Team Karndean

[Ads_Essex]

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

Cheers Jon. It did cross my mind, but we have Karndean at home and, unless water is allowed to sit, the floor remains adhered (I did once have some standing water loosen a plank - I used towel to dry off the water and left the plank in situ, and the glue re-activated).

It is a Cali bench. I made the side plastic up from an old piece of plastic sheet I had (picture something the size of the sliding-door card) which, after making up a template in MDF, used a heat gun to mould in to shape.

And yes, the seat needed a bit of cutting and fabricating to slide past the arch. Well worth it in my opinion, especially on yours as it’s a LWB

 

[Skyliner33]

Cheers Jon. It did cross my mind, but we have Karndean at home and, unless water is allowed to sit, the floor remains adhered (I did once have some standing water loosen a plank - I used towel to dry off the water and left the plank in situ, and the glue re-activated).

It is a Cali bench. I made the side plastic up from an old piece of plastic sheet I had (picture something the size of the sliding-door card) which, after making up a template in MDF, used a heat gun to mould in to shape.

And yes, the seat needed a bit of cutting and fabricating to slide past the arch. Well worth it in my opinion, especially on yours as it’s a LWB

Thanks. Do you think the Kardean is harder to fit than Altro et al?
Dont suppose you kept the MDF template?
I think so. Need to work out how to get the seat base of the seat and then find someone who can modify it. Then someone who can trim it. Jeez it’s a fair bit of work just in the seat.

 

[BlayneKinley]

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

Thanks @Ads_Essex appreciate the feedback and advice!

 

[Ads_Essex]

Thanks. Do you think the Kardean is harder to fit than Altro et al?
Dont suppose you kept the MDF template?
I think so. Need to work out how to get the seat base of the seat and then find someone who can modify it. Then someone who can trim it. Jeez it’s a fair bit of work just in the seat.

I can’t comment, as I’ve never fitted Altro or any other adhesive flooring.

I discarded it, I’m afraid. From memory it was 12mm - a large piece for the side, with a another piece at the top section which was mitred and sanded to soften the curves, and
then some slits cut out for the seat bars to sit in.

For the box section on the seat base, I cut this in situ.
The seat frame simply unbolts at the front - I should have some photos posted on the forum somewhere

 

[JB26413]

Karndean planks have the advantage of being laid in strips whereas Altro is quite hard to bend and manipulate. The adhesive is pretty horrible to work with though. The epoxy adhesive probably ensures that the floor is totally sealed but time will tell!

 

[allo]

Hello
Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm thinking of installing Karndean planks in our van. My main question is how do you trace it around all the rounded edges of the van?
I'm getting a 2 piece plywood floor for our LWB T6, so do you just lay the plank on your floor, put the plywood floor on top of it and trace it perfectly around the edge with a stanley knife or is there a better way to do this?

Also, did you install the floor first or did you carpet your van first? Our friends converted their van last year but they used altro vinyl so they carpeted the van first, then installed the plywood floor and vinyl the last. Is the process with Karndean the same or slightly different? If you install the floor planks last how do you finish the cutting edge? I can't imagine applying silicone sealant to the carpet as it would probably be a huge mess.

Any tips are welcome!

 

[JB26413]

allo said:
Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm thinking of installing Karndean planks in our van. My main question is how do you trace it around all the rounded edges of the van?
I'm getting a 2 piece plywood floor for our LWB T6, so do you just lay the plank on your floor, put the plywood floor on top of it and trace it perfectly around the edge with a stanley knife or is there a better way to do this?

No, that won't work well. The sides of the van are sloping and the floor has square edges so you'd end up with big gaps round the edges. I laid and bonded my ply floor and then started my Karndean planking from the centre and worked out towards the sides. When I got to the edges and need to cut I used something like this to mark out the plank.

allo also said:
Also, did you install the floor first or did you carpet your van first? Our friends converted their van last year but they used altro vinyl so they carpeted the van first, then installed the plywood floor and vinyl the last. Is the process with Karndean the same or slightly different? If you install the floor planks last how do you finish the cutting edge? I can't imagine applying silicone sealant to the carpet as it would probably be a huge mess.

Yes, carpet the sides first, then the ply base and then the Karndean last. The karndean planks can be cut tight enough to the side to create a very neat edge around the floor, no need for any sealant or other trim. The vinyl plank can press into the carpet a few mm which hides the cut edge a bit, too. I actually did both on mine due to time pressures and indecision, the nearside carpet went in first, before the flooring, and the edge looks good. The offside carpet was done last, and the edge is ok, but not great, although not a concern as it is hidden by the furniture.

 

[allo]

No, that won't work well. The sides of the van are sloping and the floor has square edges so you'd end up with big gaps round the edges. I laid and bonded my ply floor and then started my Karndean planking from the centre and worked out towards the sides. When I got to the edges and need to cut I used something like this to mark out the plank.


Yes, carpet the sides first, then the ply base and then the Karndean last. The karndean planks can be cut tight enough to the side to create a very neat edge around the floor, no need for any sealant or other trim. The vinyl plank can press into the carpet a few mm which hides the cut edge a bit, too. I actually did both on mine due to time pressures and indecision, the nearside carpet went in first, before the flooring, and the edge looks good. The offside carpet was done last, and the edge is ok, but not great, although not a concern as it is hidden by the furniture.

Thank you for your response, looks lovely and definitely much better than regular vinyl floor. I bet it should last a lifetime!

I was thinking of using a similar tool to cut the planks around the edges. To be fair it's only a few bits that are really visible. Most parts are covered either by the kitchen unit or the bed.

What did you use to bond the planks to the plywood?

 

[JB26413]

What did you use to bond the planks to the plywood?

See post #3 - epoxy resin. Horrible stuff a bit like araldite but I think it’s sealed for life!