[timreg2]

I keep meaning to buy a sheet of 5mm Revolution plywood underlayment to put on a wall of the van to see how stable it is (it has 5 plys)

HD caries a similar ply called "Sande". It's only 3-ply though. I used it to build a 3' x 6' shelf in our travel trailer's storage bay. I was shocked at how light and strong it was. I'm guessing the 4 x 8 sheet was around 10-12 lbs.

I'm going to experiment with it (or the 5-ply you reference) for possible use in walls, ceiling, drawer bottoms and garage cabinet sides.

 

[nealcallan]

We used 5mm birch plywood panels, and covered with sunbrella fabric; has worked great, lightweight...
Used on both walls and ceiling. Several wall panels are adhered with magnets in order to remove in the case of maintenance, for example behind our shower pan in the wall is shower plumbing. The rest are secured behind the cabinets. The ceiling panels are held up with the same material and secured to the ribs via rivnuts. Walls and ceiling are insulated with thinsulate and in the ceiling we had room to put a layer of easycool on the backside of the panels as there is an air gap between the easycool and thinsulate. Here are some pictures:
Removable panel:

Wall Panel:

Ceiling:

 

[Dotar]

I used this:

I used plus nuts in factory holes and secured the panels and ceiling with sidewalk screws. They have a R4 rating and are incredibly tough. The very best thing: Hair from my two Border Collies doesn’t stick. I haven’t had any condensation with outside temperature in the 40s. Very happy so far.

 

[NiklasM]

We used 5mm birch plywood panels, and covered with sunbrella fabric; has worked great, lightweight...
Used on both walls and ceiling. Several wall panels are adhered with magnets in order to remove in the case of maintenance, for example behind our shower pan in the wall is shower plumbing. The rest are secured behind the cabinets. The ceiling panels are held up with the same material and secured to the ribs via rivnuts. Walls and ceiling are insulated with thinsulate and in the ceiling we had room to put a layer of easycool on the backside of the panels as there is an air gap between the easycool and thinsulate. Here are some pictures:
Removable panel:
View attachment 185524
Wall Panel:
View attachment 185528
Ceiling:
View attachment 185525 View attachment 185527

How did you adhere the fabric to the plywood?

 

[BadWolf]

@Dotar i did consider those in the build.

Do you have any pictures of the back side, or the edges?

Per this link its: Legend Liner Package - Ford Transit Cargo Van
The liners are made of dual polypropylene outer skins laminated to a central fluted plastic core. The outer skin in backed with a foam and foil insulation resulting a 0.4-inch thick liner with an R value of 4-6 (with insulation).

So it looks to be two 3.5mm sheets, which would line up with the R-2 Value per sheet.

Also for anyone wondering weights in a simple source I’ve been using this. It only goes down to ¼ thick, but 1/8 should be ~55% the weight of the 1/4th

Plywood Weight, OSB Weight & More • Plywood Weight Charts

Plywood weights, OSB weights, weights for MDF, MDO, and particle board. Weight charts include weights per standard sheet and per square foot

roofonline.com

@NiklasM Normal paper staples are strong enough to hold the fabric, and they are hidden on the back side.

 

[MMc45414]

Coroplast/polypropylene/corrugated plastic sheet – when I found it in Lowes, it doesn’t seem strong enough and will retain damage/dents more easily. Plus, it’s a little harder to find it in large format

Pretty sure what you would find at Lowes would be 4mm, the most common size as used in the yard signs and such, and it is indeed flimsy. But the thicker sheets also are extruded with thicker walls, 6mm might be a sweet spot, 10mm is really stout.
4x8 sheets in 6mm and maybe 10mm should be easy to find in white or black, but it will not be on a shelf in a store. If there is a Laird location anywhere near you that would be where my wife buys it:
Laird Plastics Locations | Laird Plastics

 

[surly Bill]

I use 5mm Luan ply (subflooring) on theater sets. It's moisture resistant, nearly void free, but has some stability issues and may warp if not supported on entire edges and joints.

 

[surly Bill]

How did you adhere the fabric to the plywood?

spray adhesive or use a roller like painting a wall to apply adhesive. Many people have found that Gripper Primer paint works just as well as glue.

 

[nealcallan]

How did you adhere the fabric to the plywood?

As recommended by the fabric distributor Sailrite. 3M General Trim Adhesive

 

[Henchman]

I keep meaning to buy a sheet of 5mm Revolution plywood underlayment to put on a wall of the van to see how stable it is (it has 5 plys) , also how it takes paint/stain. They don't call out a species, but this document from Columbia wood products, the distributor of the product, calls it out as Chinese grown poplar, so maybe lower density than Russian grown birch (good luck finding Baltic Birch from Finland). My guess is that it is not as strong as the birch. Unlike most all of the Baltic birch available, the Revolution ply did not appear to have any patches/plugs in the face veneer. The face veneer has a very uniform grain that I personally like for the scale of a van.

Plastic panels would be more stable than wood and won't absorb and emit (? word) water. Wood can be seale pretty well. I wonder if the end of corrugated plastic should be sealed to avoid condensation in the flutes.

I got some Revolution ply installed this past weekend. It's unfinished but am thinking of sealing it w a wipe on poly. I choose to use the backside tho and it spices things up a bit. Although these perimeter pieces aren't that wide, it seems plenty strong for my usage as these pieces snap into place and stay up w/out any screws.

 

[Bjames36]

My next build will be all 1/4 HPDE. It's pricy compared to wood but will last forever and won't creak like some of the wood panels I have.

 

[Dotar]

Do you have any pictures of the back side, or the edges?

This piece is what’s left from the cut for a Maxx fan. The hole is a test cut for puck lights. Machines pretty well.

I spent last night at Doheny State Beach right on the shoreline in Dana Point, California. Forty-nine degres, driver and passenger door windows cracked, vent open without fan and not a bit of condensation. Plenty of hot moist air from the Border Collies and me.

 

[perchancetodream]

@perchancetodream Where did you source your 1/8" birch, 1/4 is the thinnest i can find.

3mm BB from Sears Trostel in Fort Collins. 60" x 60" worked great for my low roof short van. Wall height about 52" and ceiling width pretty close to 60", bay length a little over 9' behind the bulkhead. So only needed 5 pieces with hardly any drop.

Besides availability and ease of use, another reason I used an all wood veneer panel instead of plastic, masonite or mdf was its relatively high vapor transmission, which allows the wall cavity to dry to the interior. It's pretty much impossible to create and maintain a perfect vapor barrier, so breath and cooking humidity will inevitably diffuse into the wall cavity. Sealing the paneling is sufficient to slow moisture transmission without blocking it. The exterior metal skin of the van has zero moisture transmission, so only way for moisture to get out is by diffusing back through the interior paneling when a sunny day heats up the exterior metal. Then the maxxfan ventilation can move it out. I used a generous application of 50/50 tung / pine oil to seal and harden the paneling. A mistake to put it on in winter though, because it stayed rather pungent for several months until summer heated up the interior consistently enough to drive tung oil's long curing time to completion.

 

[takedown]

@nealcallan which sunbrella fabric did you go with? Do you think it'd be a good choice for cabinet sides in high traffic areas?

Thanks!

 

[nealcallan]

@nealcallan which sunbrella fabric did you go with? Do you think it'd be a good choice for cabinet sides in high traffic areas?

Thanks!

Here is what we used: Sunbrella® Horizon® 10200-0002 Capriccio Cloud 54" Vinyl Fabric
You want to adhere the fabric to the sidewalls on your cabinets where people could brush against? I suppose it could work but it it best to wrap the fabric around the edges to make sure you do not have edge peel.
If you are looking for a very high resilient cabinet wood coating, we used a two part water based product by Bona. It is actually intended for floors but has worked great on our cabinets. First layer polyurethane then a hardner layer, totally bomber for high traffic areas.

 

[dhagberg]

And Formica or similar laminate finishes are really durable and easy to clean for the cost. 21 years of beating the snot out of our kitchen counters every day so far and just now starting to wear through.

 

[fixations68]

I’ve really been satisfied with Legend van-liner. Reflective foil, 1/8’ neoprene 5/16 inch of honey comb, durable, textured plastic, designed for commercial cargo vans but, I put it inside my crew van and it’s worked out really well. Plus it’s pre-drilled and comes with the proper fasteners. I don’t know what the actual R-value is but I’ve got 600 series Thinsolate behind it all. Adds a rugged/ industrial look that’s easily cleaned.

 

[fixations68]

I’ve really been satisfied with Legend van-liner. Reflective foil, 1/8’ neoprene 5/16 inch of honey comb, durable, textured plastic, designed for commercial cargo vans but, I put it inside my crew van and it’s worked out really well. Plus it’s pre-drilled and comes with the proper fasteners. I don’t know what the actual R-value is but I’ve got 600 series Thinsolate behind it all. Adds a rugged/ industrial look that’s easily cleaned.

Plus, it’s quite a bit lighter than any form of wood And impervious to moisture

 

[njvagabond]

And Formica or similar laminate finishes are really durable and easy to clean for the cost. 21 years of beating the snot out of our kitchen counters every day so far and just now starting to wear through.

Our HPL kitchen countertops are 25 years old and "beating the snot out" of them daily" sounds about right. Yea the wear layer is shot. Replacement will be the next owners pleasure.

There are lightweight grades that are designed for vertical surfaces that might be a good choice for facing cabinets in a van.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I did some of the interior of my van with coroplast.
It's not great in terms of R value. But as others said, thats what the foam/woool/thinsulate is for.
I just really didn't want a shiplap kitchen or cedar cigar box look.
The coroplast works fine for walls. I doubled up in a few places.
The ceiling especially sucks because it is not stiff like plywood, paneling etc. So it has to be supported for most of its length.
What really ticked me off was trying to order any amount of it. There are colors besides white, but you have to get a lot of it. More than I need. So all of mine is white.
I've changed my mind since and now half the van is blue stained baltic birch ply with poly coat.
Might tear out the ceiling and redo it with thin ply. When I did the solar panel install and the maxxair it kind of compromised my ceiling. It used to look great now its kind of ick.