Subfloor Install…RIGHT or WRONG? | Van Build Ep. 10

The floor. The first thing we started our #vanbuild with and the thing that has consistently been under construction since we bought the van. Though it seems like it's never going to end, we are actually nearing the completion of the floor installation!

Having already removed the floor, we began to create a template of the removed floor onto the marine grade plywood. It's a little tricky as the pieces are bulky and because there are some rounded edges that need to be cut, but we have to start somewhere! Kate begins by measuring and tracing, and then Mel gets to the sawing the wood with his angle grinder and then with the circular saw. The saw action doesn't stop there though - - Mel also uses the jigsaw and exercises his power tool skills.

With all of the floor joists cut, the cross pieces cut, and every single measurement of the floor taken, we begin to assemble the subfloor support and decide where all of the pieces are going to be placed to optimize support. Once those are all in and decided upon, we have to remove them so that Mel can sand the areas down on the metal floor of the van. He does this because the glue that we use to attach the wood to the metal floor of the van will stick better with sanded metal (not painted metal). Once the sanding is done, we put the cut subfloor onto the joists, to ensure every piece of the floor lays flush to the others - - straight and even. Mel has to make a few adjustments, including cutting out the specific area that will become our bathroom.

To (almost) finish the floor, we need to put on the sealer (to moisture-seal) on all of the wood pieces of flooring before we glue it down. We go with as much "green" or safe and non-toxic product for the van as possible, and that includes our glue and sealant. The painting of the sealant takes the majority of a day, and although we'd like to be done with it, we decide to put the sealant on all sides of the wood, to moisture-proof everything as completely as we can.

After it all dries, we continue on the following day with gluing in the wooden joists, piece by piece until it is all in successfully (even with a minor mishap, when Kate stepped in the glue with her barefoot). Once that is done, we finish measuring and cutting out the hardboard insulation that will be placed within all of the wooden squares created by the joists. We put those pieces in carefully, trimming them to fit exactly, and then seal those edges with aluminum tape. This is to ensure we have the maximum amount of insulation possible in the floor, by using both the hardboard insulation and aluminum tape.

Getting the floor in has been a long, extensive, and time-consuming process, but we know that this is a huge step towards the completion of our #vanlife build-out and we couldn't be more proud or excited!

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Learn more about life with #TheVanCutlers!

LEAKY WINDOW CONUNDRUM - https://youtu.be/AQtuNdUYDM0