Van flooring

[Trekking]

Do you folks put down reflex first then put down your foam board down then your subfloor or skip the reflex and just put doun 1 inch or so of foam board.

 

[MrNoodly]

My cargo van came with rubber flooring over a jute backing. In areas where my feet touch the floor I added cheap outdoor carpeting. That has worked fine for me, even barefooted, down to freezing temperatures. I suspect the jute does most of the insulating. I don't think Reflectix is of much use on floors. It works against radiated heat/cold. It's supposed to be used not touching anything, otherwise it eventually reaches the ambient temperature of whatever it's touching -- except where it reflects light. If you're starting with a bare floor, just put down the foam board then the flooring.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Our 15 passenger Dodge has a thin foam under the rubber mat. Its in good condition, so I'm going to put 1/2" foam down, with tempered hardboard covered with sheet linoleum. We'll add a throw rug for winter in the area we jokingly call "the salon" (we be high tone van junkies, LOL).

Walls and ceiling have similar behind the panels, so those will get insulated too. One step at a time, but we'll get lots of travel in while we're doing the deed also.

 

[highdesertranger]

I think there is a thread on this very subject. I like closed cell foam. molds to uneven surfaces well, will not absorb moisture, and is an excellent insulator. also it gives you some padding if you lay carpet right on top. highdesertranger

 

[Reducto]

Reflectix won't give you much insulation. I used 1/4" blue foam. First I cut pieces to fill in the low spots and spray glued them into place. Once it was relatively level I put down a full layer of the 1/4", then 1/2" plywood, then stick-on tiles. The tiles have not proved themselves worthy over time - next time I will probably just put laminate wood flooring right over the foam.

The reason I only used a single 1/4" layer of foam is I have limited interior height in my van. If I had a full size van, especially a high-top, I'd use more layers or something thicker.

 

[adi]

I have my basic floor done. It is a cargo van, so it was bare metal. First was fatmat/dynamat sound deadening. After that it was reflectix to a seam on the walls about 2 inches from the floor. It was taped along all seams to act as a vapor barrier. Next was a framework of 2x2 painted and screwed together. On top of this was 1/2 in ply, 4 pieces to get it to fit and easier to manage. On top of this was a rubber/carpet mat that came with the van.

In the future, the empty spaces between the 2x2 frame will be filled in with either rigid insulation or loose denim. Once furniture is built, it will either be hardwood or secured carpet.

 

[MrNoodly]

So you've sacrificed almost 3" of headroom for the sake of your floor? Wow. You must be in a very cold climate that makes that kind of insulation necessary.

My floor gets cool sometimes, but the only thing that touches it is my feet. I find it easier to wear shoes to keep my feet warm.

 

[adi]

Actually in desert southwest. I figure it's a good idea to have some insulation from the pavement storing and radiating all the heat. I figure if its too hot to walk barefoot on, the giant metal floor of the van is going to transfer that heat to the interior. I also have a diesel, so the exhaust creates a warm path as well.

This also saves a few future headaches. I don't have to worry about insulating my fresh/grey water, or re-engineering the insulation if I have to change my floorplan. Same for battery bank (not as big of an issue but capacity can drop 30-40% when temperature drops from here. Just mount to the plywood, and it has minimum R9-R10 on the floor.

And as far as losing space, I'm ok with that. I'm not building anything too fancy, just a movable metal tent that can get me places. Can't stand up anyways in standard roof, so I'm not going from standing room to bending by having ~2.5 inches taken on the floor and most likely 2 inches on the roof.

 

[TALLMAN]

Have 96 RV with faded carpet, has anyone tried this.
How to Dye Carpet: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
www.wikihow.com/Dye-Carpet Cached
How to Dye Carpet. Carpet inside of a home or vehicle often becomes stained and discolored long ... Hire a professional to clean and dye your carpets

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Have 96 RV with faded carpet, has anyone tried this.
How to Dye Carpet: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
www.wikihow.com/Dye-Carpet Cached
How to Dye Carpet. Carpet inside of a home or vehicle often becomes stained and discolored long ... Hire a professional to clean and dye your carpets

For a small area like a van or RV I would think a complete replacement would make more sense. You can often find carpet remnants and small lots of flooring at a huge discount and installation is fairly easy.