Framing your bus conversion subfloor is a mistake, do this instead 

As a single female building out her first bus to live in, I've researched ea. Step and watched 1000 of hours if videos.. and I wish i came across u sooner!!! ❤

SUBFLOOR MATERIALS: 1) Chassis Saver paint on rusty but clean floor. 2) 11:24 Owens Corning Foamular 250 NGX Extruded Poly Styrene insulation sheets, 4 x 8 x 2” thick X 2 = 4” thick. (This is very dense. Not to be confused w/ Expanded Poly Styrene which has little balls like styrofoam.) 3) 16:05 Advantek Engineered OSB, 4 x 8 x 3/4”. (This is tight and highly weather and warp proof. Not to be confused w/ cheap flaky OSB.). 4). Everything is glued down w/ big tubes of Loctite PL3X. One tube per 4 X 8 sheet. (Dries much faster and is stronger than Liquid Nails.)

Man, I’ve watched this one quite a few times now. So damn valuable Chuck! Thank you dude. An in depth video on how you do your cabin area would be massively useful and popular in the bus conversion community. Nobody covers this in depth, and your wealth of knowledge would generate the best version of that build video. Even just an overview and explanation of your methods would be so freaking useful. Just throwing it out there, man! Thanks again for all that you do!

I've said it before and I'll say it again... This guy is THE AUTHORITY in all things skoolie. I learn so much with every video! If you want it done right... watch how Chuck does it and follow his instruction.

I really love the This Old House vibe on the intro and outro's. Very well instructed and " scoolled " video. One TIP for you from 35 years experience gluing glass and mirror to walls and ceilings INSTEAD OF LAYING OUT YOUR CAULKING LIKE A ROPE squeeeze out BLOBS A NICKEL ROUND IN A POLKA DOT FASHON ABOUT 8-12 INCHES APART AND STAGGERED. This will SAVE you 50% in caulking and give you about 400% better adhesion . After years of pulling out others work proves that DOTS OR BLOBS will STICK 100% OF THE TIME and ROPE WILL STICK 20-30% OF THE TIME. The reasoning for this is that when gunning out the caulking in a rope the thickness of the bead is so inconsistant only the thick parts will make contact and the thin parts will not stick to both sides of the objects. You will acheive a better and more level application. With mirrors the reflection must be perfect in order to look good, you dont want to see a reflection of a door ,window or the room itself being crooked . Dots will spread out making perfect contact with both sides and be better to level between each other. Even though you add weight on top there will still be a 1/16" or a 32 of an inch of space between them and some areas of the rope design just dont make contact.

I'm right there with you on the floor sandwich and we also like the PL polyurethane adhesive...and I've used that on lots of bus floors. But we've recently switched to the foam polyurethane adhesives, after some strength and coverage testing. Foam cans, used with a screw-on gun, like the Dap SmartBond or Advantech seem to fill voids better and give better coverage per $$. You might look into those. 🙂

this man speaks with so much wisdom yet humility. forever grateful for you videos Chuck 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Best use for polyiso: the inner layer on your ceiling. This is especially useful where you have unlimited height (ex: you raised your roofline, but aren’t coming close to the height restrictions where you live/drive) as it allows you to use less expensive bulk insulation (like batting) and then have a single polyiso layer on the inside which will both even out your temperature and let you get the full benefit of it as you’ll almost always keep the inside of your bus (or tiny home) above the degradation temperature.

This series is fantastic. Please please keep them coming through this project completion and beyond!

Quality work on the floor. I'm on my sixth 40' motorcoach, and currently have three 40'ers, one 35', one 33' and one six window 6x6 bus.

Honestly the BEST weatherproofing I've used for years on chasis and metal has been to take a gallon of tar and thin it out with gas or mineral spirits and brush a couple layers on. NOTHIGN gets through tar and it NEVER leaks. Cheap and best. Treat your metal with acid then throw some tar over it and your done. Lay some 30# felt paper down between your subfloor and steel too.

Best bus builder on RU-vid

Another awesome and very informative video, Charlie! I am so thankful that you started these videos right when I started gutting my bus. You have become my goto person for the best bus building info. Thanks for doing what you do, Charlie!

Pro job, Charlie, Dayum! I appreciate that you explain the 'whys' of your build. I'm also appreciating you explaining why you choose certain materials and tools.

getting caught up on your videos after having not watched in a while and as always, a wealth of information. Particularly interested in checking out home applications for the Advantech as I, too, have always thought "OSB is garbage" especially in our rather humid summer/damp winter climate. I keep seeing other build videos where they continue to do the 2x4 framing on the floor and I don't understand it. Seeing your builds makes it pretty clear that it's more economical (both in total materials and heat transfer) to do it your way. Plus not having to cut the foam in a bunch of small pieces to fit in the wood framing to me means less waste and a faster floor - and while faster's not always better, in this case it makes total sense. thanks for continuing to share your knowledge!!

Watched the whole thing! Learned a ton! Love to see your dedication to doing things right the first time. I know it’ll come in handy at gutted haha

Love your videos, liked and subbed! I was pricing the foam sheets, and found that not only is the four inch stuff impossible to find, two 2" sheets ($42 USD each) cost less than one 4" sheet ($107 USD) , so, aside from the glue-up, it's cheaper! Keep up the good work, I've learned a lot from your videos.

If someone were deadset on filling the floor holes, rather spend the time and tedious work welding, purchase rubber grommits that size and apply the chasis saver over it to create the seal! And anytime you weld you should corrosion protect both sides. That chasis saver should ideally cover both sides of the floor!

i know this is a schoolie video but im converting a van and love your videos. is there a followup video to this where you finish the floor?

The chassis saver takes 30-60 days to fully cure, so that window of time while curing allows for whatever you're putting over it to stick better.. Great video by the way!

Damn ....i im watching your vids in prepatoey for my truck camper build.....now , ya basta , you got this me wanting a skoolie.....hell fire damn!

These videos are f**king awesome please keep these going!!!

Wow, you cover so many important topics related to housing/materials/chemistry. Thanks 😊

Wow Charlie! What a great video - full of useful tidbits of information, product recommendations and skilled demonstration! While I don't have plans to convert a bus at the moment, I'm sure I will use some of these tips, techniques or products on some of my other projects soon. Thanks for making and sharing these videos! Such a great teacher!

again no thumbs up icon, excellent tutorial! Thank you!

Brake air lines don’t like slag either!! Great info and video!

Hey, Chuck can you do a detailed how to on how to do the roof & side walls please! I’m trying to convert my bus into a spa bus but I have little help & this floor video gave me all the knowledge I need to do my floors! Thank you!

Wish I had this video available when I did my boxtruck, so many usefully tips and informations!!

Thank YOU! All the detail is hugely appreciated!!

Here in the rainy Pacific NW I noticed the first signs that the windows of my 24' 2009 International six window bus were in need of some sealing, where the exterior sill met the sides of the window frame. That's where there was some minor leaking on a couple of the rear driver's side windows, while it was parked. I have no garage to park it in. So, I'm hoping to keep the weather out. There's also some sort of vent on top just forward of the front emergency hatch. I wonder if that might become a place for the weather to enter.

Thank you for the help in deciding on what I will do.

Fantastic video chuck. Will be reaching out soon for some solar consulting and equipment.

Amazing!

Professional looking subfloor! I will definitely follow this method when I start my build. New subscriber!

This video is so much better quality and has extensive thought process

I also agree with not using framing but instead of the OSB I used Coosa Board, never rots.

Thanks for the Intel !!!

Knowledgeable and generous. Thank you, thank you.

Bro, that floor ain't letting any heat through. Great work

For the fuel tank I’d do a router flush trim bit then a 1” rabbit bit to open it for a lid

Great soap box...I always learn so much

What do you look for when you buy a bus or before you buy it ? Should you buy it new or used ?

On another planet ; I'm restoring my '98 Mercedes bus and welding the internal bulkhead structure. Had planned to weld a giant cage within the shell structure, but hadn't figured on the cold-bridge aspect. There IS no floor pan, it's an open frame that I was going to weld vertical steels to. But now it looks like I'm going to have to assemble an insulated floor beneath all structural supports - big project just got bigger!

Very nice, very professional

Menards sells the 4 inch floor insulation version still but several states are listed as not available including CO on the website. You are very knowledgeable about insulation and insulating from an automotive engineer! Proof again it is not the degree it is the person.

Love this....it looks fantastic!!!

Great video! Two questions. First, do you add XPS insulation (1 or 2 layers) to the underside of the access door to help cut down on thermal bridging? Second, do you also use the 1” XPS & 3/4” engineered OSB sandwich on top of the stair treads to reduce thermal bridging & to keep the height of the steps consistent? Thanks.

Great idea with the foam! genius. May I ask, what about all the gaps you've left around the edges? thanks :)

After watching the videos up to this one, once you gave the 19' measurement that answered one of my big questions. I was wondering what the measurement of the buildable living area was. You said this bus was a 29' bus I think, so you are losing 10' for the drive area and engine. This is great information to know. Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee.

Saw a video recently of a floor install in a pro master - just like you install the floor in this video (he used plywood instead of osb). I’m sure he learned from you. ☑️

So before the Chassis Saver, on your bus, did you use the brush wheel? Just doubke checkin'. Thanks for all the info.

Chuck!! When we pulled up our rubber floors only a couple spots had surface rust. Is Chassis saver still the best way to go?

I walked out of the room while watching this video. Came back to hear you talking about some hot slag. I thought, that's no way to talk about a lady. Then I skipped back and heard the context. 😜😂😂

as usual.... GOLD!. . . thanks Charlie :D

Great work, sir!

Thank you! We will probably be doing it your way.

Chuck, likin your stylw brother, it's very satisfying to see a master work! I don't know if you missed it lasr time, but my questions were if you had any skoolies available for sale, and if not, how long would it take, and how much would it cost to have one built? Awesome work, thank you for sharing it with us!!!

I am just dipping my toes in this whole skoolie situation and by far all your videos are amazing. I have a question though, is there any reasons why you are sandwiching for a 4inch instead of just leaving it at 2 inches?

There are roof coverboards in 4 by 8 sheets thats are polyisocyanate foam in four inch thickness. They have a strong bonded membrane on both faces. Super tough and bond to many typical adhesives. Water base contact cement is a popular option.

Please note Polyiso will degrade when exposed to moisture over time. I have seen this when it was used on flat commercial roofs for HVAC equipment curbs. Some of my clients and designers forbid Polyiso on roof assemblies.

16:10 'OSB Engineered Sub floor 24:15 Teks screws

Subscribed, great info, greetings from the Netherlands. Question, how thick would you make a floor on a Dodge WAGON Van?

A very thorough work!

Gold! Tysm!

A máster i. The making. Awesome brother thank you for the info.

What do you think about Resol Hard foam (+ vapour barrier?)?? top video mate!

What type of roller for the chassis saver? Everything I read says spray it and thin it first. Also - rollers just falling apart, so recommend brushing as alternative.

Have you worked on any shuttle buses? I didn't see anything in your playlist about walls, but I'd love to see your take on dealing with the fiberglass shell.

Wow. The information you shared are golden. Thank you so much for that. I’m looking to buy a shuttle bus to convert it and I’m so glad I found your channel. By any chance do you have a bus for sale? (With no rust) My maximum budget is $5000.

Thanks👍

Good morning, I am a disabled grandmother in power chair that just bought a 40 foot 2001 international school bus with a lift in the rear. I am wondering around the doors, where exactly the plywood (3/4? Or did you use the osb?)brace went? I watched the video over and over again, but I did not catch that part. I also have to figure out what to do with the wheelchair lift when I am doing this. You said you use spray insulation around the walls? Do you have a video covering that step? thank you!

Great vid and info, thanks. I hope you can do an insulation vid part two, covering insulation of the walls and ceiling. Some info on Havelok wool use and their mystery product would be great as well. One question, is gluing/caulking the foam to the bus metal floor required?

I wonder if that subfloor is the same stuff they use in cargo trailers now. It’s so water resistant that they don’t even paint the bottom anymore.

I can see why you taught a course. I don't think I'll be building a bus, but I can now put my 2 cents into conversations based on information I've learned from you. It'll disguise the fact that I'm an idiot. Now, if you'll tell how disguise that I'm also lazy. Oh wait those who know me already know that.

thats probably the warmest floor ever !!

I like busses

I think That "Chassis Saver" is the same product that used to be called "POR" (Paint Over Rust).

What would you do if your Econoline Van floor was ribbed and not flush like your bus floor?

Hi, thanks for spreading your knowledge. “Caring too much,” is not nearly the problem of caring too little, BTW. You’ve “schooled” me (ahem) on so much, and I will be following your advice as much as I can given my particular challenges/environment, the greatest of which is height. I have about 2” head clearance bare foot in my empty n bare bones, 2006 Dodge Sprinter. What do I compromise? I want to address thermal bridging, but if I do, and go with 3/4” subfloor, a thin 1/4” carpet, and 1/2” XPS over bridges, I have 1/2” for the ceiling (1/4” insulation and 1/4” panel/cover) Thoughts, particularly on going to 1/2” on subfloor, 1/4” insulation; to add 1/4 insulation to ceiling thermal bridges (for 1/2” total up there). And, if I should not compromise the subfloor, should I compromise the floor over the ceiling: As I understand, the roof is more thermally permeable in either whether conditions. Frankly, I’m leaning towards no insulation on bridges of floor, standard sub, 1/4” carpet; 3/4” insulation, 1/4” finish for the roof

Is a subfloor necessary? I'm converting a shuttle bus and it has a wooden subfloor. I don't plan on using my bus in the winter time (i despise the cold) or live in it. It's basically a hotel on wheels when we go on vacation or to Onewheel events.

1:40 Is that a twisted or knot wire wheel? I've never heard of 'braided'.

May have said. What would the plan be for a corrugated floor? . I guess doing a van you may have to fill with strips before putting down the styrofoam sheet.

Would you recommend caulking the seams at all after everything is down?

Outstanding.......

If we’re only using 1/2” foamular (due to height restrictions).. is it still ok to leave all the holes unsealed with such a thin layer of insulation?

For your bus, and it’s length, how many pieces of foam and plywood did you use?

Hey man, I’m thinking of buying a 40’ diesel pusher, what’s you opinion about a Cat C7 and Allison 3060, I’ve been remodeling homes forever and I’ve been renovating campers and an rv. I’ve come to the conclusion that building buses is what i’m looking forward to. if you’re ever in need to stop for an overnight near the Oregon/Idaho border hit me up, we’re in Payette. My wife makes a killer margarita and I have good smoke. Lol. Lloyd

Could I use oxalic acid instead of phosphoric acid to prep the metal for primer?

Does it matter if I put the flooring down ? Is it possible to just , undo the floor clean it mop it & wait till it drys .. I could go in with the rust remover and paint it ?

Are you going to drop some fitted insulation into the sender box?

Excellent Thank you

Great info - thanks for putting this video together. I've spent the last hour trying to find a stockist of Advantech in the UK. No luck though. Does anyone know where we can get this product in the UK?

Can I ask why you didn't use the chassis saver on the side walls with all that rust on them?

Very informative, thank you! Is the chassis saver similar to corroseal?

What's your take on sound deadening?

I'm not able to find Advantek Engineered OSB in my area- what would you recommend as an alternative?

Phosphoric Acid in Coke is the reason you can put a rusty nail into a can of coke. An it comes out rustless.

I noticed your bus didn’t have the ribs in the floor like a lot of vans do. What would you do for that gap?

Hey love on how detailed you are in your vids. Now I live in a rv and have had truck with a 11ft Lance camper for my next project I wanna tackle a schoolie. My question is how can u go about making it nearly sound proof inside im gonna eliminate the windows and only keep top hatch and most likely section out the driver area from the rear main cabin. Do u have any recommended material's u have use or seen used thanks

I have a e450 not sure what to do with the sub flooring. it is already raised a inch from the cab entrance. is it worth pulling or should I just glue on top of it?