Team Karndean

[Graeme_B]

Putting in an order for my floor today so no pics as yet but will be coming soon!
I've seen some great floors (@Ads_Essex , @JaySal, @Rapt0rUK ) from other threads and thought be good to pull them together and be a good place to post advice/tips in one easy to find place.

 

[Graeme_B]

I'm looking at going with aran oak and ebony strips. Think you lose some effect if you go for wider planks.

There is a local supplier i want to offer the business to (only small but it all helps!) but if they can't help flooringsupplies.co.uk lets you buy single boxes where other onlime shops have min 3 boxes.

For my swb 1 box of planks and 2 boxes of design strips will just cover it (will have side units so don't mind if last row or so is made up of shorter lengths!)

Having fixed my decision on which adhesive to use, lots of options but edging towards f-ball f48 or uzin ke66 depending what i can find in small quantities!

 

[Ads_Essex]

I have Karndean American Oak with 5mm black strips to separate. I used, based on googling and asking a few LVT fitters, epoxy resin adhesive in the end - apparently it’s not be affected by low temperatures (which high temp can’t deal with, apparently) nor high temperatures.
It’s bonded to a single sheet of 12mm ply which itself is laid on a rubber Kombi floor. This brings it up to the correct height for the Cali rails.

 

[SamD]

Very smart! Nice change to Altro flooring

 

[JOG]

View attachment 106163
I have Karndean American Oak with 5mm black strips to separate. I used, based on googling and asking a few LVT fitters, epoxy resin adhesive in the end - apparently it’s not be affected by low temperatures (which high temp can’t deal with, apparently) nor high temperatures.
It’s bonded to a single sheet of 12mm ply which itself is laid on a rubber Kombi floor. This brings it up to the correct height for the Cali rails.

View attachment 106164

That’s a superb job done there! Looks stunning

 

[Graeme_B]

Been a touch quiet on here but today finally going to lay the floor.

9mm battens down with dodo deadening and insulation between, a layer of super liner and a 1 piece 12mm ply floor from low life make up the base. The ply floor precut for the offside bracket of 2+1 i removed to be refitted so i can have 2 singles in middle row.

Tip: once you've cleaned your van, hoovered, removed any deadening/glue spray gunk, degreased, mopped, alcohol wiped don't unroll your precut battens straight on the floor.. fine layer of wood dust and start cleaning again. Wife getting pissed off as have cleaned the van floor more in a day than the house floor in a month!



Will test the floor now with kombi steps then screw the ply down before testing with steps and marking where they reach to know where top layer needs to go.

I'm using F48 high temp tile adhesive and the arran oak knight tile with 5mm ebony design strips to finish.

Went round in circles on whether epoxy or high temp. Decided HT based on the insulation and ply base protecting from cold in uk and if we are snowboarding or it is particularly cold we will be in van with heater on or just set the heater for a quick blast each night using the app. HT I hope will be easier to use than epoxy which is a big factor also!

Any last tips or advice?

Will post an update later.

 

[Graeme_B]

So that took a lot longer than expected and not helped by the rain meaning I had to position and cut whilst in the van.

Cutting is easy enough with a sharp blade scoring the top layer and the tiles crack to give a decent edge.

I've decided to bring the front section indoors this morning and use a template for cutting out the bracket holes. First attempt in the van yesterday i was not happy with finish!

I can confirm 1 box of planks and 2 boxes of edging is enough for swb but not much wriggle room so make your cuts good!

Really happy how it looks, I'll post a pic later after it is cut and glued.

 

[Graeme_B]

Marked it, cut it, laid it... Then unlaid to glue it.

This job is taking the longest out of them all. One piece must be a relative breeze but so happy with the look of wood you only get with planks (fake planks)

Tip, cut the bracket holes with rounded corners. It is tight in a few places but the trim covers just cover my rectangular holes.

 

[Gizzard]

Hi guys. After being inspired by you lovely lot I'm currently laying Karnden Aerican Oak in my t6 camper. Thought I was being clever when I found a box on ebY but I'm quote sure there was 1 plank missing from the box so now I'm short. This is a long shot but to save me buying a whole box, does anyone on here have 1 x American oak plank left over that they could sell me???? thanks in advance.
G

 

[Ads_Essex]

Hi guys. After being inspired by you lovely lot I'm currently laying Karnden Aerican Oak in my t6 camper. Thought I was being clever when I found a box on ebY but I'm quote sure there was 1 plank missing from the box so now I'm short. This is a long shot but to save me buying a whole box, does anyone on here have 1 x American oak plank left over that they could sell me???? thanks in advance.
G

If you have no luck here, try your local flooring shop as they will always have leftovers

 

[Gizzard]

Thanks Ad's. This was going to be my next mission but thought I would ask just in case anyone on here had found themselves in a similar position. This forum has been a god send during my self build so more than happy to try and put at least a little back in if I can.
Thanks again though, defo a good shout..
G

 

[Skyliner33]

View attachment 106163
I have Karndean American Oak with 5mm black strips to separate. I used, based on googling and asking a few LVT fitters, epoxy resin adhesive in the end - apparently it’s not be affected by low temperatures (which high temp can’t deal with, apparently) nor high temperatures.
It’s bonded to a single sheet of 12mm ply which itself is laid on a rubber Kombi floor. This brings it up to the correct height for the Cali rails.

View attachment 106164

Sorry to take the thread off tangent a little bit but I have a couple of questions for you @Ads_Essex .

At the moment I have a genuine VW rubber floor in my van.
I am planning to add a Titan Beds Vari-mount bed (when they become available again) which use Caravelle rails (I believe these are the same as California).

My worry is getting the floor to the correct height. SO would I be correct in saying that I can lay a 12mm ply floor on top of the OEM rubber floor with the Karndean / Altro or equvalent on top and it will be the perfect height?

If so, did you source a ply floor with the slots for the rails already cut out? Or how did you do it yourself?
Is there any movement with the rubber floor compressing under load?
Finally, how did you fasten the ply floor in the van?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Ads_Essex]

Sorry to take the thread off tangent a little bit but I have a couple of questions for you @Ads_Essex .

At the moment I have a genuine VW rubber floor in my van.
I am planning to add a Titan Beds Vari-mount bed (when they become available again) which use Caravelle rails (I believe these are the same as California).

My worry is getting the floor to the correct height. SO would I be correct in saying that I can lay a 12mm ply floor on top of the OEM rubber floor with the Karndean / Altro or equvalent on top and it will be the perfect height?

If so, did you source a ply floor with the slots for the rails already cut out? Or how did you do it yourself?
Is there any movement with the rubber floor compressing under load?
Finally, how did you fasten the ply floor in the van?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Morning Jon,

Yes mate - 12mm ply with the Karndean planks will be the right height (with the notched trowel Karndean recommend - I can’t remember it now).
I bought the one-piece and used the original two-piece ply to template it, using the two piece to work out the slots for the rails.
Mine isn’t fastened to the floor and it barely flexes - you can feel it’s on a soft bed as opposed to it being straight on the van floor. The only bit that creaks is where I was too tight on a tolerance around one of the rails, where if you stand on it you hear it.

 

[Barralad]

Hi guys. After being inspired by you lovely lot I'm currently laying Karnden Aerican Oak in my t6 camper. Thought I was being clever when I found a box on ebY but I'm quote sure there was 1 plank missing from the box so now I'm short. This is a long shot but to save me buying a whole box, does anyone on here have 1 x American oak plank left over that they could sell me???? thanks in advance.
G

If you go onto Karndean website you can order one plank as a sample.

 

[Skyliner33]

Morning Jon,

Yes mate - 12mm ply with the Karndean planks will be the right height (with the notched trowel Karndean recommend - I can’t remember it now).
I bought the one-piece and used the original two-piece ply to template it, using the two piece to work out the slots for the rails.
Mine isn’t fastened to the floor and it barely flexes - you can feel it’s on a soft bed as opposed to it being straight on the van floor. The only bit that creaks is where I was too tight on a tolerance around one of the rails, where if you stand on it you hear it.

Thanks,
Just one point I'm not too sure about.
You say you used the original 2 piece ply to template? I thought you had a rubber floor originally. Did the 2 piece have slots in the rails?

Are you happy with the way it flexes slightly due to the rubber? If you were doing it again would you do the same or used a firmer substrate to get the height?

Finally, where did you order the rails from?

Thanks again.

 

[Gizzard]

If you go onto Karndean website you can order one plank as a sample.

Flipping genius. Faceplant moment for me at my end and clearly a case of totally overthinking it.
Thanks barraland.
Ordered and on route

 

[Ads_Essex]

Thanks,
Just one point I'm not too sure about.
You say you used the original 2 piece ply to template? I thought you had a rubber floor originally. Did the 2 piece have slots in the rails?

Are you happy with the way it flexes slightly due to the rubber? If you were doing it again would you do the same or used a firmer substrate to get the height?

Finally, where did you order the rails from?

Thanks again.

Yeah my van was originally ply-lined, so I used the existing floor to template the one piece. I made the slots for the Cali Bed myself - using the two-piece ply - before transferring that to the rubber floor (which I bought off here) and the one piece ply (which I bought somewhere up in Purfleet).
Yeah I’m happy with it. I wouldn’t do it any different. The flex is good - just enough that you don’t notice it.

The rails came with the seat and two captains seats - £2500 or so, all in - from Kernow.

 

[BlayneKinley]

I’m in the beginning stages of my Karndean flooring installation. I have sourced the Karndean flooring and my father in law has the correct adhesive and trowel required for laying the flooring.

I have read through various pages on the forum but haven’t got a definitive answer…. Is there any prep work or coating required to go over the ply flooring before laying the adhesive and Karndean planks?

I have a 1 piece 12mm birch ply flooring in the van which will be the foundation for reference, just unsure if it needs any treatment prior

 

[Ads_Essex]

I’m in the beginning stages of my Karndean flooring installation. I have sourced the Karndean flooring and my father in law has the correct adhesive and trowel required for laying the flooring.

I have read through various pages on the forum but haven’t got a definitive answer…. Is there any prep work or coating required to go over the ply flooring before laying the adhesive and Karndean planks?

I have a 1 piece 12mm birch ply flooring in the van which will be the foundation for reference, just unsure if it needs any treatment prior

Not that my research told me, no, and it’s been fine.

 

[Skyliner33]

View attachment 106163
I have Karndean American Oak with 5mm black strips to separate. I used, based on googling and asking a few LVT fitters, epoxy resin adhesive in the end - apparently it’s not be affected by low temperatures (which high temp can’t deal with, apparently) nor high temperatures.
It’s bonded to a single sheet of 12mm ply which itself is laid on a rubber Kombi floor. This brings it up to the correct height for the Cali rails.

View attachment 106164

That is a great job. I'm currently wondering if an oak wood effect floor will go with grey units. I did ask a converter about using Karndean, but they thought it was better to use 1 complete sheet as water spillage could get between the Karndean into the ply base.


Secondly, is that an OEM California seat? If so, where did you get the side panel that covers the metal base, and did you have to modify the seat as mine does not slope up like yours to clear the wheel arch? Thanks