When you first start creating a campervan, you’re probably thinking about everything you want to put in to make it your home away from home. If you’re more technically minded, you might be thinking about your water and power systems. Alternatively, if you’re all about aesthetics, you might just be thinking about what you’re furniture will look like and how to arrange it all. But something that you absolutely cannot ignore during your build is your campervan flooring.
In today’s guide, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know about DIY campervan flooring installation. And remember, if you’re looking for even more guides and walkthroughs for your campervan build, Van Builder HQ is always here to help!
Planning your campervan floor
It’s easy to assume that you can just pop in some flooring material and call it a day, but the truth is that a good campervan or Class B RV flooring build requires a fair amount of prep work. In theory, you could just order the materials and do everything on the fly, but chances are that you would end up wasting a lot of time and money. This is because you’ll almost definitely have to come back a few days, weeks, or even months later to fix issues that would not have come up if you had just created a plan from the start.
When devising a plan for your campervan floor installation, you’ll first want to think about the layout of your van. To put it another way, you’ll essentially want to map out your entire floor plan ahead of time. This should help you know exactly where larger, more fixed objects will go, like your bed and kitchen galley. You should also think about the location and routes of your power and plumbing systems. Believe it or not, all of these things will impact the floor of your campervan.
With some builds, you can just start with the floor and then add items on top as you go along. While this is a popular method, you should still take the time to plan out where those items will go in the future. If you plan ahead, you increase the chances of having a much cleaner-looking floor that doesn’t require a lot of adjustments down the road.
Once you have an idea of the layout, you’ll want to think about the four materials you use for the campervan flooring. These materials will make up the four layers you need for your flooring. We’ll go into even more detail about these layers in the next section, but you’ll essentially want to understand how these layers work together to provide strength, comfort, insulation, sound dampening, and aesthetic appeal. You’ll also want to think about things like weight and abrasion resistance, and how they work with your budget. Better aesthetics often mean higher prices, so you may want to try to find a balance between something that looks and feels good, but is still practical and budget-friendly.
What you need to know about campervan floor layers
Like an onion, your campervan or Class B RV flooring is going to be made up of layers. Each layer has a job to do, so it’s important to carefully consider what you can do to get the most out of each one.
Sound dampening
While sound-dampening floor materials are not a requirement, they can greatly improve your overall campervan experience. Two good companies that offer materials to help reduce road noise in vans are Kilmat and Dynamat. You can get these materials through various providers, but in most cases, the materials will have a sticky side that can adhere to the bottom floor of your campervan (or your van walls if you want to use them there).
This serves as the first layer of your campervan flooring. The properties of the material change the resonant frequency of the sheet metal floor in the van, lowering the naturally high-pitched, tinny sound to a lower-frequency “thud.” It also provides a little bit of extra insulation (more on that later).
This material comes in all kinds of different weights, with heavier weights offering greater sound reduction. 50 mil is a good weight for campervans, though it is pretty thin. The reason 50 mil works well is because it is easier to cut and it doesn’t add unnecessary height to your flooring. If you opt for an Adventure Wagon kit, you get sound-deadening material right out of the box, without having to buy the material separately.
In terms of quantity, you’ll want to make sure you get about 50 square feet to do the entire van floor. If you want to add sound dampening to your van walls, you’ll probably want to get at least 100 square feet. It’s also recommended to get a rubber roller, which will help you adequately adhere the material to the sheet metal without any bumps or uneven sections.
Insulation
Even a single layer of insulation can add a lot of extra comfort to your campervan. This material will go on top of your sound-dampening material, making it the second layer of your campervan or Class B RV flooring. It will also help a little with sound reduction, but its primary function will be maintaining a more comfortable temperature inside the van, regardless of the time of year.
If you’re waking up in your campervan in a cold environment, the last thing you want your feet to touch is cold sheet metal. A layer of insulation puts extra space between you and the cold metal exterior, while also preventing extreme weather from penetrating the interior of the van (to a certain degree). The technical term for this process is “decoupling,” because you are adding a barrier that stops the floor material from absorbing cold or hot temperatures. As a good example of insulation material for campervans, you might check out the one-inch FOAMULAR 150 from Owens Corning.
Subflooring
The third layer in your campervan flooring is known as the subfloor. This is generally the strongest part of the floor and helps give your floor the durability it needs to withstand heavy objects. It also is the part that you will use to mount various objects or pieces of furniture, as you can easily drill into it. A good subfloor will typically be about a half-inch thick, but you could also go up to three-quarters of an inch.
However, you should be wary of getting something that’s too thick, as it could be heavy and cumbersome to install. Your subfloor layer will typically be made of wood, so trying to maneuver a thicker piece of subfloor wood around your van during the installation could get tricky. In any case, your subfloor will go directly on top of your insulation and will be the primary support for your top layer. You will apply adhesive or epoxy to this layer, but depending on the type of wood you use, you may need to treat it with a bonding primer first. The bonding primer can help ensure that the epoxy adheres correctly to the top layer of your floor.
If you’re looking for the absolute best subfloor material, Baltic Birchwood is a great option. Baltic Birchwood is a type of plywood with a lot of layers, which helps make it stronger and more durable. Standard Baltic birch plywood will be about nine-ply, which is strong without being overly thick.
When you’re ready to install your subfloor, you’ll have to do it in sections. Just be careful not to leave any big gaps. You can either make your own template to cut the subfloor into the correct size and shape, or you can buy a premade template from companies like AVC Rig. The offerings vary based on how much you’re willing to spend, but if you want something budget-friendly, AVC Rig offers a paper cutout that you can lay over your subfloor to trace and then cut out.
Top layer
The top layer is the fourth and final layer of your campervan flooring, and it is the part that you’re actually going to see. Whether you’re focused more on aesthetics or your budget, you want to make sure that your top layer can sufficiently protect your subfloor from spills. This means that it needs to be watertight. As an extra precaution and a complement to your top layer, you can even paint your subfloor with a mold inhibitor.
Keep in mind that many top layer flooring materials will need expansion gaps for temperature changes. Some materials expand and contract more than others based on the weather, so you’ll need to think about this and plan accordingly with your top layer. PerfectFit.com is a great place to search for quality top layer materials, but some of the most common top layer materials include vinyl, laminate, and cork.
Important campervan flooring considerations
Even once you understand how the four layers of your campervan flooring should work together, there are still a few things that you’ll want to consider and evaluate when planning for your installation:
Insulation factor
When you’re installing insulation, you want to make sure that you’re getting the most insulative value out of the material. This is where compressive strength comes into play. Many types of insulation can be compressed. For example, if you use something like wool, it is going to get smooshed down by heavy objects and lose a lot of its insulative value. Plus, it’s just not going to support your floor very well. Some good alternatives are XPS (Extruded Polystyrene), which is essentially a rigid foam board. This has greater compression strength and will not collapse, as long as it has adequate support from the subfloor.
Durability
The durability of your flooring will largely be affected by the type of insulation and subfloor you use. For example, if you use an insulation material with a PSI rating of 15, that means you can put 15 pounds of pressure on a square inch of the material, and it will hold it up. This is why you need to plan the layout of your campervan in advance. If you have something that’s too heavy for your particular insulation, you’ll need to replace the foam in that section (or sections) with wood or square aluminum tubing so that the weight can be distributed evenly on the floor.
Height
While it can be tempting to add a lot of extra insulation or sound-dampening materials, you have to think about the height of your floor and the vertical space available in your van. The more you add, the less overhead space you have. So, if you’re trying to make every inch of vertical space count, that extra inch of flooring may not be that valuable to you.
Cleanliness
Cleaning your campervan or RV flooring should be pretty straightforward. However, you’ll want to make sure to get materials that are abrasion resistant to reduce scratches. Even if you do this, a sharp rock or sand may still cause damage. So it’s best to consider adding a rug or floor mat, particularly in areas where you anticipate more foot traffic. Inhabit is a company that will even make custom floor covers for you.
Campervan flooring installation tips
We’ve already covered many of the do’s and don’ts of a successful campervan floor installation, but there are still a few tips and tricks to make sure that you do everything right the first time:
- Have a Plan – This cannot be stressed enough. The more planning you do in advance, the less you’ll have to worry about spending extra time or money later on.
- Find Your Team – Will you need any help during your installation? Do you know who is available? Can you manage the job by yourself? Answer these questions so that you can set a realistic timeframe for the installation and know exactly who will be involved.
- Know Your Environment – Are you planning to install your van flooring inside or outside? Depending on where you’re working, the temperature could cause issues with the epoxy or adhesive. If you’re working outside, inclement weather could also delay your plans.
- Gather Your Tools – Do you have the right tools to complete the job? You’ll need to make sure that you have the tools to properly cut various materials and adhere them together.
- Don’t Rush – Trying to get your campervan floor installed quickly is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Take your time, because the flooring is likely going to be a permanent addition to your campervan. Rushing can lead to costly mistakes that you may need to pay to fix in the future.
- Follow Cure Times – Different epoxy products used in flooring have “cure” times. This means that after applying the epoxy, you need to wait a set amount of time (often 24 hours) before applying any weight to it. If try to rush the job and put weight on it before it’s ready, you could have permanent waves in your campervan floor.
- Wear PPE – Always make sure to work safely and wear the right equipment. This generally means safety glasses, gloves, and if necessary, a mask or breathing apparatus.
Campervan flooring – maintenance and repairs
Once you install your campervan flooring, you’ll want to take care of it so you can avoid causing any unnecessary damage. If you’re worried about scratches or aesthetic damage, you can find companies that will trace your van and create custom, WeatherTech-type mats that cover the entirety of your van floor. But above all else, keeping your floor clean is a great way to maintain it. You might consider taking your shoes off before you get in your van or simply doing a quick sweep once a day. Regardless of your method, the end goal is to keep costly repairs to an absolute minimum.
FAQs
How do you insulate a campervan floor?
To insulate your campervan floor, you’ll need to pick a material that fits your needs. A rigid foam board is often the best option. Once you cut it to size and place it in the van, you can use an expanding foam spray to fill in the cracks and seal it to the walls. But if you do use expanding foam, keep in mind that you may have to grind it down to create a flat, even surface.
How thick should your campervan floor be?
Your insulation and subfloor will create the most height, though your top layer and any sound-dampening materials will also add to it. Once you put these four layers on top of one another, you should generally expect your floor to be somewhere between one and two inches thick. However, it all depends on the thickness of the materials you use.
How thick should plywood be for a campervan subflooring?
Generally, your campervan’s plywood subflooring should be about half an inch thick. You can get thicker variations, but these might make the installation process a bit more difficult. A half-inch strikes a good balance between being lightweight and still being strong enough to provide support.
How cold is the campervan floor in winter?
If you just used your campervan’s sheet metal with no additions, it would be just as cold as the outside temperature. This means that if it was 0 degrees outside, the floor would also be 0 degrees (though it might feel even colder). This is why you want to add multiple layers between you and the bottom sheet metal of your van. Insulation is particularly important, as this significantly reduces the amount of cold that’s transferred from outside to the top layer of your campervan floor.