Insulation Part 2 (and a carpeting test)

We've just completed our second phase of van insulation, the roof is done along with the remaining passenger side walls, barn door and sliding door.

Progress was a lot quicker this time after learning so much from the previous days efforts.

The rear passenger side wall was easy cutting kinspan into large shapes to match the size of the panels/wheel arches, then dividing these into several vertical pieces to fit through the holes. Once the pieces were in, we added slim wedge pieces in the gaps to make the board 'grip' the spaces. Once again a couple of layers of the silver bubble-wrap stuff was added over the top.

Same technique was used on the rear door however we were unable to add much insulation to the as we risked blocking the handle mechanism that takes up most if the space. Wish I had a tailgate. Grrrrrrrrrrr!
The slider was much easier, and I managed to get 3-4 layers of 25mm board in. This picture shows slide with the first cavity filled with 3 layers of 25mm board.





Next up was the roof. My dad had the idea of writing my name and the date as a kind of time-capsule on one of the panels. Maybe it'll be of interest to future historians.....However, as I had just cut my finger removing a panel clip and we didn't have a pencil around, drastic measures were called for.....


Then I went completely mental with the flashing tape. Evo-Stik Flashband tape have seen a massive increase in sales despite the economic downturn!!! Love the stuff.

Hopefully the walls can take the weight of the roof now! haha
Next up we just added a layer of silver bubble insulation to each section of roof. This was quite easy as you can just tuck the trimmed-to-fit pieces under the roof cross members. Happy days. I might add another layer when the roof comes off again to be carpeted.

We also couldn't wait to try a bit of carpeting on the sliding door ply. The tried and tested method was used of spraying carpet and ply with high-temp glue (megavanmats) with enough carpet to fold around the board. A few cuts had to be made for the corners and curves. The finished job looks pretty good!



Next week I'm back in Wales for my dads 60th and the rest of the carpeting....oooh, and maybe a quick surf if its on.

R

Insulation Part 1

The Van

Kingspan


The old man!

I've just spent the afternoon insulating the van in Wales with my Dad. So far we've got the drivers side walls done and one barn door.


Here's the method and materials used so far:

First we unscrewed the ply, then removed the VW grey panels. Like everyone says, those VW plastic clips are a pain in the arse, in a couple of turns the hex bolt heads are no longer hex shaped so we used a B&Q tack remover to prize them off (thanks Stone174!).

Next we attached generous amounts of flashing tape to the main panels. This will help reduce road/rain noise. We've probably used about 10m of the stuff already.

Next we cut our 8'x4' 25mm Kingspan (Celotex or similar will do) sheet into quarters, then cut pieces to fit the holes in the walls of the van. The best method for this we found was to cut a piece to fit the hole you're filling, then cut it vertically into 2 or 3 bits to allow you to fit them in behind the metalwork. Once these are in you can slide slim wedge pieces down into the gaps which pushes the boards apart so they grip the cavity well. When we started we were using lots of GripFill adhesive but this wsn't that helpful so by the end we weren't using much glue. The cavity on the left shows what i mean.

After that came the thermal foil bubble wrap. Compared to the board, this stuff is a joy to work with. It was on 2 for 1 at B&Q so we did 3-4 layers covering the cavities. I also used offcuts to stuff any gaps.

Next was the Vapor Barrier. Basically a polythene sheet. At first we were taping this in place over the cavities but halfway through we came up with a better technique. First, we cut out pieces slightly larger than the grey VW panels. Then we stuck the sheets to the back panels with spray carpet glue. Then just clipped the panels in place with the plastic clips. Once this was done we taped around the edges. Obviously the clips have to pierce the sheet but the seal seemed ok and I plan to do the same again on the inside of the main ply panels for double moisture protection.



Tomorrow we'll finish the ceiling, floor and the other wall.

I'll list how much of each item was used once we finish. Its amazing how so much material has been 'swallowed' up by the van. At least its going to be nice and warm!

Rob