This is one of the most exciting steps in the van build process. For months I had been looking at these ugly, misshapen walls and insulation with little payoff from my hard work. They say building a van is just like a house. It all comes together rather quickly at the end. So now the first finished panel goes up!
I used 1/4″ plywood from Lowes cut to shape using only measurements. Many people use pieces of cardboard as templates, but I didn’t bother with that. You just have to measure several points because of the odd shape of the van and transfer them to your wall panel. I usually measure 4-5 points along a long stretch and a couple on the shorter sides. Once the panel was cut to fit the wall, a couple holes were cut for things like the wall outlet and giant bundle of wires.
Next, I upholstered the panel using
Polyethylene 1/8″, 4 lb, closed cel foam covered with
Sunbrella outdoor acrylic fabric. The foam helps with added sound and thermal insulation and gives the walls a nice soft (but firm) feel. We chose Sunbrella fabric for a few reasons. 1) Everyone seems to use tweed or interweave and we wanted something different. 2) It has a nice touch and feel. 3) It looks more finished and smooth. 4) It is used in outdoor furniture applications so we were convinced it would hold up well in the van.
3M90 was used heavily to glue the foam to the panel, then 3M77 was used for the fabric. I used 1/4″ staples to staple the fabric to the panel. Upholstery work is easier than most think. Just take your time on the corners and it is very easy to achieve professional looking wall panels.
Before the wall panel went up, ONE more layer of insulation was added. I added Low E foil faced foam to the back to block out the heat and also act as a vapor barrier.
On the rear walls of the van, a little more work would have to go into this part. L track will be installed in places where there is no support, therefore I had to make my own. Using 16 gauge steel from Lowes, I added vertical supports. These will hold the L track for the platform bed as well as two small L tracks on each wall for additional tie downs and storage. Since these supports were strong enough up and down, but flimsy in and out, I added one custom bent 1″ angle steel beam in the middle to prevent any deflection in the middle of the wall and L track. All the beams were attached to the van’s metal structure using 1/4-20 rivnuts and stainless bolts. Since I installed so many supports, I didn’t need to go very big on the hardware. There were ALOT of holes that required drilling and it was a very time-consuming, tedious process, but worth it in the end. Every hole was primed to prevent rust and all the metal shavings were either vacuumed out of the wall or caught with a towel. I used angled L track for a nice finished look. This stuff is very strong and supports anything I hang off of it in the van.
Larger panels going in.
I drilled holes at each threaded rivnut attachment point for the L track.
Upholstery & Low E being installed on wall panels
The wall panels and L track were installed. No other fasteners were needed except on the lower wall panels. The L track holds it all up. Angled end caps finished off the L track nicely.
The lower panels were fastened and finished off with aluminum washers and stainless screws into rivnuts.
On the slider door, I used the factory wood panel and covered it with the same materials as the walls. I didn’t put the Low E foam on the inside though because ot would have made it way too thick and the door panel slips wouldn’t have worked right.
Rear door upper-most panels were cut out of 1/4″ ply and house two Polk Audio 6.5″ speakers and LED lights. A harness and switch were installed in the lower door panel for the LED lights. The switch blends in nicely with the door panel clips.
The rear door lower door panels were upholstered in the same vinyl as the cushions and the middle “window” areas were covered in the Sunbrella fabric. I used the factory wood panels for the lowers, and for the middle panels, I used the same material as our ceiling, white hardboard. It was easier to cut and work with. I used 3M VHB tape to hold it up. I also applied a layer of Low E foil face foam on the back since it would get very hot.
The wall behind the galley took a ton of time and of course, it will be seen the least. This area is where the amps and subwoofer are hidden. It is also where the water lines come through.