Slightly different wood floor idea...

[madmax25]

So I'm thinking my 7 seater GL would look pretty sweet with some bamboo hardwood flooring that caught my eye at Home Depot today. The kicker is I would like to be able to remove the middle slide-in bench somewhat conveniently so I can switch between nice open hardwood space(except for the rails) and the full seating capacity if I so desire.

I'm thinking if I install the boards so the end grain faces the slider I could leave two of the boards loose so they could be slid out to remove the seat, then slide them back in.
I guess my main question for those of you who have done the whole wood floor deal before is what did you do under the wood for the subfloor?(I'm guessing the bare westy floor has the same big funky ridges as the pass. vans) how did you fasten the panels down? I'm thinking this will only work if the whole deal doesn't get too thick so the seat frame still has room to slide over the boards in between the mounting rails...

I might be way too optimistic, but a guy can dream...
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-Elliot

'88 Vanagon GL "Big Red"
'90 Westy

[kevinbassplayer]

With mine I just put the laminate floor right over the top of the westy's wood subfloor. For my setup it would be impossible to remove a panel. There is nothing "fastening" the floor down other than cabinets over the top

here it is:

[danfromsyr]

I had the idea of 2 raised trim pieces 'flush on top of the floor over where the center section would need to slide in/out on my dad's 7 pass.

but I opted to forgoe that idea for simplicity sake.

but if you cut the boards so that there is 1/3rds you can screw/staple some flat moulding on the fore & aft sections for the middle to slide underneath.
the PITA of that would be that there'd be 2 lumps or strips across the floor while the middle seat was removed and the 'filler panel' was installed. but shouldn't be too bad..

you could even use 'threshold strips' found in the flooring isle for vinyl roll flooring transitions.


In my camper I have a SOFT HARDWOOD floor I've VERY fond of.

basically it's that puzzle piece foam flooring mat, with a Parquet look that from 15+ft is hard to tell. but is VERY easy on the knees while getting into and around the camper not wishing to tread dirt in.
also acts as a mild insulator.. but has a BIG expansion rate for when heated (floor gets hot/warm during summer driving) so had to allow for growth or it buckled.

http://www.greatmats.com/products/wooden-foam-mats.html

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[82WestyMan]

Just a thought
I used a 'snap-lock' type of laminate flooring, comes in many styles... (I just liked the decedant look of a marble tile in a camper...)
I got some that was made for commercial use (mall, office, etc) with a 10 yr wear warranty
Nice thing about it, when it locked together, it's like one monolith but comes apart with your bare hands. It has a thin padding already installed on the back and I've never had a problem with it. (though I did put down a new plywood sub-floor). Never rattles, never moves.
I get tons of compliments and I can remove it with no tools in about 5-10 minutes
One last thought, flooring made of real bambo is rather soft, wears and dents easily...

_________________
"The floggings will continue until morale improves"
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell" - Harry S. Truman
82 Westfalia - w/ a Raby 'Camper Special' engine

[hiram6]

I gotta say, my bamboo floor seems really hard. The oak floors in my house feel much softer, and I've got the dog scratches to prove it!!

I don't see how you could do your idea of leaving slide out pieces without a subfloor, which I beleive would then make your total height too high for the seat tracks to work. My Westy had the removable sections for a center seat, but I never anticipated the need for the 5th seat, so I just junked all that stuff.

While everyone is showing off their floor, here's mine:

And here's the carpet I cut to go on it when I'm toting the dogs. Gives them a little more traction to jump up and nap on the rear seat, which they feel is their absolute right.

_________________
1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[rowan]

[hiram6]

Fleabay. Have no idea who the seller was. It was cheap enough that I didn't feel guilty cutting and trimming it to fit.
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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[madmax25]

Thanks for the input guys. I suppose I'll do some measurements and brainstorming and see if I can come up with something interesting. I might look into some of those other materials as well...

Elliot
_________________
-Elliot

'88 Vanagon GL "Big Red"
'90 Westy

[RCB]

Bamboo is harder than you know what and denser than you know who.
It will make a fantastic floor but keep in mind that it is slippery and as slick as Hillary was at trying to laugh.

[madmax25]

So I did it...went with the bamboo i was looking at at home depot. 50 bucks got me 1 box, which did the whole thing plus a few extra scrap pieces. I'm very satisfied with it, but it sure enough, it's slippery as hell ...I'm thinking a few skinny rugs with that grippy rubber mesh stuff should fix that.

I haven't glued anything in but it all seems to lock together tight, so I might glue a few of em and leave the rest in there free. So my idea of sliding 2 of the boards out to remove the seat worked great:

I cut the longer seat track to match the front track's length and raised the tracks with a big washer under each of the bolts so the wood would clear the seat frame, and everything fits like a glove. I hope I didn't mess too much with the crash integrity of the seat's foundation

I still need to design a threshold and make sure everything's in there tight, but it works for now as is.

Thanks for everyone's input!

-Elliot
_________________
-Elliot

'88 Vanagon GL "Big Red"
'90 Westy

[Van-go108]

I put a subfloor in first. liquid nails and self-tapping metal screws that were recessed into the wood subfloor. I used old growth oak as a finished surface that was from a 1900's house I was renovating at the time. Sanded and finished by my compulsive drunken artists self. I usually have 20 things going on at the same time.

This is an old pic. You get the idea. I also have tiedowns in each corner that are bolted through to the bottom so I can strap down pallets of stuff.
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"Okay, so there's 6 beers and 5 of us. You know what this means don't you? 4 of you are going to have to leave."


1973 Thing
1957 Continental Mark II Click to view image

[allsierra123]

Well I think Im going to do the same in mine. I wasnt sure how it would look in a 7 passenger. But I have to say it looks awsome. You know as far as your threshold goes. I saw some little trim strips on home depots website. Looks like it might work. I was curious Are you able to remove all your trim panels with the floors installed? Or do you need to remove them? And it looks like you ran them under the rear sear board?
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95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold

[madmax25]

You mean the side vinyl panels? no, I just measured so the wood butted up tight against the panels and I cut the ends at a 15 deg. angle so they would match the curve of the panels better. Yeah, it goes great under the rear kick board, but I ran out of wood right after it gets behind the kickboard. I actually had to drill 2 new holes in the metal on the pass. side seat frame to raise it about 1/4", but for some reason it cleared the driver's side fine with the original screw holes ...the whole thing (well I'm not done, but the majority that I've done) took me 7 or 8 hours. It's a pretty doable thing, especially if you have a miter saw to make the angle cuts.
There were a few other minor mods I had to make to get everything cozy. If you need any more pics or info just PM me.

PS- Van-go108, I really like what you've done with your interior and the rest of your bus. I'm seriously contemplating a two tone paint scheme kind of like yours as well

-Elliot
_________________
-Elliot

'88 Vanagon GL "Big Red"
'90 Westy