To make a template I always use old newspapers. They are easy to fold into all the shapes, tape the pieces together then lay them on a big sheet of card. Ive used this on numerous camper conversions and trailer and RV rugs.😊
Maybe I missed it (probably did) - but it would help to state what the objectives of the build are. Like -- will have a sealed outlet for 120 V AC Shore power, switchable to Solar Panel / battery with 6000 watt storage. On board 120V AC, 12v /24v DC...etc. Also - some links to purchase the components. Excellent schematic diagram - what software did you use? Love your builds! Keep posting!
The foam in insulation. If you compress insulation of any kind you lose most of the R value. So his method was correct in choosing to sacrifice a small amount of R value but retaining the majority of the R value. However there are better materials tor this purpose. Their system is Flammable. Marine 5/8" Coosa board and 10MM strips of plus 10mm Areogel blanket will will create a R50ish Rating, Non Flammable and allow for wiring to be run.
Your videos are sooo good! They are giving me confidence to do a build myself. Loved the comment in one video where you put a blanket down as to not scratch you workbench with the solar panel!!😂😂. I saw several people ask about the source of the L tracks: I didn’t see a response: also, do you know if they are DOT approved for seats? Thanks for everything!!!
Thank you for the video, that was a nice project. Mainly I want you thank you for the volume on the background music. So many times on other peoples videos, the background music is so loud, it distracts from the video.
Good job on the L Track installation. I had hard points on the floor of my Promaster City to work with. My floor covering was a vinyl interlocking, floating floor. As for the aluminum moulding, I attached it with construction adhesive. The floor itself is 3/4” Extruded polystyrene, supported by 1x3 battens, and covered by 3/4” plywood. I wanted to maintain a 1000lb cargo capacity which is why I laid down the 1x3 battens. The floor looks good, stays reasonably comfortable, even in below freezing temperatures.
@@Anand1111988I used construction adhesive to secure the battens. I didn’t apply the adhesive along the whole length of the battens, only in spots along them. This allowed the adhesive to secure the battens and allowed easy removal if need be. Hope this helps.
This is an excellent video, very thorough and helpful, thank you! How did you decide where to put the L-track? Do you have an interior plan? What's the wheeled shop stool you're on in last week's solar video? it looks great.
Good question! The 'outside' L-Track was placed 'as close as it made sense' to the wheel well, parallel to the wall so that the cabinets had a good place to attach on the floor. The 'middle' L-Track was 10" from that, which is how wide the seats we will use will be. The forward and rear 'middle' L-Track was just 4' sections for the seats in the front and bike trays or table in the back.
@@EXPLORISTlife Nate, do you know of any resources that advise where or where not to drill through a 170 Sprinter floor for installing L Track? We are planning on installing L Track, as you have, but we have a Sprinter. Just looking for some advice on the best configuration for us. Thanks for the great informative resources!
Another option for templates if you don’t want to use cardboard is buying patterning paper. We use it in flooring to make templates for cutting in vinyl or marmoleum or safety floor. Your method also works though :) also rolling the carpet prior to installing the tracks would make it faster. And you can sometimes use a shop broom, flipped upside down so bristles stick up and slide the wood or plastic bottom along the floor to use it as a roller. Looks great!
The advice I have seen on other videos, and a bus mechanic who was sourcing some seats for me, was that the rail should be secured underneath using plates rather than washers that go across two or more holes. Thoughts?
I've been wondering how I was going to cover that back end of my floor and was thinking aluminum angle but I was stumped on how I could bend it to match that curve. So thanks for the great idea as I like your solution. I'll look for some c channel, but knowing the angle can do an ok job is reassuring and loving that method of making that bend...
Next time, lay the flooring upside down, put your subfloor upside down on the fabric, and cut the fabric by tracing around the edges. Much easier to cut that way
Hello, I was wondering if you could link us to the L-track, and L-track end cap you guys used in this video. I'm also after the cutout dimensions (hole saw diameter, and width of cutout) you used to recess the track into the floor. Any insight is much appreciated! Thanks for the awesome video keep up the good work!
How did you position your L-Track to avoid drilling into the gas tank, brake lines, electrical lines, etc.? When I look at the Ford 2022MY BEMM (I presume the 2021 model year is the same) it appears you are very close to, or on top of, their no-drill zones as shown on pages 162-165.
Yeah, VERY close. I was underneath taking measurements and making sure we didn't drill through anything while Steph was up top drilling holes. We did have to drop the fuel tank and the exhaust to make sure we didn't hit anything and to be able to tighten the bolts. Definitely a necessity to not drill before knowing what's on the back-side.
@@EXPLORISTlife Would it have been feasible to use rivnuts or plusnuts and do all fasteners from inside the van instead of having to lower the fuel and exhaust to access the bolts on the underside of the van?
@@erikmyklestad4817 A lot of people do that. If you're just attaching lightweight stuff like cabinets and accessories you will be fine with that method but it's not safe if you plan on attaching seats in case of an accident or if you plan on strapping down large heavy objects/motor vehicles inside either.
planning out truck sleeper ac and dc wireing system i have inverter for now would like to upgrade wattage to over1500 w as needed would like to run off alternater when on road and shore plug when parked. needs to run small fridge small microwave laptop 3 wall plugs for grinder and kettle coffee. can i get feed back on layout, parts, and wire sizes thankyou must be very durable
I guess drilling (9:40) requires some planning. you don't want to drill into a beam, or a gas tank, or god knows what's underneath the floor. maybe even better: check underneath before you even plan those tracks, and see what's possible. btw: in other van building videos i didn't see those tracks at all. assuming i'm not moving my kitchen around very often, can I just bolt it to the floor?
In flooring, we use pattern scribing. We use paper. Use a pair of dividers set to 1 inch. Put the pen or pencil part inward, and trace around the van, marking the paper . Then put the paper pattern on the flooring. Then reverse the dividers, putting the pen or pencil side outwards. Carefully follow your marks all around the pattern. Now you have a perfectly cut piece of flooring.
I just bought a 2000 search and rescue box truck from my local fire dept. Has 13. 641 original miles. It has all the bells and whistles that I need and this video just saved me a lot of money thank you thank you thank you
Wow... Such detail and precision. Your explaination of intentions and technique are so thorough that they transcend your specific application. You've opened my mind to a whole new level of possibility and approach. Even though your tasks are very specific to your wants, the sharing of the indepth process makes it applicable to other people's wishes. Amazing teachers and designers. Thank you for showing me the way. There is, 'good enough' and there is, 'as good as it can be.' this video is a clear demonstration of the latter.👏
Next time look up Aluminum Stair Nosing for trimming out the viewable edges of what you installed by the doors. Also, maybe use NOICO sound deadening between the ribs on the floors for a quieter interior under the insulation and ply. Great Value and sticks where you put it and can be stacked as thick as you need. Carpet and Tile Installer wholesalers to the trades have a lot of products to choose for all kinds of finished looks and waterproof if wanted. Another tool on your belt for professional results.
What a waste of time & energy! I'm using a composite product called Thermo-Lite. Won't rot, won't warp, sound proof & a great insulater!!! Cut it with a hand saw. Glues & screws! Why bother with all this technical cutting out stuff???? You are making a "simple" project into a "monster"!!!! 😱
Bro, it’s going to blow your mind when you learn the concept of "doing whatever the fuck you want”. 😂. If we wanted the easy way out, we wouldn’t have built anything at all and just started talking shit on others people’s projects from the safety of behind a computer screen. That’s SUPER easy.
Hey Nate and Steph! Your content has been pivotal for me, so thank you so very much. I'm curious if you'd do this again, and specifically curious if the Polyiso/XPS is going to compress over time and compression set? Would you repeat it this way, or consider adding load bearing joists etc?
Love the quality finish of your work. Definitely more time is spent with some pretty tedious steps, but the end result looks professional, durable, and beautiful.. Well worth the extra effort. Great job, guys!
Sorry, but putting MASSIVE AMOUNT of Adverts put me off watching and made me NOT subscribe to your channel…! Maybe think about your followers more than MONEY next time…! 👋🏻👋🏻 Bye Bye.
Watching you install the L-track had me comparing the relative strength of the similar structure I just removed from an old Chevy conversion van. They built a structure to strengthen the floor so that it could safely attach the seats and belts. The thing was just massive! It was steel, and it probably weighs 100 pounds, including the OSB they used to fill in the spaces between steel rails. It was almost two inches thick. I'm going to enjoy the added headroom now that it's gone! I almost never have passengers in the van, so the only seat that will be attached to the floor is the rear sofa' bed from the conversion van. without passengers sitting there, it doesn't need that massive steel structure to hold it in place. I'm planning to bolt it down again using the same bolt holes in the floor, and recycle the bolts. On the subject of recycling, I'll also recycle the washers that they used under the van, to reinforce the strength of the sheet metal floor around the bolts. The washers are massive, heavy steel and huge!
doesn't going through the floor introduce MASSIVE cold bridges and undo the complete isolation? ... (yeah it does i'm pretty sure) thanks for the great tips though, materials and methods
Could you have just shifted the insulation and zip system wood by 2" offset so you didn't have to do a shiplap joint? Maybe yours came with the insulation glued already?
I was wondering - what is the purpose of raising the flooring using the foam board strips to match the ridges of the van? Is this step necessary, or can I just place the R sheathing directly on top of the van metal floor? Thanks!
Curious how this woven vinyl does with dirt (like actual particles of dirt, sand, crumbs, etc). We've been thinking we wanted to avoid anything that would have small cracks/crevices/texture that would make sweeping that stuff out difficult. I'd think as a woven material, this would be filled with those types of small voids? Easily swept out? You guys have made Sunday (drearily dubbed "the end of the weekend" at our house) a day we look forward to with your weekly video drops. Thanks for brightening the end of the weekend! ;)
Sweeping sand out would be difficult. That would be a job for a shop vac at the car wash. We are choosing more texture and grip over easy to sweep out this time around. Vacuuming should be a part of any regular cleaning, though, anyway as sweeping rarely gets into the nooks and crannies enough for me.
No. We did a fantastic job. Period. Thanks for watching though and there are 1000 different ways to do things and if you feel you know a better way, do that in your own build and keep your trap shut about others doing it differently than you.
Why does everybody think they need branding & marketing for their camper van life. There are a billion of you. Get over yourselves. But thanks for the tips.
Hey there, big guy! I'm sorry you've got so much negativity going on in your life that you have to spend your time coming to my channel to talk shit. Maybe logging off of the internet for a bit and going for a walk or hanging out with friends if you have any may help. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope your day gets better. 🙂
I'm looking at bolting L track to my Sprinter floor and, looking at the underside, the outside edges of the van are open and clear but the next bays inward have the muffler with heat shield on one side and the gas tank on the other. It doesn't look like you dropped these for bolt access so just wondering how this was dealt with.
IDK... that's just not what we did. Ultimately though, I didn't have any need to zip sheathing off-cuts; so those were going to the landfill regardless of how big they were.
Of all of the stuff that wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat; the performance reduction of polyiso in cold weather is most definitely not one of them.
I'm having trouble locating a source for the Zip System R-sheathing in the Four Corners. Do you a source in the Denver area? Thanks for a great video! Very helpful in creating a subfloor.
@@EXPLORISTlife Thanks so much for your quick reply. I called Alpine Lumber in Telluride ($98.82/sheet) and Durango ($107.72/sheet) but saw that Huber Wood also lists Home Depot as a possible vendor. I called several Home Depot sites in Denver and none could call it up in their system. Then a young guy here at the Pro Desk in the Durango Home Depot went all out and found it for $85.39/sheet. Thanks again for your great videos and for sharing your knowledge and experience.
At the risk of sounding like an asshole; I used my eyes. 🤣 Idk, I just looked at it for a while, took a bunch of measurements, rolled around under the van a bit and made sure everything was going to line up and then let 'er rip.
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing :). Do you remember the diameter of the hole you cut out for the spare tire access? Doing the same now and I'm struggling to find a small enough marine deck plate for a 2.5" access hole I cut into my floor.
Just curious. Don't you want to leave a little air circulation in your van floor for water or humidity to dry out? It seems like humidity always find ways to get in.
I'm not too worried about massive airflow under the floor because everything under the floor is waterproof or water resistant; so everything should dry out naturally given adequate ventilation of the van itself.
Zipwall would not be my choice. It doesn't hold screws well at all, like any other particle board. And if you let it soak it will start falling apart. Regular plywood would have a better resistance to soaking and can actually hold screws. So to anyone watching, unless you got the zipwall free, then look at some 1/2" cabinet or marine grade ply first!
Never will our floor ever be submerged for any length of time, so that's not an issue. And it doesn't need to hold screws since we installed the l-track. Glad to clear up your concerns!
@EXPLORISTlife the stuff is sweet! I've installed it on homes (which is how I know what happens when it stays soaking lol) it is absolutely usually in the way you guys installed it. I'm just a weirdo that like to be able to screw anywhere lol
Very helpful video. Gave me a lot of ideas. Was 3/8” insulation too thin? Hot knife seemed like way too much. I would think spray foam and then shaving it down would be less labor intensive and faster. Lastly-why not get bigger angle iron and cut it down to the right height rather than a second piece under the first?
I would have happily done the insulation calculation but then you referred to me as a nerd and so now I don't want to. So there. hmmmmmfff. More seriously though, at 15:45, do you do anything to protect from the 90 degree aluminum angle?
I love this! I have been going back and forth with various ideas of how I want to do my floor, and this would be very suitable for my needs. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and expertise!
Where did you source fasteners for L track to floor? I can only find 1 ½ Inch and that doesn't seem long enough to reach through the van floor. Thanks!
Hey there, big guy! I'm sorry you've got so much negativity going on in your life that you have to spend your time coming to my channel to talk shit on my projects. Maybe logging off of the internet for a bit and going for a walk or hanging out with friends if you have any may help. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope your day gets better. 🙂
Thanks for putting link to flooring in the description, and about 20 more times in the chat ;-). Has this floor passed the ski boot test? Asking for a friend. . .
Yeah; anything you add to the floor decreases head room but omitting insulation altogether on the floor sure would make for a cold van in the winter. 😬
Very nice pro tutorial. How do you like this floor material after use for a few months? Is it easy to clean, is the sand not penetrating , how about if is get wet, stain coffee, wine spill , mud, itc. Thank you
Agh the zip sheathing! Such a good idea.
Yeah, super easy to work with.
@@EXPLORISTlife definitely! And much cheaper than priming Baltic birch like I did
Curious, why the wall and not the subfloor variety?
To make a template I always use old newspapers. They are easy to fold into all the shapes, tape the pieces together then lay them on a big sheet of card. Ive used this on numerous camper conversions and trailer and RV rugs.😊
Nice!
Maybe I missed it (probably did) - but it would help to state what the objectives of the build are. Like -- will have a sealed outlet for 120 V AC Shore power, switchable to Solar Panel / battery with 6000 watt storage. On board 120V AC, 12v /24v DC...etc. Also - some links to purchase the components.
Excellent schematic diagram - what software did you use?
Love your builds! Keep posting!
There's a full playlist for this build if you check out our channel home page.
I use Microsoft visio for all diagrams.
Have to ask ,where did you get the table that holds your portable band saw… I would like to order one
Cheers
Gobear
Ah yes, that thing is great. It's from SWAG Offroad: amzn.to/3TB4xrI
@@EXPLORISTlife
Thanks ..I found it ..the link however takes me to Amazon ..Oscillating Multitool Saw Blades
Looks bad ass. Thanks Don
Nice and profesional
Thank you! Cheers!
Where’d you source your L-track?
I think the foam would have compressed down to the correct height.
The foam in insulation. If you compress insulation of any kind you lose most of the R value. So his method was correct in choosing to sacrifice a small amount of R value but retaining the majority of the R value. However there are better materials tor this purpose. Their system is Flammable.
Marine 5/8" Coosa board and 10MM strips of plus 10mm Areogel blanket will will create a R50ish Rating, Non Flammable and allow for wiring to be run.
Aluminum is easy to solder, next time to keep it together.
Yeah, maybe. Like I said, I'll learn how to weld aluminum for next time.
Would have been nice to have you explain how you determined where to install the L-tracks. Otherwise, a great video. Thanks.
I also want to know this
Me too
WHAT IF SOME SORT OF PIPES PENETRATED BY RANDOM L-TRACK INSTALLATION
It’s a good thing you didn’t say fast and efficient or economical. I can’t image how many hours that took. It looks really well done though
“Gave osha the finger” made me spit out my food
😂😂😂
@@EXPLORISTlife That, the Cardboard Aided Design program, and the polyiso R-value coefficient divided by the hypotenuse... :)
Your videos are sooo good! They are giving me confidence to do a build myself. Loved the comment in one video where you put a blanket down as to not scratch you workbench with the solar panel!!😂😂. I saw several people ask about the source of the L tracks: I didn’t see a response: also, do you know if they are DOT approved for seats? Thanks for everything!!!
Thank you for the video, that was a nice project. Mainly I want you thank you for the volume on the background music. So many times on other peoples videos, the background music is so loud, it distracts from the video.
Good job on the L Track installation. I had hard points on the floor of my Promaster City to work with. My floor covering was a vinyl interlocking, floating floor. As for the aluminum moulding, I attached it with construction adhesive.
The floor itself is 3/4” Extruded polystyrene, supported by 1x3 battens, and covered by 3/4” plywood. I wanted to maintain a 1000lb cargo capacity which is why I laid down the 1x3 battens. The floor looks good, stays reasonably comfortable, even in below freezing temperatures.
Looking to do my flooring using the battens approach as well. May I ask how did you secure battens to the floor? - bolted down or glued?
@@Anand1111988I used construction adhesive to secure the battens. I didn’t apply the adhesive along the whole length of the battens, only in spots along them. This allowed the adhesive to secure the battens and allowed easy removal if need be.
Hope this helps.
This is an excellent video, very thorough and helpful, thank you!
How did you decide where to put the L-track? Do you have an interior plan?
What's the wheeled shop stool you're on in last week's solar video? it looks great.
Good question! The 'outside' L-Track was placed 'as close as it made sense' to the wheel well, parallel to the wall so that the cabinets had a good place to attach on the floor. The 'middle' L-Track was 10" from that, which is how wide the seats we will use will be. The forward and rear 'middle' L-Track was just 4' sections for the seats in the front and bike trays or table in the back.
@@EXPLORISTlife Nate, do you know of any resources that advise where or where not to drill through a 170 Sprinter floor for installing L Track? We are planning on installing L Track, as you have, but we have a Sprinter. Just looking for some advice on the best configuration for us. Thanks for the great informative resources!
Is your van floor (bare metal) sprayed with something?
Another option for templates if you don’t want to use cardboard is buying patterning paper. We use it in flooring to make templates for cutting in vinyl or marmoleum or safety floor.
Your method also works though :) also rolling the carpet prior to installing the tracks would make it faster. And you can sometimes use a shop broom, flipped upside down so bristles stick up and slide the wood or plastic bottom along the floor to use it as a roller.
Looks great!
The advice I have seen on other videos, and a bus mechanic who was sourcing some seats for me, was that the rail should be secured underneath using plates rather than washers that go across two or more holes. Thoughts?
Either way. Choose whichever makes you feel more comfortable.
@EXPLORIST life - DIY Campers ok thanks. Lovely van btw
I've been wondering how I was going to cover that back end of my floor and was thinking aluminum angle but I was stumped on how I could bend it to match that curve. So thanks for the great idea as I like your solution. I'll look for some c channel, but knowing the angle can do an ok job is reassuring and loving that method of making that bend...
Next time, lay the flooring upside down, put your subfloor upside down on the fabric, and cut the fabric by tracing around the edges. Much easier to cut that way
The way we did it wasn't particularly difficult. Thanks for watching, though!
3/27/2023 Explorist life DIY Campers could help save 8 billion people and 8 billion pets!!! G'Day
Thank you for the content. How is the flooring holding up? Which SailRite flooring did you use?
Here you go! www.sailrite.com/Chilewich-Ikat-Tweed-72-Floor-Covering-Fabric
Hello, I was wondering if you could link us to the L-track, and L-track end cap you guys used in this video. I'm also after the cutout dimensions (hole saw diameter, and width of cutout) you used to recess the track into the floor. Any insight is much appreciated! Thanks for the awesome video keep up the good work!
How did you position your L-Track to avoid drilling into the gas tank, brake lines, electrical lines, etc.? When I look at the Ford 2022MY BEMM (I presume the 2021 model year is the same) it appears you are very close to, or on top of, their no-drill zones as shown on pages 162-165.
Yeah, VERY close. I was underneath taking measurements and making sure we didn't drill through anything while Steph was up top drilling holes. We did have to drop the fuel tank and the exhaust to make sure we didn't hit anything and to be able to tighten the bolts. Definitely a necessity to not drill before knowing what's on the back-side.
@@EXPLORISTlife Would it have been feasible to use rivnuts or plusnuts and do all fasteners from inside the van instead of having to lower the fuel and exhaust to access the bolts on the underside of the van?
@@erikmyklestad4817 A lot of people do that. If you're just attaching lightweight stuff like cabinets and accessories you will be fine with that method but it's not safe if you plan on attaching seats in case of an accident or if you plan on strapping down large heavy objects/motor vehicles inside either.
Do you have recs on the bolts size and type for the l track? Stainless bolts and washers? 2.5”? Thank you!
planning out truck sleeper ac and dc wireing system i have inverter for now would like to upgrade wattage to over1500 w as needed would like to run off alternater when on road and shore plug when parked. needs to run small fridge small microwave laptop 3 wall plugs for grinder and kettle coffee. can i get feed back on layout, parts, and wire sizes thankyou must be very durable
How did you calculate the placement/spacing for the L-Track?
Are you structural engineer? I enjoyed watching your video of DIY camping van conversion
I am not an engineer, no. I didn't do good enough in school to get an engineering degree. 🤣
Great video, just wondering where you purchased that flooring from?
The only thing i get from learning english is i can watch and learn from this kind of videos thank you
god bless 🙏
After careful calculation the final answer is 42.
How do you cover the aluminium rails in the floor? I guess it's not nice if your toe gets stuck in it 😅.
Great video guys.
Where did you source the L track from?
This is very helpful. I definitely won't be trying to "do it myself"! Also, I'll feel better about paying whoever _does_ insulate my van's floor. 😊
I guess drilling (9:40) requires some planning. you don't want to drill into a beam, or a gas tank, or god knows what's underneath the floor.
maybe even better: check underneath before you even plan those tracks, and see what's possible.
btw: in other van building videos i didn't see those tracks at all. assuming i'm not moving my kitchen around very often, can I just bolt it to the floor?
We did indeed measure before drilling. Thanks for tuning in!
blade in the table saw is smart, FUCKING SMART!
In flooring, we use pattern scribing. We use paper. Use a pair of dividers set to 1 inch. Put the pen or pencil part inward, and trace around the van, marking the paper . Then put the paper pattern on the flooring. Then reverse the dividers, putting the pen or pencil side outwards. Carefully follow your marks all around the pattern. Now you have a perfectly cut piece of flooring.
Nice! That sounds like a good option as well.
I just bought a 2000 search and rescue box truck from my local fire dept. Has 13. 641 original miles. It has all the bells and whistles that I need and this video just saved me a lot of money thank you thank you thank you
Very nice!
Dang, I think it's the best flooring I have ever seen, superb job!
Thanks so much!
Wow... Such detail and precision. Your explaination of intentions and technique are so thorough that they transcend your specific application. You've opened my mind to a whole new level of possibility and approach. Even though your tasks are very specific to your wants, the sharing of the indepth process makes it applicable to other people's wishes. Amazing teachers and designers. Thank you for showing me the way. There is, 'good enough' and there is, 'as good as it can be.' this video is a clear demonstration of the latter.👏
Hey, Maurice, I appreciate that. Thanks for watching! 🙂😀
Next time look up Aluminum Stair Nosing for trimming out the viewable edges of what you installed by the doors. Also, maybe use NOICO sound deadening between the ribs on the floors for a quieter interior under the insulation and ply. Great Value and sticks where you put it and can be stacked as thick as you need. Carpet and Tile Installer wholesalers to the trades have a lot of products to choose for all kinds of finished looks and waterproof if wanted. Another tool on your belt for professional results.
I like the aluminum angle better than stair nosing for the look we were going for.
We used LizardSkin sound dampening instead of NOICO In this build.
What seats did u use? Im thinking building similar floor
What a waste of time & energy! I'm using a composite product called Thermo-Lite. Won't rot, won't warp, sound proof & a great insulater!!! Cut it with a hand saw. Glues & screws! Why bother with all this technical cutting out stuff???? You are making a "simple" project into a "monster"!!!! 😱
Bro, it’s going to blow your mind when you learn the concept of "doing whatever the fuck you want”. 😂. If we wanted the easy way out, we wouldn’t have built anything at all and just started talking shit on others people’s projects from the safety of behind a computer screen. That’s SUPER easy.
Can you provide source for Top flooring …”sail right”? Thank you
Here you go! www.sailrite.com/Chilewich-Ikat-Tweed-72-Floor-Covering-Fabric
Totally awesome craftsman’s installation! Very impressive. Thank you for the excellent narration of the project to.
Hey Scott Mitseff, Thanks so much! Cheers!
Hey Nate and Steph! Your content has been pivotal for me, so thank you so very much. I'm curious if you'd do this again, and specifically curious if the Polyiso/XPS is going to compress over time and compression set? Would you repeat it this way, or consider adding load bearing joists etc?
Pretty much do it the same again, yeah.
Love the quality finish of your work. Definitely more time is spent with some pretty tedious steps, but the end result looks professional, durable, and beautiful.. Well worth the extra effort. Great job, guys!
Thank you very much!
Well done! Too bad I did my floor several months ago.
I don't own a van... I don't even know why I'm here. This was some good ass content though.
This is honestly my favorite comment I've gotten in a while. Thanks for that. Gets my day off to a good start hearing stuff like this. 😁👍
Sorry, but putting MASSIVE AMOUNT of Adverts put me off watching and made me NOT subscribe to your channel…!
Maybe think about your followers more than MONEY next time…! 👋🏻👋🏻 Bye Bye.
You should check out UA-cam Premium if you want to watch my videos without ads.
Does the zip off gas?
It doesn't have much of a smell, but it's called 'huber woods r-sheathing' if you want to dive into the tech specs.
Watching you install the L-track had me comparing the relative strength of the similar structure I just removed from an old Chevy conversion van. They built a structure to strengthen the floor so that it could safely attach the seats and belts. The thing was just massive! It was steel, and it probably weighs 100 pounds, including the OSB they used to fill in the spaces between steel rails. It was almost two inches thick. I'm going to enjoy the added headroom now that it's gone!
I almost never have passengers in the van, so the only seat that will be attached to the floor is the rear sofa' bed from the conversion van. without passengers sitting there, it doesn't need that massive steel structure to hold it in place. I'm planning to bolt it down again using the same bolt holes in the floor, and recycle the bolts. On the subject of recycling, I'll also recycle the washers that they used under the van, to reinforce the strength of the sheet metal floor around the bolts. The washers are massive, heavy steel and huge!
🙌🙂👍
air flow would have assisted in the R value, but using for sturdiness may b a good idea/ i LEFT MINE OPEN FOR AIR CIRCULATION
Nice! Sounds like an awesome project!
doesn't going through the floor introduce MASSIVE cold bridges and undo the complete isolation? ... (yeah it does i'm pretty sure)
thanks for the great tips though, materials and methods
Maybe some, but ultimately, making sure the l-track was fully secured down was more important than thermal bridging.
Could you have just shifted the insulation and zip system wood by 2" offset so you didn't have to do a shiplap joint? Maybe yours came with the insulation glued already?
They come pre glued
Nice floor panel. Using out of the box stuff is great. Would have been nice to use a small drawer under the step or a light.
I was wondering - what is the purpose of raising the flooring using the foam board strips to match the ridges of the van? Is this step necessary, or can I just place the R sheathing directly on top of the van metal floor? Thanks!
That was more so to make the floor more rigid in between the floor ridges.
what are those metal floor tracks used for?
Watching this makes my back hurt :)
Curious how this woven vinyl does with dirt (like actual particles of dirt, sand, crumbs, etc). We've been thinking we wanted to avoid anything that would have small cracks/crevices/texture that would make sweeping that stuff out difficult. I'd think as a woven material, this would be filled with those types of small voids? Easily swept out?
You guys have made Sunday (drearily dubbed "the end of the weekend" at our house) a day we look forward to with your weekly video drops. Thanks for brightening the end of the weekend! ;)
Sweeping sand out would be difficult. That would be a job for a shop vac at the car wash. We are choosing more texture and grip over easy to sweep out this time around. Vacuuming should be a part of any regular cleaning, though, anyway as sweeping rarely gets into the nooks and crannies enough for me.
You guy did a fantastic jobs, however you closed the important of air gap. You need to have air flow under.
No. We did a fantastic job. Period.
Thanks for watching though and there are 1000 different ways to do things and if you feel you know a better way, do that in your own build and keep your trap shut about others doing it differently than you.
Why does everybody think they need branding & marketing for their camper van life. There are a billion of you. Get over yourselves.
But thanks for the tips.
Hey there, big guy! I'm sorry you've got so much negativity going on in your life that you have to spend your time coming to my channel to talk shit. Maybe logging off of the internet for a bit and going for a walk or hanging out with friends if you have any may help. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope your day gets better. 🙂
I'm looking at bolting L track to my Sprinter floor and, looking at the underside, the outside edges of the van are open and clear but the next bays inward have the muffler with heat shield on one side and the gas tank on the other. It doesn't look like you dropped these for bolt access so just wondering how this was dealt with.
I did indeed drop those. 🤣😂 This is a Transit, though, so YMMV.
WHY? Did you cut from the center of your flooring goods instead of starting near one edge and thereby having wider, usable pieces of left overs?
IDK... that's just not what we did. Ultimately though, I didn't have any need to zip sheathing off-cuts; so those were going to the landfill regardless of how big they were.
You say you got a good ins so did I but had issues when I lost my finger
How much did it cost you for the fabric?
Do you have a link to the flooring fabric that you chose? That floor looks fantastic! Great job 💙
Here you go! www.sailrite.com/Chilewich-Ikat-Tweed-72-Floor-Covering-Fabric
Funny edits. Impressive build.
Are you worried about the Polyiso's reduced performance at low temps?
Of all of the stuff that wakes me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat; the performance reduction of polyiso in cold weather is most definitely not one of them.
How much Sailrite did you order?
it looks like you lost a lot of height with your raised floor. are you both short? what about tall people (over 1m90)?
Transits have tall roofs. I'm 6' 2" (and I'll let you do the conversion).
How did you choose where you wanted to have your L track and the spacing between the pieces?
'Between the pieces' was based on available extra seating options.
How did you address the thermal bridges created by each of the through and through screws to secure the tracks to your floor?
By understanding that thermal bridging is an inherent consideration in a van build and theres not much we can feasibly do about it. 😂👍
I LOVED YOUR LEVEL OF PERFECTIONISM!!!! 😍😍😍😍 You should have lots of kids :))) Your genes are worth passing :)
I'm having trouble locating a source for the Zip System R-sheathing in the Four Corners. Do you a source in the Denver area? Thanks for a great video! Very helpful in creating a subfloor.
We got ours from Alpine lumber here locally in Steamboat Springs. I think there is a branch of Alpine Lumber in Denver, maybe?
@@EXPLORISTlife Thanks so much for your quick reply. I called Alpine Lumber in Telluride ($98.82/sheet) and Durango ($107.72/sheet) but saw that Huber Wood also lists Home Depot as a possible vendor. I called several Home Depot sites in Denver and none could call it up in their system. Then a young guy here at the Pro Desk in the Durango Home Depot went all out and found it for $85.39/sheet. Thanks again for your great videos and for sharing your knowledge and experience.
How did you make sure that the bolt for the l-track would be reachable fro the bottom?
At the risk of sounding like an asshole; I used my eyes. 🤣 Idk, I just looked at it for a while, took a bunch of measurements, rolled around under the van a bit and made sure everything was going to line up and then let 'er rip.
What hot knife did you all use to trim down the thickness of the foam board?
$10 Amazon special. 😂
Hello. Tell me how the car is painted from the inside. Thank you.
Question guys,,,, I noticed that you guys did NOT glue the floor to the van's floor...I'm guessing that the weight would keep it in place...::????
The 90 or so bolts we ran through the flanged L-track should do a plenty good job of holding it in place.
@@EXPLORISTlife OH dam Ur so right....talk about over my head..
gave osha the finger took menout 😂
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing :). Do you remember the diameter of the hole you cut out for the spare tire access? Doing the same now and I'm struggling to find a small enough marine deck plate for a 2.5" access hole I cut into my floor.
Just curious. Don't you want to leave a little air circulation in your van floor for water or humidity to dry out? It seems like humidity always find ways to get in.
I'm not too worried about massive airflow under the floor because everything under the floor is waterproof or water resistant; so everything should dry out naturally given adequate ventilation of the van itself.
@@EXPLORISTlife ok, thanks! And... Thanks for all the rich content videos you have done so far!
It looks amazing 🤩!!! For a few weeks build !!! I love creativity and OSHA don’t need to know Nothing lol 😂
beautiful workmanship… i’m semi surprised you didn’t countersink the 1/4” lip of the spare tire access port.. 😂
Can you tell me where you sourced the bolts for the l-track? Having trouble getting the right head that is flush with the l-track.Thanks, Moe.
Extremely clean job! Well done 🙌
Thanks, friends!!
Zipwall would not be my choice. It doesn't hold screws well at all, like any other particle board. And if you let it soak it will start falling apart. Regular plywood would have a better resistance to soaking and can actually hold screws. So to anyone watching, unless you got the zipwall free, then look at some 1/2" cabinet or marine grade ply first!
Never will our floor ever be submerged for any length of time, so that's not an issue. And it doesn't need to hold screws since we installed the l-track. Glad to clear up your concerns!
@EXPLORISTlife the stuff is sweet! I've installed it on homes (which is how I know what happens when it stays soaking lol) it is absolutely usually in the way you guys installed it. I'm just a weirdo that like to be able to screw anywhere lol
Very helpful video. Gave me a lot of ideas.
Was 3/8” insulation too thin? Hot knife seemed like way too much. I would think spray foam and then shaving it down would be less labor intensive and faster.
Lastly-why not get bigger angle iron and cut it down to the right height rather than a second piece under the first?
I would have happily done the insulation calculation but then you referred to me as a nerd and so now I don't want to. So there. hmmmmmfff. More seriously though, at 15:45, do you do anything to protect from the 90 degree aluminum angle?
Did you screw in the rear trim piece to the floor or just to the subfloor?
Just the wood.
Excellent video! What van seats will you be mounting in the van? I'm considering doing a similar install.
I love this! I have been going back and forth with various ideas of how I want to do my floor, and this would be very suitable for my needs. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and expertise!
Where did you source fasteners for L track to floor? I can only find 1 ½ Inch and that doesn't seem long enough to reach through the van floor. Thanks!
Wow all of the things poor people that live out of Vans have, yea Not
Hey there, big guy! I'm sorry you've got so much negativity going on in your life that you have to spend your time coming to my channel to talk shit on my projects. Maybe logging off of the internet for a bit and going for a walk or hanging out with friends if you have any may help. Thanks for watching anyway and I hope your day gets better. 🙂
Thanks for putting link to flooring in the description, and about 20 more times in the chat ;-). Has this floor passed the ski boot test? Asking for a friend. . .
Finally someone who isnt sticking crappy bits of wood to the van metal work floor to "hold" the plywood floor down....
It also reduces head room for us tall guys...but not much.
Yeah; anything you add to the floor decreases head room but omitting insulation altogether on the floor sure would make for a cold van in the winter. 😬
When the holes were drilled thru the floor that killed any interest for me.
Okay? Then don't do that in your own build. 🤔🤷
Very nice pro tutorial. How do you like this floor material after use for a few months? Is it easy to clean, is the sand not penetrating , how about if is get wet, stain coffee, wine spill , mud, itc. Thank you