Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
BFD (Big Flooring Deal), Post 2
With the floor down, time to cover it. I'd thought about indoor-outdoor carpet but if I'm camping in the rain, which does happen, it would surely get wet and that could be a problem. So I'm going with vinyl flooring. Next choice is either sheet vinyl or tile squares. Since I still haul things in the van there is a chance of the floor being damaged. If I go with squares and damage one it can be pried up and replaced. So tile squares it is.
The floor space measures roughly 6' x 10'. Went to Lowe' to see what they had. The vinyl tiles I picked come in boxes that cover 30 square feet so two boxes should do it. They were around $25 a box. Lowe's also sells the tiles as singles which is a plus since I'll want to buy some extras in case replacements are needed in the future. Can't count on this particular style to still be available after a year or two.
I'll be laying down the tiles in a diagonal or, as I think of it, diamond pattern. I prefer the way this pattern looks but more importantly laid this way the floor seams won't line up with the vinyl tile's seams. The adhesive backing should help hold the floor seams in place.
Start by laying out some squares without removing the backing paper to get an idea how it all looks. Have to plan ahead so that there won't be any small cut pieces against a step edge.
Find and mark the center line of the van. Do this by snapping a chalk line.
Remove the paper backing from the first tile square and lay it down. Use the J-roller you can see in the below picture to press down on the square so it will adhere. This is the same J-roller I bought to apply the Formica to the sofa-bed sides.
Keep adding tile squares building out from the first one.
The downside to the diamond pattern is you have to cut more pieces for around the edges than you would with a straight pattern but I think it's worth the extra work. It helps a small space appear a little larger, at least in my eyes.
As hard as I tried there are still very small gaps between some squares.
Done with laying the tiles.
Cut a new hatch from plywood. Chisel out a place for the pull handle then stain. Apply tiles but instead of trying to match the pattern surrounding the hatchway I made it symmetric to the hatch.
I cut the heads off two 1/4" bolts and welded them to the bottom of the hatchway frame. The original idea was to use the bolts to hold the frame in place but after a test fit I realized the frame was adding rigidity to the floor. So I added another set of bolts to the frame.
Drilled holes in the floor to line up with the four bolts
With the frame bolted into place it made a big difference in the stiffness of the rear floor. There was at least a 1/4" of flex that went away.
Re-used the hinges from the first hatch.
After bolting the frame into place used a Dremel to cut off the excess bolt end. I then took a file to the bolt end till it was smooth. I know I'll be banging my hands into the bolt ends when reaching into the basement so this should help reduce possible injuries.
Looks good.
Last thing I tackled was the side step edge. While doing this project and getting in and out of the van my toe caught the edge of one tile already glued in place along this edge and caused it to flip right up. So some kind of edging along here was obviously needed. I'm going with a simple aluminum angled edge strip I had on hand.
The problem is here where the floor curves. The aluminum edging sure won't bend to fit that shape. I have a couple ideas what to do here but none that I like so just going to punt and leave it be for the present.
Screwed the edging into place.
OK, that's it for the floor. I still have to do some kind of edging strips along the back and along the front but that can wait till later. Once I finished and was looking back over the work it amazed me just how much of difference $50 worth of tile and can make to the look and "feel" of the van.
With the floor down, time to cover it. I'd thought about indoor-outdoor carpet but if I'm camping in the rain, which does happen, it would surely get wet and that could be a problem. So I'm going with vinyl flooring. Next choice is either sheet vinyl or tile squares. Since I still haul things in the van there is a chance of the floor being damaged. If I go with squares and damage one it can be pried up and replaced. So tile squares it is.
The floor space measures roughly 6' x 10'. Went to Lowe' to see what they had. The vinyl tiles I picked come in boxes that cover 30 square feet so two boxes should do it. They were around $25 a box. Lowe's also sells the tiles as singles which is a plus since I'll want to buy some extras in case replacements are needed in the future. Can't count on this particular style to still be available after a year or two.
I'll be laying down the tiles in a diagonal or, as I think of it, diamond pattern. I prefer the way this pattern looks but more importantly laid this way the floor seams won't line up with the vinyl tile's seams. The adhesive backing should help hold the floor seams in place.
Start by laying out some squares without removing the backing paper to get an idea how it all looks. Have to plan ahead so that there won't be any small cut pieces against a step edge.
Find and mark the center line of the van. Do this by snapping a chalk line.
Remove the paper backing from the first tile square and lay it down. Use the J-roller you can see in the below picture to press down on the square so it will adhere. This is the same J-roller I bought to apply the Formica to the sofa-bed sides.
Keep adding tile squares building out from the first one.
The downside to the diamond pattern is you have to cut more pieces for around the edges than you would with a straight pattern but I think it's worth the extra work. It helps a small space appear a little larger, at least in my eyes.
As hard as I tried there are still very small gaps between some squares.
Done with laying the tiles.
Cut a new hatch from plywood. Chisel out a place for the pull handle then stain. Apply tiles but instead of trying to match the pattern surrounding the hatchway I made it symmetric to the hatch.
I cut the heads off two 1/4" bolts and welded them to the bottom of the hatchway frame. The original idea was to use the bolts to hold the frame in place but after a test fit I realized the frame was adding rigidity to the floor. So I added another set of bolts to the frame.
Drilled holes in the floor to line up with the four bolts
With the frame bolted into place it made a big difference in the stiffness of the rear floor. There was at least a 1/4" of flex that went away.
Re-used the hinges from the first hatch.
After bolting the frame into place used a Dremel to cut off the excess bolt end. I then took a file to the bolt end till it was smooth. I know I'll be banging my hands into the bolt ends when reaching into the basement so this should help reduce possible injuries.
Looks good.
Last thing I tackled was the side step edge. While doing this project and getting in and out of the van my toe caught the edge of one tile already glued in place along this edge and caused it to flip right up. So some kind of edging along here was obviously needed. I'm going with a simple aluminum angled edge strip I had on hand.
The problem is here where the floor curves. The aluminum edging sure won't bend to fit that shape. I have a couple ideas what to do here but none that I like so just going to punt and leave it be for the present.
Screwed the edging into place.
OK, that's it for the floor. I still have to do some kind of edging strips along the back and along the front but that can wait till later. Once I finished and was looking back over the work it amazed me just how much of difference $50 worth of tile and can make to the look and "feel" of the van.
