I've bloody gone and done it, I've completed the van! (for now...). It took me a wee while but I thought I'd run through all the little bits I did to finish it off. I'd like to thank my friends over in Sweden for all the spice racks they were able to supply me. I couldn't have done it without you IKEA ❤️
One of the last major jobs in the van was to paint all of the walls and varnish the ceiling. This would have been made so much easier if it wasn't freezing temperatures outside and the days weren't so short. I also then ordered some porcelain tiles to fit a small splashback in my kitchen.
Towards the start of the build, I stuck some auto-carpet to some of the exposed internal areas of the van using spray adhesive, I then waited until I had my kitchen and furniture built before fitting my cladding to the wooden battens running along my walls and ceiling.
Now that all my furniture had been built and I'd finished my wiring and plumbing, I next needed to clad my bench and bed frames with ply. As part of this, I built a retractable table that pulls out from underneath the bed.
I'd been waiting to do this for quite some time and I'm pleased to say that it was relatively straightforward, although its strength hasn't been rigorously tested yet...
After getting over the fact that I should have really laid my vinyl flooring before doing anything else, this was actually relatively straight forward. I laid the floor in two pieces and used double-sided tape to stick it in place.
We constructed a pair of simple overhead cupboards using a timber frame then using MDF to divide each cupboard and also for each door. We then fixed them in place to the wooden battens fixed to the metal frame of the van.
In an effort to save as much money as possible, I decided to build the structure of my kitchen with IKEA's METOD cabinets. This plan was turned on its head however, moments after arriving at IKEA...
Before I could start cladding or installing my electrical system, I need to build some framing to house everything - Wooden battens on the walls and ceiling for the cladding and two benches for my electrics. And for sitting.
Before I could start cladding the interior of the van, I needed to insulate the walls and ceiling first. I opted to use both insulation board and recycled bottle wool to insulate the van. I then covered everything with a vapour barrier. Super snug.
Calum's back! And he's bought his skills, mullet and good attitude with him. Hand in hand we constructed a bulkhead for the van, with a new shelf for the cab to go with it.
Armed with my trusty pal Calum and a whole heap of wood, we framed and insulated the floor of the van, spurred on by a slew of banjos and fiddles. This is a warning.
