[dogbirdvan]

Today was a great day. This morning I called in sick to my office job so that my girlfriend and I could take a bus to a nearby city to pick up our brand new ProMaster 2500. I had of course test driven multiple vans previously, but I must say, driving my own van home today was an amazing feeling. I've been driving a small sedan for the last 7 years and I am amazed at how easy this van is to get around in. Simply loving it.

I'm wanting to get started on my build asap, and my first plan of attack is to get the subfloor in. My plan has been to apply Noico sound deadener between the floor ribs, a 1/2" layer of polyiso, and then a 1/2" (or perhaps 3/4") layer of plywood into which I plan on drilling pocket holes to install floor cabinets. The thing is - my van came with the composite wood floor installed. I do plan to remove it, but I am trying to decide if A) I should reinstall the composite floor over the polyiso in place of the 1/2" ply, or B) discard/sell the composite floor and stick with the original plan to use plywood. While I do like the idea of making use of the floor that came with my van, my concern with option A is that I likely cannot drill into the composite floor to install cabinets.

Any thoughts?

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

Try this epic thread. 99 posts and counting...

http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60034

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Skip the Noico. Just lay the polyiso on the ribs, then the plywood held by longer tie down bolts, then move on. Save the sound deadener for the wheel wells.

 

[dogbirdvan]

Skip the Noico. Just lay the polyiso on the ribs, then the plywood held by longer tie down bolts, then move on. Save the sound deadener for the wheel wells.

I am planning to do the wheel wells also. Why skip the floor? Are you suggesting it will not have any effect as long as the wheel wells are sound deadened?

 

[dogbirdvan]

Try this epic thread. 99 posts and counting...

http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60034

Thanks for the link. Those in favor of insulating the floor only seem to discuss its advantages in the cold. I have not seen much discussion about floor insulation benefits/drawbacks in warmer climates... Wouldn't a layer of polyiso help to keep the hot air underneath the vehicle from rising into the van? I am not as concerned about the cold as I am the heat - I can run a heater to get the van warm, but keeping it cool is another story. My primary concern is the safety of my pets when I have to leave them alone in the van.

Can anyone weigh in on the effects of floor insulation in warmer climates?

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

The sound deadener will have little or no effect once the floor is down as both add mass to do the job. Heat transfer across a differential is nearly the same for a cold exterior or a hot exterior. Reflective surfaces have a bit of one way effect but you won’t see it in your floor.

 

[dogbirdvan]

After reading and rereading (and maybe re-re-reading) the thread Ziggy linked to, I am still unable to decide what the best course of action is. Lol

On one hand I am now considering leaving the factory floor installed and using a good thermal/acoustic underlayment between it and my final flooring. I'd still have to figure out how to secure my cabinets without a plywood subfloor to drill into, however. The method sofabike used (insulating the exterior floor surface) also seems intriguing and is something I could do later on if I felt the need.

On the other hand, taking up the factory floor and just using it as a template for my original plan also seems to make sense... although I would hate to begin tearing it out and then regret doing so after discovering how much of a pain it might be. The idea of pulling up a perfectly good factory floor is a bit unnerving.

Guess I'll continue to contemplate for now...

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

You may wake up in the middle of the night and the best solution will have occurred in your subconscious brain. If it doesn’t happen in a couple of days just do one or the other and move on. There isn’t an absolute correct answer just a correct answer FOR YOU.

 

[MsNomer]

"You may wake up in the middle of the night and the best solution will have occurred in your subconscious brain. If it doesn’t happen in a couple of days just do one or the other and move on. There isn’t an absolute correct answer just a correct answer FOR YOU."

If there were an an award for the best post ever on this forum, RD should get it for this piece of wisdom.