Building Our Van Subfloor
Kicking Off the Subfloor Project
Welcome back to our van build series! In the last video, we left off after cutting two giant holes in the roof of our Ford Transit 250. Now, it's time to tackle one of the most crucial steps: installing the subfloor.
Our first mission? Insulation. We were on the hunt for PolyISO insulation, but all we could find was XPS insulation. Luckily, it’s still a great option—water-resistant and reliable. The plan was to cut the insulation boards to fit between our framing and then top it all with half-inch birch plywood. Simple, right? Well… not exactly.
Measuring, Cutting, and Framing
Before diving in, we decided to use the rubber mat that came with the van as a template—huge win! That made measuring much easier. For the framing, we went with 2x2s and grabbed nine of them to create a solid structure for our plywood to rest on.
At this point, we had a bit of a dilemma. Aidan likes to analyze every possible approach, while I (Coni) am all about just getting it done. So naturally, I took charge of cutting while Aidan worked on making sure everything was perfect.
Painting for Protection
With our framing in place, the next step was sealing it with KILZ primer to protect it from mold and mildew. It was already getting dark by the time we finished numbering the pieces and taking them out of the van to paint, but hey, progress is progress!
Reassembling & Reinforcing the Frame
The next morning, we brought all the painted pieces back inside and started figuring out how to place them again. To make the structure sturdier, we used our brand-new pocket hole machine (which we were very excited about) to drill everything together.
Now, with the frame solid and secure, it was time to add the insulation.
The Great Spray Foam Disaster
We started cutting and placing the XPS insulation, but when it came to sealing the gaps with spray foam… well, let’s just say someone (me) got a little too enthusiastic. We ended up overfilling some areas, causing the foam board to lift up. Oops. That meant we had to tear some of it out and redo those sections.
Lesson learned: Less is more when it comes to spray foam.
Creating the Perfect Plywood Template
Before cutting our plywood, we wanted to be extra sure we got it right—after all, this stuff was expensive! So we used our insulation pieces to trace out a template and double-checked the measurements before making any cuts.
Then came the big moment—Super Bowl Sunday, but for us, the real game was cutting our $68 plywood sheets perfectly. No pressure!
Cutting and Installing the Plywood
With the template traced onto our plywood, we pulled out the jigsaw and got to work. The first fit? Almost perfect. After trimming a little here and there, it was spot on. Since we only had two sheets, we had to be strategic, but in the end, everything lined up beautifully.
Before securing the plywood, we added a waterproofing layer with Olympic Water Guard to protect against any future moisture issues. Once dry, we screwed everything down permanently. And just like that…
The Subfloor Is Done!
After days of planning, measuring, cutting, and re-cutting, we finally had a finished subfloor. It felt amazing to hit this milestone! Next up: framing out the rest of the van. Stay tuned for the next adventure—it's about to get real!