BEST lightweight Campervan DIY Ceiling: How to Build and Install in our Mercedes T1 (curved slats!)

We built a super lightweight ceiling with pine slats and Poplar plywood for our van, a Mercedes 310 T1. It's only 15kg in total and only 0.9cm thick. And it's curved over the cockpit. We show you exactly how to biuld and install such a ceiling in your camper van.
Products used (Amazon affiliate links)*
Osmo Dekorwachs Transparent Kirschbaum / Protective Coating for Indoor Wood
amzn.to/3xhI3R4 (Amazon Deutschland)
amzn.to/3EZ169u (Amazon UK)
Telescopic Drywall Support / Teleskop-Deckenstütze
amzn.to/377G5ID (Amazon Deutschland)
amzn.to/3ldRsHd (Amazon UK)
Black 12 V LED Spots
amzn.to/3lf8VPy (Amazon Deutschland)
amzn.to/3yemVN1 (Amazon UK)
Ventilation Grilles by Tygrys Syncro for the Mercedes T1
sklep.tygrys.syncro.pl/en/stro...
* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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[@clarkspiemuncher]

very nice finish on the timber. it is good to see someone taking the weight of the material used into account for the overall weight at the end of the build

[@CubeofCars]

It surely pays off in the long run :)

[@philwilliams23]

Looks amazing! Great video, thank you.

[@anidamsa4396]

Beautiful job. Looks amazing. 👋

[@shanechostetler9997]

I love that! I am envious of your attention to detail😊

[@LittleSimGoesWild]

Absolutely love your ceiling!

[@jonathantillotson9936]

Amazing! Designed and fitted impeccably 👍🏼⭐️

[@LucasMartins-op7oq]

This ceiling is beautiful. Congrats!

[@DAZSAVENTURESINWONDERLAND]

love the look of that ceiling

[@benkelly948]

looks great, nice work!

[@mattheww.4502]

Love the video of your work. Great job I plan on using method in my camper van build

[@mikeinmon4997]

Looks amazing

[@Trang-xq9fn]

Beautiful ceiling!
I also like your vent exhaust fans and window grills idea.

[@mdybos]

Most professional work I have ever seen. Thank you

[@barrytimm5497]

Beautiful!

[@renewitteveen1223]

Great Job that ceiling

[@matthewobrien1188]

Looks great!!!

[@JavaWalkerWorld]

Beautiful

[@FocusWLN]

Thanks for putting together such an informative and enjoyable video! It's really helped our van build over the pond, in the UK

[@Zakarayas]

Looks great 👍

[@andya1976m]

Great work!

[@SillyMonkeys]

lovely ceiling, thank you

[@ericgeisen7184]

Superjob !!

[@michaelschneider-]

+1.. You have to applaud quality workmanship! .. A sharp understated aesthetic. .. The only way to roll ... Cheers, Vail, Colorado

[@davidsim6531]

Excellent workmanship well done guys!

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@dave633]

Awesome job, looks amazing!

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@billbreunig2534]

Ceiling looks awesome, nice job

[@CubeofCars]

Thank you! :)

[@bernadettetibazi9969]

It's Gorgeous!! You did a wonderful job, well done!

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks! :)

[@Premierpropertiesistanbul]

Amazining idea excellent job guys

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@MechakittenX]

Looks great! I'm looking through a lot of ceiling builds and this one is beautiful.

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@markwoolman784]

Great job 👍

[@thecorbettchronicles]

Looks amazing!!! Great job!

[@CubeofCars]

Thank you!!

[@Budget-Cars-And-Bikes]

Looks Amazing 😁

[@kaylakeip1056]

Epic!!! 🎉 great work, great video!

[@CubeofCars]

Thank you so much! :)

[@trexfishtec7375]

Great job

[@tipsybo]

This ceiling looks amazing- lovely design considering both light weight and visual impact.

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@pianomanjc3]

I love it. I too love the look and had wondered about a lightweight version. I like how you have achieved this.

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@zeeeena]

Your ceiling looks vantastic! Its strikingly beautiful! I love the black between those slats, and really love the stain color that you used.

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@3RDPeakAdventure]

Very good job - congratulations

[@CubeofCars]

Thank you! :)

[@oliverhauler1642]

Danke so coole Videos. Haben den selben Bus und ich werde so viel von deinen Ideen mir erlauben zu kopieren!! Ihr seid genial!!

[@CubeofCars]

Na, dann viel Spaß bei eurem Ausbau! :)

[@christiannaundorf2902]

Not bad, Mr. Woodpecker. 👍🏼

[@flgirl250]

It’s beautiful. I installed a cedar ceiling in my van. Next build will be this one.

[@CubeofCars]

👍

[@koningbolo4700]

6:42 What works great is to set up a circular saw with a 1 mm grinding disc and do some shallow relief cuts on the rear of the slats in the area of high tension. This would mean you need to do the curved section separate and glue and screw the slats on as the plywood panel is held/bolted in place.

[@anonanon9385]

Very skillful and outstanding finish, just a reminder exhaust fans, vents and aircons can become vulnerabilities so they have to be reinforced with protective measures.

[@niklashopfgartner3803]

Sehr coole Idee und Umsetzung 👍🏼

[@CubeofCars]

Danke :)

[@fergusmoloney]

Found your channel researching the tygrys roof rack brackets for my 609d. You have a wonderful van. That ceiling looks fantastic. Superb craftsmanship. Subbed and will watch more. 👍🏻

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks! And have fun with your 609D :)

[@meikfox]

das Ergebnis ist wirklich großartig ! Bin total begeistert von der Deckenverkleidung 🤩 und zolle dir meinen größten Respekt vor dieser Arbeit, die du dir gemacht hast. Wie du ja selbst gesagt hast - ist ja auch ein Risiko, ob wirklich alles so (an-)passt und hält, wie du das geplant hast. Die Mühe war's auf jeden Fall wert - das Ergebnis begeistert einfach! Danke dir für die Inspiration und die ausführliche Anleitung mit guten Tipps 🙏 !

[@CubeofCars]

Vielen Dank! 😊

[@thomasmaclennan2176]

Great just the look i want for my upcoming project reminds me of a boat deck

[@CubeofCars]

Absolutely. That's also what I was thinking! :)

[@MrSham61]

Nice job
👍

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks 👍

[@ianlaccohee7180]

Beautiful. Nothing else to say.

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@michaelfraser757]

Love ur roof .... amazing

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@mountaingoatclimbing2011]

0this is so helpful, thank you for sharing! :)

[@LilMarkuss]

I liked it very much I subscribed to your channel

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks :)

[@JaYoeNation]

That really came out amazing. My van is going to be a heavyweight tank compared to yours.

[@EatSleepVan]

This was my original idea for the Transit too, but ran into a major problem: The curve at the front is in 2 dimensions! And you can't bend a sheet of ply in 2 dimensions at the same time. Well done, it looks stunning :)

[@CubeofCars]

In fact I had the same problem with my van... and found this solution: Directly behind the seats the ceiling panel is flat, not bent at all. From this area to the front of the van the ceiling is bent forward, and from this area to the back it's bent sideways. Surprisingly this flat area is no problem for the design. But, of course, this trick only works if the ceiling is not too much bent sideways ;)

[@dropOut1982]

I wish theres more Vario van conversion videos

[@rumboutopia]

WOW ❤ we're definitely copying this idea of ceiling if you don't mind 😅. We might make some choices about colors anyway, so it's not gonna be identical. Great job you guys! Hi from Barcelona! PS: subscribed from now on ✅

[@CubeofCars]

Cool! If you ever see us on the road somewhere, then say hello and show us your version of our ceiling! ;)

[@maccooley70]

Thanks for this great tutorial with the nice and lightweight ceiling! But do you have experiences in-between with cold and warm conditions? How does the wood react with lengthening when its colder or more warm or whit moist? I concern a deforming or is there no problem? Thank you for sharing your experiences!

[@CubeofCars]

Hi Axel, I haven't noticed any problems yet with temperatures between +5 to +50C. I used quite a lot of screws for the small slats, so they don't really have a chance to move...

[@composedlight6850]

hi When in use does rain come in if windy and raining outside? thanks

[@1Truth1Love1Movement]

Hey there, absolutely amazing result 😍. I have a very similar Bus and will likely copy this. I was wondering about the measurements of the two base plates used. 120 cm width?
Thanks In advance and once more: amazing work, so beautiful!!

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks! The width is 122 cm.

[@d.pelikaan1240]

Thanks for video!
I have the same van and a bid behind you regarding transferring it into a camper.
Question: in case you already have a black background with the armaflex; why not skip the wood sheet and only bold the 0.5 thin slates on?

[@CubeofCars]

Cool. Where are you from?
Theoretically possible, but I see several problems without the panel:
1) Armaflex isn't a flat surface and you will have some empty space between the Armaflex and the slats where dust can build up and never cleaned.
2) The cable and cable connections for the lights are visible.
3) At the last beam before the cockpit the panel has a high tension and needs very solid connection to the subframe with anchor nuts. I think in this area it could be rather difficult to mount the slats properly without panel.
But let me know if it works and I am wrong! Also keep me updated with your conversion process :)

[@marijnpeters8399]

Looks very beautiful, one question, why didn't you screw the slats to the plywood from the plywood side? That way you don't see them anymore.

[@CubeofCars]

The slats are too thin, so the screws would be just 3 or 4 mm in the slat. I would expect that doesn't hold on the road.

[@joeblow1942]

Beautiful! Thank you. How wide are the pine slats, please?

[@CubeofCars]

They are 4 cm wide.

[@J-RallySite]

Excellent work. Do you have a link to that little round maxx fan?

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks! Here is the Amazon link for the Maxxfan Dome:
amzn.to/3wLXd4A

[@nrbrtmuller]

That is impressive!! What size are the screws you used for the slats to plywood?

[@CubeofCars]

Thanks! That are 2.5/10mm screws.

[@abcdddiia]

Very cool design and execution. I wonder if there's a way to hide the screw heads and not compromise the installation.

[@CubeofCars]

You could try to glue the slats, but I would be afraid that the tension is too high in the curve and they might fall off....

[@kainiebel]

@@CubeofCars Great job, beautiful ceiling, and thank you for the inspiration! 😍Did you consider using wood glue and staples from the back in order to hide the screw heads? I think Vanlife Sagas nailed it from the back.. Well I guess I will give it a try with glue and staples...

[@ffsteel111]

What’s flex tape did you use to secure the wires

[@CubeofCars]

That's Armaflex Tape: amzn.to/435Nzap

[@kng9934]

Great look but Be same weight

[@StansE250]

Fantastic Execution ! I’m obsessive about details … Well Done. Just say No, to “Blood Bandits” 😆

[@dominiks4130]

Ich habe jetzt alle eure Videos zum Vanausbau gesehen und gehe sie gerade zum wiederholten Male durch. Ich muss zuerst mal meinen größten Respekt zollen, selten so penible Arbeit gesehen - genau so wünsche ich es mir. Ich gucke mir für unseren T1 gerade sehr viel ab, da ich selbst eine perfektionistische Ader habe ;)
Ich habe noch ein paar Fragen und würde mich freuen, wenn du dir die Zeit nimmst:
- Wie habt ihr in der Deckenverkleidung die Positionen der Gewindebohrungen in den Holzleisten so genau ausgemacht? Über einen Fixpunkt am Dachgestell und dann viel gemessen oder gabs einen Trick?
- Woher habt ihr die Haube für die Kabelführung der Solaranlage auf dem Dach?
- Welches Filz habt ihr für die Verkleidung des Rahmens im Fahrerhaus genommen? Ist es empfehlenswert?
Ich freue mich schon sehr auf die nächsten Folgen! Großes Lob für eure Arbeit!
Gruß Dominik

[@CubeofCars]

Hallo Dominik,
es freut mich, wenn dir unsere Videos so gut fallen! :)
Wir sind die nächsten zwei Wochen noch ohne Laptop unterwegs. Wenn wir zurück sind, schau ich nach, wo wir die Kabeldurchführung und den Filz gekauft haben. Der Filz ließ sich gut verarbeiten und ich würde den wieder verwenden.
Für die Bohrlöcher in den Subframe-Leisten haben wir die Schraubenköpfe lackiert, um einen Abdruck auf der Leiste zu bekommen. Dann haben wir die Schrauben etwas herausgedreht, die Leiste dahinter gehalten und die nötige Schräge der Bohrung auf der Leiste markiert.
Für die Bohrlöcher in der Deckenplatte haben wir diese im Van mit den Fixierstangen fest positioniert, die Lage der Subframe-Leiste angezeichnet und dann entsprechend durch die Decke in die Leisten vorgebohrt. Decke wieder runter und die Löcher entsprechend der Einschraubmuttern vergrößert.
Ein Verbesserungsvorschlag gegenüber dem was wir gemacht haben: Die vorderste Leiste nicht gewölbt, sondern flach machen. In die doppelte Wölbung (seitwärts und nach vorne gleichzeitig) läßt sich die Platte nicht biegen.
Viel Spass bei deinem Ausbau!

[@dominiks4130]

@@CubeofCars wow besten dank für die super ausführliche Antwort, da freue ich mich schon auf diesen Schritt! Nietmutternzange liegt bereit, wenn ich mit der Rostbehandlung durch bin geht's los. Euch bis dahin noch eine gute Fahrt :)

[@CubeofCars]

So.... hab jetzt mal nachgeschaut:
Dachdurchführung ist von Offgridtec, gekauft bei Amazon:
amzn.to/3MvJNyZ
Filz ist von selbstklebefilz.de
KFZ/FLFM-S2, selbstklebend 2mm

[@ironwooddesigns9532]

What is the tape you used for the wiring conduits?

[@CubeofCars]

That's Armaflex Tape:
amzn.to/3vSrttU

[@TheAlphahot1]

Isn't there the risk of the pine bending in case of a leak? I just had to redo my whole ceiling because of spruce toungue&groove got totally deformed by water.

[@CubeofCars]

In case of a leak I would probably notice that quite fast, before there is damage to the ceiling.... well, at least I hope so.

[@garyrobson9769]

Hi

[@man.i.literally.failed6772]

Are those round maxx fans any good

[@CubeofCars]

They work well and I would install them again, but the real world test comes when the van build is finished and I am on the road. One disadvantage is that they can only blow air out of the van, but there is no reverse.

[@halfabee]

Interesting ceiling. I would not like to do it by myself.

[@Rhysowen5418]

Could you use a fabric material for under the wood, rather than plywood?

[@CubeofCars]

I think that might also be an option.

[@Rhysowen5418]

@@CubeofCars do you have any idea what material could be used!?

[@CubeofCars]

@@Rhysowen5418 Maybe the fabric which we used for our blackout curtains. You can check out this video. There is also a product link.

[@reneymcmonty7404]

Ich hab mal ne Offtopic Frage. Kann man den Maxxair Dome eigentlich regeln?

[@CubeofCars]

Nein, es gibt nur an und aus. Leider läßt sich auch die Richtung nicht umschalten.

[@reneymcmonty7404]

@@CubeofCars OK schade, aber danke für die Antwort =)

[@nirwin]

What is the width of the pine slats you're using?

[@CubeofCars]

It's about 4cm.

[@michaelholt7963]

Would of looked good if you would of screwed ply into pine slats, nothing looks worse than screw heads everywhere

[@CubeofCars]

The pine slats are too thin for screwing from the other side. If the screw goes just 3mm into the pine slat, the slats would surely fall off on the first rough road...

[@composedlight6850]

Need to get rid of these long adverts -- nearly clicked away due to them

[@ashokmnagaral1133]

Van building is YOGA SIMULTANEOUSLY because you forget almost yourself in doing this.While just watching this video I forgot myself !

[@keytesofessex]

Bloody advert halfway thru

[@CubeofCars]

Luckily, so I get one cent of income for spending one week to produce this video :)

[@MrJohnestall]

Pine slats should stay in a shed , no car manufacturer or factory fitted camper uses materials that are used in a house or shed .

[@CubeofCars]

Then you should maybe buy a factory finished plastic camper and not watch van build videos ;)

[@MrJohnestall]

@@CubeofCars also if any problems as in a leak from roof light the whole lot needs to come down . Far better ways of doing a job than your showing

[@SandVan]

Awesome work I love the way it’s so lightweight ❤️😊🙏🚐

[@CubeofCars]

Thank you! Cheers!