Self build vans

[Ivory55]

After browsing you tube all the van life self build van all seem to use pine cladding for walls , ceiling, everything. Just wondered why they don’t use ply ?

 

[Mikeco]

The sensible ones use the lightweight board that the professional converters use.

 

[Sapper520]

After browsing you tube all the van life self build van all seem to use pine cladding for walls , ceiling, everything. Just wondered why they don’t use ply ?

Cheap?

 

[Johnen]

I used 6mm birch ply for cladding and cupboards in my self build

 

[Wissel]

After browsing you tube all the van life self build van all seem to use pine cladding for walls , ceiling, everything. Just wondered why they don’t use ply ?

Think it's just a look that seems to be popular.

Not a good material in a van imo, if only because it shrinks and expands (with temperature) so much.

I'm doing a van now where the customer wants that look. I'm making the ply (high grade poplar) look like tongue and groove by routing the detail as a compromise.

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[TinaLes]

As Wissel has mentioned, the best looking ceilings will be clad in sheet form, but made to look like T&G, there are many on you tube that use this method, normally second time around having tried T&G pine, that used to be called "Matching" years ago.
We used to think it was cool in the 70/80's to use this stuff on walls & ceilings at home also, then Cork tiles with embossed patterns came along.
LES

 

[Lumpy]

I used water resistant 4mm ply and covered it with fire retardant Crib5 Vinyl with 3mm foam backing.

 

[Minxy]

We used to think it was cool in the 70/80's to use this stuff on walls & ceilings at home also, then Cork tiles with embossed patterns came along.
LES

Our first home had loads of the stuff ... it was a traditional terrace with the 'sticky out' kitchen and bathroom on top. They'd removed the staircase and put in an open tread one with some cladding underneath (hid the electrics etc) then put a door at the top of the staircase to keep draughts out and the heat in the through lounge. The bathroom was a thing of wonder, there was tongue and grove cladding all along one wall hiding the water tank and small mosaic type tiling on the other walls and the ceiling ... trouble is whoever did the cladding was a pillock as they'd put in a much smaller tank so much so that you couldn't get a flipping bath! Fortunately it had a great bit shower cubicle to make up for it.

In our second home (3 bed end of terrace with sticking out kitchen) the kitchen was totally clad including the ceiling ... gave the impression we we were in a sauna except that it was freezing instead of hot!

 

[Stealaway]

the kitchen was totally clad including the ceiling ... gave the impression we we were in a sauna except that it was freezing instead of hot!

It was very popular in narrowboats when we built our one. My wife used to call them 'Knotted pine nightmares' or 'like being on the inside of a coffin'

 

[Spriddler]

My neighbour use pine T&G cladding in his van conversion and it squeaked and groaned something awful whilst driving.

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[dazandandrea]

Its the look.

 

[Minxy]

My neighbour use pine T&G cladding in his van conversion and it squeaked and groaned something awful whilst driving.

The van from the weight or the cladding?

 

[Kannon Fodda]

At least they aren't using polystyrene tiles hoping for improved insulation

 

[mitzimad]

its just fashion the people doing the vans at present are into the shabby chic look a lot of people i go to as a plumber no longer want fitted kitchens favouring a mix of reclaimed 60s kitchen units ,think formica and drop down flaps.(Incoming inuendo alert)

 

[TinaLes]

What remember most about T&G cladding which even I did on Kitchen/Bathroom ceilings was that it looked great when new with two coats of clear varnish,. Even buying the more expensive at the time Piranha Pine with the nice reddish hue about it, over time it seemed to darken up more and more, to the extent that you felt it might be a good idea to paint it. I Remember pubs & working mans clubs used it in abundance also.
Then you discover that even though you think its fully sealed, it still opens & shrinks along every T&G joint every time you use the shower or have a bath.
Cork Tiled Feature walls , Hessian wallpaper, Marshall block fire places, open hearth Gas log burners, were all the rage in the early eighties.
LES

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