Should a ply floor be bonded in place?

[JiMsHaDY69]

Spoke to a local conversion company regarding a ply floor for my T6 Kombi earlier today.

They've advised me not to put a floor down before getting the interior carpeted as the floor is bonded in place and pretty much a momentous task to remove.

From the how to guides I've read on here, my understanding is that the Kombi floor has to be raised to sit flush with the second row seat brackets. This is achieved by fixing wooden batons to the van floor to which the ply floor is then attached to.

I get that the wooden batons need to be stuck or bonded to the van floor, but I was under the impression that a one piece ply floor would be screwed into these batons to secure it. This would allow it one be removed in the event that this was required

I said exactly this to the guy on the phone who told me that their one piece flooring is bigger to make the floor level once it is bonded into place. (he possibly meant thicker, but I did ask him if he meant thicker and he just said bigger again to me).

I asked what would happen if the floor was damaged and needed replaced it simply to be removed at a later time. He told me that they're designed to stay down once in place for safety and this is why they are always bonded into place.

Now this seems contrary to what I have read, but I could be way off here.

Does a bonded floor sound right for a Kombi?

Thanks for any replies

James

 

[Mud Digger]

Cant speak for a Kombi
the normal way everyone does it the floor is screwed to the bonded down batons. bonding the batons save screw holes through the van floor. batons down 1st then insulation, then carpet the walls before fitting in the floor for a clean line around the edge fill the screw heads and tape seams if its a 3 piece floor. then the covering of your choice . the raised after market steps are made for a 12 mm ply floor sitting on a 9mm baton as far as i know

but to replace if bonded down would just need cutting up in place the ripped up in small pieces would be hard going i would think. would you need to lift it once its down

 

[Howzat]

Sounds like there may have been crossed wires. The ply can be screwed down but the floor covering has to be bonded? I suppose you could screw down the ply with a bonded covering but then you would have the screws showing.

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

I clarified with him if batons would be used, but he was confident that their floor was larger and that the ply floor was bonded direct to the steel van flooring. This is why they wanted me to get all the carpeting done first as they wouldn't be interested in removing the bonded ply floor once it was down.

 

[Howzat]

Ahhh, understand now. So they just glue it straight down expecting it to last the life of the van. Quick and easy for them, a pain for you if you need to change it in the future.
No wonder you're having doubts.

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

Ahhh, understand now. So they just glue it straight down expecting it to last the life of the van. Quick and easy for them, a pain for you if you need to change it in the future.
No wonder you're having doubts.

Exactly. Every conversation with the local convertors near to me willing to do less than a full conversion is convincing me more to going for a Caravelle set up from somewhere further afield with a good reputation.

The amount of conversion specialists that are only as established/old as the original lockdown has been quite surprising to me.

 

[dubber36]

Just a thought, but are the side panels, wheel arches etc vertical? If they taper out, a panel cut to sit on the bare floor would have a gap around it if it was raised up on 9mm battens. This could be why the fitter is suggesting that the panel will be "bigger".

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

Just a thought, but are the side panels, wheel arches etc vertical? If they taper out, a panel cut to sit on the bare floor would have a gap around it if it was raised up on 9mm battens. This could be why the fitter is suggesting that the panel will be "bigger".

At the moment everything is as factory, so would taper out I guess?

I've lost confidence in these guys and the wife is not happy (often) about the safety aspect of it so I'm going to sell my Ply Guys unit and go for a Caravelle set up.

Looks like I'll need to travel to get the Caravelle set up installed as there's just nowhere local that I would like to do it that's interested in the work. I've shot an email off to Bognor Motors regarding what I want, so I'll wait and see what they say.

Not fussed about travelling if the end result is what I want.

 

[Skyliner33]

I have spoken to several converters who only bond the floor down. There argument is even if you screw it down it can’t be removed after you bond the floor to the ply, covering all the screws and the disadvantage of screws is the could show through the Altro etc.

 

[DXX]

Exactly. Every conversation with the local convertors near to me willing to do less than a full conversion is convincing me more to going for a Caravelle set up from somewhere further afield with a good reputation.

The amount of conversion specialists that are only as established/old as the original lockdown has been quite surprising to me.

Trust your gut feeling, if you are not getting straight answers to your questions take your hard earned $ elsewhere.

 

[GazEvans86]

Apart from tiger seal and silkaflex what else can you use .. was looking at polyflex 40 in tool station

 

[AJCConversions]

Here is my view on this as a conversion company.
We used to bond the battens, then screw the ply to the battens as discussed. What we found sometimes is that we may screw into a bad part of the ply batten which we could not see or feel. This would be fine at first but over time that screw can work its way undone and cause the screw head to be seen in the vinly.
Trying to pull back the vinly to remove and rescrew never works as the old glue from the vinly attracts any dust/ dirt / debris and the vinly would not go back down correctly or smooth.
So you end up removing the vinly. While doing this, its sods law but some of the ply would become unstuck and also come up with the vinly.

So your left with a vinly floor that's no good. And a ply floor that's no good as its delamanated from removing the vinly.

So we started to bond the ply floor direct to the battens. We have no issues of screws becoming undone. We can fit the vinly to the floor out of the van and fit a nice finishing trim around the edge.

We have had to remove a few bonded floors from conversions which have been involved in accidents etc and access was needed. Yes the vinly and ply floor can still not be used just as the screwed version. It's more work to remove the ply floor but still definitely doable. But we are guaranteed that we wont have a screw working it's way loose and causing issues.

I think both were totally acceptable. But you can see the reasons why a company fitting many floors a year chooses such a option.

www.ajcconversions.co.uk

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

Here is my view on this as a conversion company.
We used to bond the battens, then screw the ply to the battens as discussed. What we found sometimes is that we may screw into a bad part of the ply batten which we could not see or feel. This would be fine at first but over time that screw can work its way undone and cause the screw head to be seen in the vinly.
Trying to pull back the vinly to remove and rescrew never works as the old glue from the vinly attracts any dust/ dirt / debris and the vinly would not go back down correctly or smooth.
So you end up removing the vinly. While doing this, its sods law but some of the ply would become unstuck and also come up with the vinly.

So your left with a vinly floor that's no good. And a ply floor that's no good as its delamanated from removing the vinly.

So we started to bond the ply floor direct to the battens. We have no issues of screws becoming undone. We can fit the vinly to the floor out of the van and fit a nice finishing trim around the edge.

We have had to remove a few bonded floors from conversions which have been involved in accidents etc and access was needed. Yes the vinly and ply floor can still not be used just as the screwed version. It's more work to remove the ply floor but still definitely doable. But we are guaranteed that we wont have a screw working it's way loose and causing issues.

I think both were totally acceptable. But you can see the reasons why a company fitting many floors a year chooses such a option.

www.ajcconversions.co.uk

Thanks for your input on this subject. Interesting to see it from the convertors side.

 

[Hamster67]

Here is my view on this as a conversion company.
We used to bond the battens, then screw the ply to the battens as discussed. What we found sometimes is that we may screw into a bad part of the ply batten which we could not see or feel. This would be fine at first but over time that screw can work its way undone and cause the screw head to be seen in the vinly.
Trying to pull back the vinly to remove and rescrew never works as the old glue from the vinly attracts any dust/ dirt / debris and the vinly would not go back down correctly or smooth.
So you end up removing the vinly. While doing this, its sods law but some of the ply would become unstuck and also come up with the vinly.

So your left with a vinly floor that's no good. And a ply floor that's no good as its delamanated from removing the vinly.

So we started to bond the ply floor direct to the battens. We have no issues of screws becoming undone. We can fit the vinly to the floor out of the van and fit a nice finishing trim around the edge.

We have had to remove a few bonded floors from conversions which have been involved in accidents etc and access was needed. Yes the vinly and ply floor can still not be used just as the screwed version. It's more work to remove the ply floor but still definitely doable. But we are guaranteed that we wont have a screw working it's way loose and causing issues.

I think both were totally acceptable. But you can see the reasons why a company fitting many floors a year chooses such a option.

www.ajcconversions.co.uk

Very useful info, thank you for your input. I really don't like the idea of using screws.

 

[oscarcharlie]

Here is my view on this as a conversion company.
We used to bond the battens, then screw the ply to the battens as discussed. What we found sometimes is that we may screw into a bad part of the ply batten which we could not see or feel. This would be fine at first but over time that screw can work its way undone and cause the screw head to be seen in the vinly.
Trying to pull back the vinly to remove and rescrew never works as the old glue from the vinly attracts any dust/ dirt / debris and the vinly would not go back down correctly or smooth.
So you end up removing the vinly. While doing this, its sods law but some of the ply would become unstuck and also come up with the vinly.

So your left with a vinly floor that's no good. And a ply floor that's no good as its delamanated from removing the vinly.

So we started to bond the ply floor direct to the battens. We have no issues of screws becoming undone. We can fit the vinly to the floor out of the van and fit a nice finishing trim around the edge.

We have had to remove a few bonded floors from conversions which have been involved in accidents etc and access was needed. Yes the vinly and ply floor can still not be used just as the screwed version. It's more work to remove the ply floor but still definitely doable. But we are guaranteed that we wont have a screw working it's way loose and causing issues.

I think both were totally acceptable. But you can see the reasons why a company fitting many floors a year chooses such a option.

www.ajcconversions.co.uk

Just read this thread and I have to say, AJCConversions always gives full, thorough and meaningful answers. It's much appreciated by people like me when trying to find out information, thank you!

You mention a finishing trim you use around the edge of the floor, can you tell me what you use, or even a link to something very similar.

Thank you

 

[AJCConversions]

Just read this thread and I have to say, AJCConversions always gives full, thorough and meaningful answers. It's much appreciated by people like me when trying to find out information, thank you!

You mention a finishing trim you use around the edge of the floor, can you tell me what you use, or even a link to something very similar.

Thank you

No problem at all, happy to help!

We stock this in black and can be supplied £2 per metre plus postage, feel free to let me know if you'd like any

Thanks Brandon

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

No problem at all, happy to help!

We stock this in black and can be supplied £2 per metre plus postage, feel free to let me know if you'd like any

Thanks Brandon

Have you ever done a vinly covered Caravelle ply floor in a SWB T6? Could you DM me a price?

 

[AJCConversions]

Have you ever done a vinly covered Caravelle ply floor in a SWB T6? Could you DM me a price?

Hi,

Unfortunately we don't offer this sorry as we don't fit the rails or these floors!

Brandon

 

[JiMsHaDY69]

Hi,

Unfortunately we don't offer this sorry as we don't fit the rails or these floors!

Brandon

No worries. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Smileysmile]

Here is my view on this as a conversion company.
We used to bond the battens, then screw the ply to the battens as discussed. What we found sometimes is that we may screw into a bad part of the ply batten which we could not see or feel. This would be fine at first but over time that screw can work its way undone and cause the screw head to be seen in the vinly.
Trying to pull back the vinly to remove and rescrew never works as the old glue from the vinly attracts any dust/ dirt / debris and the vinly would not go back down correctly or smooth.
So you end up removing the vinly. While doing this, its sods law but some of the ply would become unstuck and also come up with the vinly.

So your left with a vinly floor that's no good. And a ply floor that's no good as its delamanated from removing the vinly.

So we started to bond the ply floor direct to the battens. We have no issues of screws becoming undone. We can fit the vinly to the floor out of the van and fit a nice finishing trim around the edge.

We have had to remove a few bonded floors from conversions which have been involved in accidents etc and access was needed. Yes the vinly and ply floor can still not be used just as the screwed version. It's more work to remove the ply floor but still definitely doable. But we are guaranteed that we wont have a screw working it's way loose and causing issues.

I think both were totally acceptable. But you can see the reasons why a company fitting many floors a year chooses such a option.

www.ajcconversions.co.uk

Do you have to use battens or can you just glue the plywood floor to the ribs?

This photo below has battens fitted in all the areas between the ribs. Pre cut.