The Big Lorry to Camper Conversion


Maybe bit more expensive than celotex but will take up less room, and no gaps if fitted properly.
Cheaper versions available that have been used for underfloor heating.
 
A 7mm insulation material will not offer the same insulation as 30mm.
 
When you say fiberglass do you mean a layer of fiberglass resin on the floor?
Yes, Like this. But I would resin the underside and the edges of the wood before laying, then do this.


I have a lino floor laid like you said. But where I screwed stuff down to it a long term un-noticed leak got through where I had screwed stuff through it.
 
I ended up ripping out the celotex and spray foaming after gluing wood shims to the structural beams. This solved all my issues.
 
very little R value in that stuff and not being rigid it's hard to do anything with it when you want to mount something on it.
Spray foam, as Grommett suggested is THE best R value you can get and it's cheap as chips and goes into any shape you wish to put it.

You could basically make your own "composite insulated board" in situ by skinning the van with a fibreglass / aluminium sheet over an aluminium angle frame for support.
Then move inside and stick composite battens on the internal skin every 600mm or so, also sticking sections of batten where you need to screw into to hold furniture up and where you want cut outs for doors etc
Then spray foam the entire interior and squeege off level to the battens before it sets.
Final step would be to spray adhesive the surface of the battens / foam and screw and stick on the final internal layer of insulated building board of your choice. Done
The floor i'd put one big section of insulated structural board down, on top of which i'd add heated floor tubing to all walkway areas then skim over the entire floor with a poly U floor compound.
Thats my current thinking anyway.

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Fixing internal fittings: I'd be tempted to glue 2" strips of 1.5mm aluminium along the walls in line with fixing points. You can then use SS self-tappers (if you must) or better still 4 or 5 mm Rivnuts into which you can use threaded fasteners. Rivnut kits are cheap enough, aluminium Rivnuts are as easy as pop-rivets to fix but have the big advantage that screws used can easily be removed/replaced. The extra layer of aluminium spreads the load so not as many fasteners are needed.
 
I will just clarify the spray foam comment above. It must be two part closed cell poly foam not the single tin stuff...
You can if you spray in thinner layers get it very close to the surface height required and don't need to skim it. The small air gap that results is actually a fairly decent insulator in it's own right.
 
Having used some spray foam in an aerosol you do have to be very careful with how much you squirt out otherwise you end up with loads in the wrong place as it expands massively ... don't ask how I know this!! :D
 
Having used some spray foam in an aerosol you do have to be very careful with how much you squirt out otherwise you end up with loads in the wrong place as it expands massively ... don't ask how I know this!! :D
???
Nothing a hot knife won't fix though ???
 
I made a YouTube account to do the video thing. Watched it back, made me cringe hard. My breathing is terrible need to lose weight. But.... Feel free to laugh at me. ?

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Thanks guys ?

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They all seem to be full to the brim with enthusiasm and positivity ?.....

My personality is the opposite... Im a glass half empty, always find the negative kinda guy ??, I can be absolutely overjoyed and still sound like Marvin the paranoid android
 
your glass is never half empty. its always over flowing.

its half full of air.or over flowing of air.
if one day there is no air to fill it then we are all in trouble.
 
Where else would a tape measure be when you need one...?

it’s looking good...??
 
Where else would a tape measure be when you need one...?

it’s looking good...??
I'm sure they sprout legs and run away to hide ... I've got several and you can bet when I need one I can't find any!

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Nice Video indeed Mr Forth [or can I call you Mango?] Very impressed by it and the van conversion [tho all the tech stuff is over my head - and you sound much more mellow and sweet than yout typed voice xx
 
I'm sure they sprout legs and run away to hide ... I've got several and you can bet when I need one I can't find any!
best bit of advice i got when i was building a van was buy 5 tape measures and a box of pencils
 
Yes, Like this. But I would resin the underside and the edges of the wood before laying, then do this.


I have a lino floor laid like you said. But where I screwed stuff down to it a long term un-noticed leak got through where I had screwed stuff through it.

The van I bought for converting came with a completely fibreglassed interior. walls , boxed wheel arches,ceiling, rear doors,side door, & bulkhead. Raised 50mm edges at side & rear to allow washing out to a drain by the side door. Glassed over what appears to be 3mm hardboard with polystyrene insulation under. It isn't what I would have chosen as if it had been bare panel I was intending going down the spray foam route then board over.
Having been forced into using as is due to circumstances & having removed the bulkhead completely ,it surprisingly works better than I thought it would. It retains/repels the heat, which it needs to do considering where I live, far better than I thought it would .Originally when closed & in full sun the temperature internally would take hours to rise.
The reverse I have found whilst using it in the UK.The diesel heater adequately heats it even on lowest setting & it maintains it well.
Mine was finished with white walls & blue floor & all I did after removing bulkhead was to lay 3mm rubber flooring, in grey, over the fibreglass floor. I did post some photo's but can't remember where ?
 
I think that's down to how you imagined it ?.... Or am I an angry typer? ?
No ,not angry type! just imagined you to have much more direct voice ( ie bossy?) due to massive work on van and ( shared with others here) superhuman engineering abilities: like Scotty from Star Trek without the ouch aye Jim xx

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Im sure any engineers will point out I'm no engineer. I've worked with engineers before.... They regularly remind the fabricators who's boss ? but thanks??
 
100Kg oven... OUCH :D

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