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Is there a thinsulate clone

22K views 38 replies 21 participants last post by  JohnnyQ 
#1 · (Edited)
Was gonna use thinsulate to do all of my 118 Low roof but saw that it was 12 bucks per linear foot. :eek: I thought I saw on a another thread that a while back it was 9 something per linear foot and at the time on sale for 8.88/LF. Was not expecting that much of an increase. So is there any product similar that is a bit cheaper. Not stiff insulation like Polyiso which I am sure it is very good and may still use on my ceiling. I want something flexible and fluffy like the thinsulate.

Was wonderin' also how many LF of the thinsulate would I need to do all of my 118 Low Roof? 30 ft?? thanks.
 
#6 ·
Actually the polyiso and great stuff is easier to do on the walls than the ceiling anyway. In this case fluffy will be a LOT more expensive and the ridgid foam is better. Get control of your minds thought that fluffy is better and move on.
 
#11 ·
Okay. Is shipping $100 to Austin, Tx? I see the Amazon and ebay prices are with free shipping but figures to be about $12 per linear foot with the free shipping. Do you have 30 feet of the SM600L currently in stock? Also do you have the gasket for the MaxAir fan in stock?

I finally got my build design figured out. Still haven't installed my Carr steps, weather not cooperating. My bedrug gets here tomorrow. Got my Noico for the wheelwells and wherever. So still need to order Maxair fan and get a battery and isolator and inverter, wiring, sink and........:eek:gee I gotta lotta stuff to get yet. So the fun begins.
 
#8 ·
I did the polyiso and found it easy and quick so I have a bias. 1” polyiso for your van would be $100 plus the gun and 2 cans of foam each at $14 so $150 to insulate that same area. I’d pull Thinsulate into the ribs if you decide to do that but it is probably unnecessary. Thinsulate over the cab and in inside some doors could be done too. But then again its just money and the Thinsulate seems to be a good product.
 
#9 ·
At the risk of triggering some sort of religious war; may I ask if plain old polyester batting (for quilts or other needlework projects) would be a potential substitute for thinsulate?

I've got a situation where I'm bulking up on the meager insulation that was pre-installed in my Carado Axion. It looks like they used a foil backed fiberglass insulation in the big and easy to reach cavities and nothing in places like the sliding door and vertical ribs of the van. I'm thinking polyester batting might be a good solution for all the nooks and crannies since I wouldn't be able to create a seamless vapor barrier between them and the panels anyway.

Thoughts?
 
#10 ·
No. It sounds reasonable in theory, but I have experience with both. Those battings would not retain their integrity in an unsupported vertical environment, particularly with vibration. They would slither into a heap at the bottom of your cavity, leaving on the wall only the few strands held by your glue. There's a reason why quilts are quilted. The only ones I know with an R-value approaching that of Thinsulate, Climashield and Primaloft, are as expensive as Thinsulate. Primaloft instructions call for rather tight quilting. Climashield does not require quilting, but retains its integrity by clinging to the cotton fabric on the two sides of the quilt. I was working with Climashield yesterday and had to make sure it wasn't skewed every time I cut--the two sides move independently. In a wall cavity, that shear would happen before you could button it up.

The Thinsulate that Hein sells is also a different animal from the Thinsulate sold for quilting, etc. It is created specifically for our vertical vibrating environment.

Hein's $8.88/yd is the same as I paid three years ago. Put the cost into the context of the entire build. It's a blip.
 
#14 ·
I ordered the Thinsulate mainly for ease of installation. I knew going in that my van conversion would be spendy and was prepared and it is proving to be so. :| Hope to get it soon.
 
#16 ·
Got my Thinsulate today and got it earlier than the estimated delivery date! Thank you Hein. :) A bit too cold today and through the next week so will be waiting for some warmer weather to insulate Ulysses.
 
#15 ·
Yes it seems to have come down to Thinsulate or Polyisocyanurate. The Thinsulate is much more expensive, is easier to install in non-flat areas and where working around obstacles that are an issue like inside the doors, ribs, over the cab etc. The polyiso is much cheaper requires you to buy a $15 progun and a couple of cans of foam and is easy to fit to the reasonably flat areas like the wall cavities and ceiling. The cutting and fitting need not be accurate as the foam makes up the difference. It can be a surface for final finishes such as headliner glued directly to it instead of a second surface like plywood.
I’d suggest anyone thinking about insulating a new van do some of both where each material is used for the part of the van best suited to its strengths.

Both attenuate sound, obviating the need for expensive and esoteric products for that and either can be used to do the whole job meaning either more expensive or more fussing as the choice. I lined many ribs with the polyiso! I’d take the opinion the polyiso can be a better solution for lessening and managing condensation but I don’t think we have enough science on that topic to judge with certainty.

Both these can stand the 160++ temperatures in contact with the van’s exterior Sun heated walls and few other products can, both are rated for vehicle use, both are hydrophobic, neither tend to promote mold, neither contain fibers known to cause respiratory problems or cancer as far as I know.
 
#18 ·
As per Hein's suggestion,"30 LF would be plenty for your 118", I got 30 feet. ll make it a point to use it wisely. I have windows in the back doors and side door. Thanks for head up.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Okay got some thinsulate installed. I have the full OEM black cargo panels that I am keeping with the thinsulate installed underneath.

Today was a nice warm 68 degree sunny day so took some LaserGrip thermal measurements. On the outside sheet metal of the van the measurement was 113 degrees pretty much from lower to upper panel behind the drivers door.

Inside I took a measurement of the corresponding top black cargo panel that I have not yet installed the thinsulate under it. It measured 91.4 again without thinsulate and just air behind the panel. So those black panels are contributing to some amount of insulation.

I took a measurement of the corresponding bottom black cargo panel that has the thinsulate fully installed underneath it and in all the nooks and crannies and it measured 83.6 degrees. A 7.8 degree drop from non-insulated to insulated. Not sure how accurate and scientific my measuring is and just how effective the thinsulate is compared to other insulation materials. Just was curious. It is what it is.

I will measure outside air temp and inside air temp once I get all the thinsulate installed.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yes, I'm down here'n Austin. 68° air temp. Bright sunny day. The side of the van had been in direct sun for several hours. 113° on the metal. But what I wanna know is how do you make one of the little zeros for degrees? Don't have one on my desk keyboard. :|
 
#26 ·
How many linear feet of Thinsulate do you need if you do all the flat surfaces with Polysio and the ribs and back windows in Thinsulate?
You'll want some for the headliner and inside doors too. Maybe 10 feet?

Can you come back in and cover over Polysio, later on, with Thinsulate to dramatically increase insulation?
I don't see why not.
 
#28 ·
Not quite understanding the pricing on the thinsulate after perusing the last 3 pages here... indications are $8 - 12 per lineal foot (I presume 5ft wide per ebay site) but on the ebay site a lineal foot is over $100 ... what am i missing? What is the actual cost per sq ft that i would be looking at? Thanks
 

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#30 · (Edited)
Hmmmm I have yet to start insulating still debating the options, Perhaps Polyiso in the big flat open spaces and Thinsulate in the area's with less access?

Also have a 8'X8' sheet of reflectix type foil/bubble wrap that I am thinking of using in the windows, Might not be the best but probably better use in the van than left sitting in the garage unused.
 
#32 ·
Finally did the ceiling ED! Congrats. What is the finish going to be up there? Pictures of the process? Must be Connecticut had a warm spell and you got a chance to sit in the van and think it through! I like that approach.
 
#34 · (Edited)
To be clear I said, "I did my ceiling with polyiso," not "I did my ceiling with polyiso, and it's all done." ;)
I framed the ceiling with 3/4" plywood strips, parallel to the side walls, then did cross pieces which will allow for the final 1/4" plywood cover layer... and they hold the polyiso in place... no glue... some airspace between polyiso and roof and ceiling.

The 1/4" plywood will have carpet glued to it, a la KOV. Except in the recessed center panel which will have some Wilsonart laminate glued to it. Needed to leave some space for the disco ball! >:D

For the record, I did the strips and polyiso last fall... spring has definitely not sprung here in CT! 20 degrees this am with snow on the way! That has given me plenty of time to sit and think, so as soon as it warms up a bit, I'm on it!

Pictures will follow....

Lots of thinking about a bt/usb/cd/car radio in the back... but that's a whole different thread :D
 
#33 ·
Regarding the thread title: I used some old bedding which was pure polyester fill with a polyester backing on both sides in some places on my van just because I had an old blanket to get rid of. I also used plenty of Hein's material and used plenty of polyiso and some spray foam.

Having used all a couple of different materials I agree with RD and others that the best and most cost effective solution is polyiso adhered with spray foam. The spray foam is rediculously sticky and tacky amazingly even on metal and does a great job of holding the polyiso in place. Because you're using the spray foam for the edges the polyiso does not need to be cut very accurately, you just fill in the edges with the adhesive (spray foam). Definitley 100% use a spray foam gun (cheap ones on ebay or amazon are fine) with the big can meant for the gun. Do not mess around with the can with the tube. I used the window and door foam since it supposedly will not expand too much to cause bowing when put into closed cavities.
 
#36 ·
Odd you would bring that up. Years ago, living in the winter rust of Northern VT and driving winter beaters which someone else had rusted through I discovered Great Stuff. I used to put something in the rusted panels to stop it from flowing out on to the ground and then fill the them enough to hold the body together and keep the salt spray out of the doors and rockers. I discovered it sticks like snot to anything, lasts forever if not in the sun, mice will not chew through it, and if water gets trapped it will encourage rust. For those cars it was a moot point. My experience would suggest the following.

Use it on painted surfaces only. It does not seem trap or produce water in the curing process. I have never witnessed that.
Use thin beads of it not globs of it shot into spaces. I use only Gaps and Cracks and lay down a thin line to glue in the panels.
Run the beads vertically in the walls and transversely for the ceiling and don’t seal off the bottom edge so condensate can flow down to the rockers which act as scuppers to release moisture from the van.
Run beads around the edges as suggested in the jposts above but in the back of your mind ask yourself “Can the water escape?’ If it can I don't think you will have any problem.

This guy has experience too, I wouldn’t be arguing with this dude!:
 
#37 · (Edited)
Run beads around the edges as suggested in the jposts above but in the back of your mind ask yourself “Can the water escape?’ If it can I don't think you will have any problem.
Thanks RD this makes total sense. I did use the "doors and windows" for a couple spots around my wheel wells where I had done a less than stellar job in routing the plywood for the floor. Then I stopped having read somewhere that great stuff is not a good idea. I'm pretty sure the answer to the above question is "No" in this case but I guess I'll just have to take my chances now since it's a done deal. Certainly good to know for the future tho'.
 
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