will be to be my home in the summer while on extended climbing trips. Any tips on best layouts for climbing are definitely welcome as a PM or as a reply!

Anyways, I've seen a mix of opinions on whether or not I need to secure the floor of the van. I'm planning on either 1/2" or 3/4" PolyIso on the floor covered with 3/4" plywood and a layer of click-style vinyl flooring. I've seen some people say that they didn't secure the floor, instead relying on friction to keep everything in place. 

Is this the standard recommendation? If not, what is the best (easiest) way of tying down the floor?

Thanks!

 

[Almost There]

It's my standard recommendation that if you're going to be attaching furniture components to the floor then there is no real need to secure the floor to the van floor. Doing so just puts screw or bolt holes through the floor which if not properly sealed will allow water/dirt etc to penetrate below the wooden floor causing all kinds of problems.

If you lay your plywood floor out with the final positioning of bed and cabinets in mind it is possible to have the various components secure each floor panel against each other in addition to friction fitting them against the walls of the van.

For example, I laid a full sheet of plywood running from just behind the driving compartment at the passenger side, cutting in the passenger edge to conform with the side wall of the van. The next 1/2 sheet (2' x 8') ran from the drivers side and matched the full sheet at both the front and rear edges. Then a 3rd piece was put in filling in the rear of the van.

The kitchen cabinets cover the seam between the full sheet and the 2'x8' piece and the bed from secures the rear piece to both of the two front pieces.

Pic of the floor layout in post 58, page 6 of https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Building-Arabella

I'd also caution about the value of laying down polyiso without building a frame around it to support the plywood floor. Human weight walking/crawling around in the van will crush the polyiso thereby wrecking it's insulative properties. If you really want to use the polyiso then lay 1x2 either on it's wide side for 3/4" spacing or on it's side for 1 1/2" insulation. The plywood would then rest on the strapping rather than directly on the polyiso.

 

[akrvbob]

In 14 years of living on wheels almost nothing of mine has been secured to the vehicle, and it has never once been a problem of any kind.

I consider it greatly overrated.

I also don't recommend insulation on the floor, it's also overrated. Let the floor be cold, just get a pair of down booties and elevate your feet. Much better than losing the headroom.
Bob

 

[Reducto]

My first floor I screwed down because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. My current one is just floating and has not budged at all. You'll have plenty weighing it down and probably things attached to it and the walls which will hold it in place.

If the polyiso I have in my floor were getting crushed I think I would have noticed it under my middle right bed leg by now. Most of my considerable weight is concentrated right there when getting in and out of bed and the laminate flooring seems to be spreading the load well enough that it is not buckling a bit.

I don't know if the insulation helps but it's only 1/2 inch and I like my floor warm. It also keeps the metal floor from getting scratched or wet. I can use screws that poke through my floor a bit without hitting metal.

3/4 plywood seems like overkill to me - I guess it's good for screwing down furniture but I'm happy without any.

 

[BradKW]

One method that I've seen a few times and found appealing is to "glue" furring strips to the floor ribs using 3M 5200 marine adhesive caulk (or PL Premium to save a few bucks).

The spaces between the strips is filled with rigid polyiso board, then 1/2" plywood is screwed to the furring strips. (3/4" ply is way overkill). The furring stips are either 3/4" or 1/2" thick.

The advantages to this method are: 1) a secure, insulated floor, 2) ability to use variety of fastener lengths as you build an not worry about hitting metal floor, and 3) no floor penetrations.

Disadvantages are: 1) more labor intensive, 2) more expensive.

Important note about using 5200 (and some other adhesives): it is NOT desirable to squeeze all the product out from between the two surfaces. If using a few screws to hold things in place, use some washers as spacers between the metal and wood to prevent this.