After fitting the wooden frame for the cladding walls (see post), it’s time to fit the cladding. It is starting to look like a campervan now!
Note: updated on 15th May 2015
This took 20 packs of 8mm pine cladding in 1.8m lengths to clad the walls and ceiling. Cost was £96. I bought all the cladding from Wickes–a DIY chain in the UK.
Matt came and helped me. We worked like mad for the full weekend (this was before I quit my job to finish the rest of the van a I had to be back at work on Monday). We finished cladding all of the walls and ceiling in two days. I went back later and cladded the corners in the ceiling and the side door.
1. Walls
I started at the bottom, screwing in each length of cladding before drilling (otherwise the wood can easily split) and counter sinking the hole to get the screw head to fit flush against the cladding surface. I used gold coloured screws so they don’t stand out as much as shiny silver ones.
It’s important to make sure that each piece of cladding is fully slotted into the one beneath it. I used a block of wood and a few gentle (the tongues and the grooves can split and break very easily) taps with a hammer.
Also, the lengths of the cladding should be alternated so that the ends of each length don’t all fall on the same vertical line. This makes it a lot stronger and also looks better too.
2. Ceiling
Matt started the cladding in the centre of the ceiling so that the gap in the corners would be even–where the wall cladding meets the ceiling cladding.
3. Corners
The cladding cannot be continued right into the corner so there has to be a corner piece that overlaps the wall and ceiling pieces. I cut off the tongue and groove for these corner pieces and rounded the edges so it’s just like a strip of wood. I fixed these pieces to wooden blocks that are screwed into the corner of the metal strut of the van roof.
Now see post on cladding the side door
Rockwool is a fine insulation but needs a vapour barrier to avoid internal condensations
Really depends on the van. I have an old transit mk2 which is not exactly air tight. I haven’t bothered putting a vapour barrier over the sheeps wool insulation as I figure the hot air will escape through the gaps in the doors etc before it makes it through the walls! Vapour barriers are good in theory but only if the vehicle is 100% air tight (that is my understanding anyway).
Hi,
I love the look of the cladding. Where abouts did you buy the material from / do you have a link?
Thanks,
Sam
Thanks. All the cladding is from Wickes. I dont know where you are based but Wickes is a popular DIY chain in the U.K. The quality of materials (taking about wood/pine) from BnQ are poor and overpriced, in my opinion
That looks fantastic! Do you have any close up pictures of how you did the front of the van ceiling with the curves?
Thanks
michelle
At the top of the cab? I didn’t clad that part. I stuck a foil backed insulation here instead. Hope that helps?
Thanks. I cladded just the ceiling with 3m tongue and groove which stops just before the cab. Guess the rest of it will evolve over the winter and I will be visiting this site very often. Thanks so much for putting all the info up. I have the same van except with more windows as it was a coach. Happy travels 🙂
Hey this website is ace thanks so much for sharing I’m just converting a Mercedes vito which I will be cladding! Quick question did you silver foil the sides of the van then have the rockwool over the top? Or did you just use the silver foil on the roof? Thanks dude 🙂
Hey Lee, no I wish I did silver foil the sides. I only did the floor and the roof because It’s all I had. It’s not only good for insulation but a condensation barrier also. Have fun
Nice one bro thanks very much 🙂
Yeah no probs. Shanti
Def worth putting a layer of double sided foil on the walls if you can! Its pretty cheap on fleabay. Get the double sided stuff as it reflects heat away in hot weather.
Was the cladding screwed to the side door?
If you look closely at the pictures, it seems that way yes.
The masking tape stencil for the curves is brilliant, as is the pine board cladding: I wish my husband or I had thought of those when we did our van! I am bookmarking this for future reference when we upgrade. Thanks for sharing your build! It is awesome =)
Hi Mike, just wondering how you did the wooden frame under the cladding and how did you attach this to the metal van frame underneath.
Cheers
Hi, beyond the aesthetic, which is important don’t get me wrong, wood is lovely- but why wood and not carpet? Some pros and cons? Many thanks
Having lived in three different vans since 1985, I have found that it is difficult to get moisture out of most of the options in a van, so I have left the current one as a metal box. The only treatments I have applied have been to prevent the heat from the stove from pooling wastefully on the van’s box and the condensate dripping on me. FWIW
Hey, is pine the best wood for cladding? Looking into converting my vito. Also heard newspaper was good for insulation and absorbing moisture?
Cheers
Anna
Hi Anna! I wouldn’t advise newspaper. Newspaper doesn’t make great insulation. You want something with very high mass. Newspaper would soak up the moisture and eventually get mouldy.
Hey Mike,
I dont suppose you remember what size the battons were for the frame? I am hoping that 13mm will do the job.
I wonder if anyone here had any wonderful solutions to prevent condensation collecting around the screws? I did have a wooden ceiling but had to remove the screws as too much water collected around them soaking the wood. It’s a pesky problem.
Hey all! Great blog!! How is it you screw the frame to the metal of the van? Thanks 😀