Underfloor insulation for maximum headspace

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CraftyCampers

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Hi all, being 6'4" tall i'm looking to keep as much floor to ceiling space as possible. Has anyone used 10mm closed foam insulation on their floor instead of 25mm wood battens and PIR insulation board? I'd still use 10mm battens to support the floor and prevent the insulation crushing over time. Thanks in advance for any feedback :)(y)
 
Have a look at aerogel... 10mm of it is the equivalent to approx 70mm PIR.. but it's £££
Compression isn't an issue either it works the same. Hydrophobic and can come bonded to most surfaces you would use for a floor. Next best would likely be a SIP board. These are only my suggestions to keep height.
I'm installing a hydronic floor using SiP layup. Have a look at vanlifetech website. And yes availible in the UK.
 
Just starting floor prep, will ‘dodo mat’ or similar thermoacoustic matting (10-12mm) be enough on the floor? I will raise the lower sections inline with the higher ridges with deadening mat first, then ply on top, and thinking of using 25mm PIR on the ceiling…
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Just about to buy a new MAN tge MWB the and wondered if it's necessary to insulate the floor. I understand about the sides, back doors and the roof.
The reason I ask is you can buy the van with a wooden floor or without. Any information would be really appreciated. Ryan
 
I would say definitely insulate the floor. It is surprising how cold the floor can be.
 
Ryan1955 said:
Just about to buy a new MAN tge MWB the and wondered if it's necessary to insulate the floor. I understand about the sides, back doors and the roof.
The reason I ask is you can buy the van with a wooden floor or without. Any information would be really appreciated. Ryan
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If the wooden floor is a no cost option then go for that and use the original floor for a work bench top and anything else you can think of, it's strong and heavy! Then batten & insulate the metal floor and cover that with ply.
If the OEM floor is a cost option forget it.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone it's appreciated. I was going to get the factory wooden floor as the van is going to be converted into a camper van.
Some people say insulate the floor and others say don't bother. I understand insulating the floor if it's the bare metal but I am building the van to be as light as possible.
The factory fitted wooden floor is good quality so laying a good quality cushion Lino should do the trick, I think.
 
I have had several vans and motorhomes and there was a noticeable difference between them when the weather was cold. If you are looking to use the van during the winter then I would definitely insulate the floor.
 
I'm with TonyL that uninsulated floors are cold in the winter (I have been living in vans full time for 5+ years now so can attest to that) I would forget about sound deadening stuff as I have yet to be in a van where it made enough difference when driving to justify the cost and weight. Any insulation is better than nothing and XPS/Kingspan weighs next to nothing.

When I got my current van I used 20mm XPS. I chose this over Kingspan variants as it available in various thicknesses (from I think 2mm up) It is almost uncompressable. I did not use battens or glue it down, I simply laid it out and put the original floor on top of it. I held it all down using the original tie down points (just used 20mm longer bolts)
 
Personally I wouldn't use the original wooden floor as it's extremely heavy and over kill for camper use. In the past I have used Celotex under thinner (than the OEM floor) ply. As @Tor says some thicknesses are not easy to find in stock in the builders merchants but there are specialist who either stock what you want or can get it in on special order.
 
What are the views of sound deadning vans, is it a waste of money and extra weight. Watching stuff on YouTube everyone seems to do it.
If it makes the van quiter when parking up at night then it's a bonus.
 
That is a good question! My initial thought was that if you are insulating the van to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer then this will also reduce the noise in the van. I have seen sound deadening added to stop the panels resonating, but am not sure whether this is necessary if the van is insulated? Definitely a bonus if the van is being used as a van.
 
It seems like there should be a single product that does both jobs. Would the bubble wrap silver sided stick on sound proofer work do both jobs if you covered the complete panels before covering with boarding. Or will the Dodo fleece evo do on it's own. My next question is, is a fitted fridge better or something like this JK45ltr 12-24v compressor box fridge freezer. My wife and I recently travelled across New Zealand in a van for four months and couldn't stand milk or bottles up in the fridge, whereas in the fridge boxes you can.

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I’ve gone with 25mm batten on top of the floor ridges, between the ridges im putting 10mm thermoliner type insulation to match the ridge height with 25mm pir between the battens,I think it’s worth insulating the floor personally and I like the batten/pir setup as I’ve used it before
 
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