Van conversion part 2

If you have read the first part of our van conversion you would know that our daughter Emily had her big move to England cancelled because of COVID so she decided to buy a van, convert it and then hit the road to travel around our beautiful country.

This is van conversion part 2. An update on where Vance is up to now. He’s on his way to somewhere she can live comfortably.

The van was stripped out and then taken to an auto electrician to have the cables inserted ready for the battery power.

Carpet was ripped out and 4mm plywood was placed down to fill in where the chairs were removed. The whole floor was then covered with 6mm A Grade marine plywood. The plywood was sealed with a diluted solution of Bondcrete and water as a sealer before the the timber flooring was added. Tony and Em decided to remove all the vinyl from the panels but re-use the old panels to attach fresh plywood to. The old panels had metal trim that had gone a bit rusty so Em painted it with a rust converter and then painted them.

New timber panels were cut from 3mm plywood using the old ones as templates. They were then painted Dulux lexicon white.

Emily started painting the plastic areas of the van that would be staying. She prepared them first by sanding and then painting on a primer. They then received several coats of lexicon white. The paint did not adhere to the plastic as well as we’d hope and did scratch in several spots. We think that it would have adhered better if the plastic had been sanded more aggressively before painting. Hopefully once all the heavy work has been done it wont be a problem. Fingers crossed!!

STARTING TO PUT THE VAN BACK TOGETHER – van conversion part 2

All of the old panels were put back in place using the clips that were already attached to the van. The newly painted panels were then glued directly on to the old ones with Selleys liquid nails and held in place with screws

No more gaps was then used to finish off all the joins properly. Its amazing what a difference it makes and how well it finishes off your job. The areas were then repainted a final time.

The next step to getting the van to look more like a tiny home was to lay flooring. Emily was fortunate to get a whole lot of timber floor boards from a friend for $50. They look amazing and made a big difference to the feel of the van. The colour of the timber is perfect for the coastal boho vibe she is going for.

In part 3 we will see the cabinetry start to take shape. The van will include a small kitchen with a fridge and sink. A bed that pulls out into a double with as much storage as we can fit in.

If you would like to see where the journey began have a look at this post When COVID gives you lemons.