It's a learning process, but no need to patch plywood under a floor like that. Also, you would best put the vinyl down after the rest of the build, as there's no need for it under cabinets as it just adds cost and weight, and possibly in the garage if you just paint the plywood there (which would then be an exception to visually benefitting from the Alex caulking). A 2x10 is way overkill in the bed construction and since I see 2x4s spanning the bed area, then the 2x10 must be attached to the wall to support them. A 2x4 would have been fine there, with 4 bolts holding it to the van horizontal rib on each side easily. To conserve weight, ask youself (or others) what is the smallest dimension of wood that will safely get the job done. You have to pre-drill holes in any thin wood material like those slats. Without one, driving a screw in forces the wood apart and being so thin and near the end, you're getting the splitting. The shape of the screw head will also promote splitting unless you countersink and gently bring the screw into that space. Always consider what role the screw is playing, for the slates, it's just keeping them from moving laterally, and underneath a mattress not really interested in moving, so no great holding power is needed so even an oversize hole and screw somewhere in it would have worked here. good luck!
Hi Linnea, love your videos! Wish I had found them before I started my build. I do have a couple of suggestions: 1. To avoid cracking boards when putting in screws, you can predrill with a smaller drill. 2. I did my bed about the same, but I can easily remove my frame if ever necessary. Like to allow for easy access when installing Electrical equipment, installing finished flooring, installing upper cabinets, and cutting/installing AC/Fans in ceiling... My side wall supports are attached the same(although I used 2x4s not 2x8s. I then used old bed metal L rails that I cut to size to go from left to right across the van I found a strong flat metal bar to use in the center. I drilled holes drown through the end of the metal into the center of the upright 2x4s to secure the metal rails in place. Instead of screwing the metal down, I used large #8 2" NAILS that I just inserted into the oversized drilled holes. Gravity holds the metal rails and center support in place, with the nails securing them from shifting. This allows you to just pull the nails out to remove the metal supports when you need to work in the bed area. [*This system would also work with the 2x4 supports you used, but you would need longer nails.] The bed slats I secured into place by using thin, scrap wood, cut to the 2-3" distance you want between them. I hot glued the cut scraps in place onto the metal to fit tight between the slats. That keeps the slats from shifting, but allows you to lift them out of the way when needed. (Used bed rails and slats found at Habitat 4 Humanity for $25 total.)
Linnea, two things for future use. First, use a countersink bit which will prevent the screw head from splitting the wood. Second, when doing bed slats you can drill a hole through the slats (only the slats) that is larger than what you would normally do. It doesn't matter if they have a small amount of play. 😊
What the hell am I doing back here? My wife had a massive headache and rubbing her neck while I watch. I decided I wanted to go back to one of my favorite videos. Your likeability factor is off the charts. If someone is new to her channel you better buckle in because you are in for a treat.
I just found you on tik-tok, watched all your videos, and I'm impressed. I think your choice to live the lifestyle you are after is amazing. The work you've done is great. I love your fearless attitude of learning and tackling new tasks. I followed your Instagram and RU-vid in case tik-tok goes away. Look forward to following your adventures.
Watching this series is both entertaining and educational. And, after hearing you say that you had to go back to Home Depot so many times, I now have a better understanding of those folks who do most of their build in the Home Depot parking lot. Better a 2 minute walk to Home Depot several times a week than a 20 minute ride several times a week. 😅
I just subscribed! I’ve been binge watching your Videos and I have to say, you have put out some of the Best! Vids I have seen on RU-vid! I love the ‘Detail’ you are giving us! Please keep giving us details. I am also a single female doing my own build. 2019 Promaster 159wb. I have been feeling and experiencing the same frustrations as you!! I am so happy I watched your electrical video! I am now going with “Parallel” wiring Thanks to you!! I have been researching and researching so much.... my head is spinning! Thanks for also giving us your “mistakes” so we don’t do the same thing! I am a grateful fan!!! 🙏😃
Wow, thank you so much for the positive feedback! I will absolutely continue with the details - It is hard to find tutorial/explanation videos for people that don't already have experience... so I am happy a few of my videos have helped! Good luck with your 159, exciting stuff!
The arches in the Luroy slats from IKEA is what makes it strong. By offsetting them instead of aligning them you actially made them weaker. The weight shifts from side to side. An under brace would also do wonders.
I saw that someone said to pre drill the holes to prevent the cracking on your bed slats, you can also use wax or a cheap bar of soap. this will reduce friction, this trick will also be helpful when you go to do your cabinets. Good job so far and good luck with the rest of your build.
Like others, found you through Tiktok. So much fun to follow your journey and how you learn as you go. I absolutely admire your guts to just get started. I never do any of these handy chores but maybe I have made myself believe I cannot do these things too much and should follow your lead and learn as I go. Greetings from the Netherlands
Thank you so much. I am grateful for support from people like yourself. You can absolutely do each and every one of these handy chores! I am glad you are here for the journey :)
Ok, I have watched a lot of these sorts of videos in preparation for my own build and so far, your videos have been the most clear and helpful. Thank you!
I think what you are doing is amazing and the learning experience you are getting from this is priceless. I know just watching this has given me ideas. In fact I'm gonna start making a wish list and design my own
I love ❤️ watching you build your van home 🏡. I appreciate all the suggestions, tweaking your challenging areas of your van build. Linnea & Akola, you’re inspiring to watch each step transforming your van into a home. ❤️🤗💜👍🏻🏡💕
Good build. When my son laid my vinel flooring, and about a year later, a few of them wanted to separate. It was a bit of a problem for awhile, but for not too long. I love the way you tackle each project and it turns out great. I've been worrying about my bed frame and I really like yours so I might just try it. Thanks for the updates. From Central Oklahoma.
Regards your glue issue and your comment about sheet oll linoleum, it's a different type of glue. I've never had an issue on RV, Van Cottage Kitchen Floors. Direct sunlight through doors, windows & VERY hot {windows closed} van, step-van, box truck conversions...
Hey Linnea & Akela!!! That floor looks great. I am no longer surprised at the quality of your work as you continuously and consistently show and prove that you know wtf you are doing, or can figure it out. As ALWAYS, another great job and Thank you for sharing. 😎
OUTSTANDING JOB!! You must of been a hippy van builder from the early seventy in your old life time. The next time you need to put screws in slats pre-drill a hole in the slats bigger then the screw. It will do two thing # 1 it will stop the slats from feeling loose # 2 It will hold the slats better and you can pre-sink the screw ( it will help the bottom of your mattress) Your floor look great, and I have to say that I would have install it the same . If it because a big deal just replace it with sheet flooring. Like I told you in your first video for a first time van builder you are doing a GREAT job !! (the slats was a great idea and to great them at Ikea that the best idea of all ! (I look forward to your next video with great Ideas)
I was just going to say everything John just said! Lol. You’re doing great! It’s fun to see someone younger with the passion for van dwelling. I’ve never been more content. Only wish I’d done it sooner.
John thank you! Perhaps I was haha! Thank you for the advice about the pre-drill, I will have to remember that for next time. And yes, I will keep an eye on the floor (luckily the majority of separation is happening in my garage which few will see!). Next will be my solar so fingers crossed it goes well!
@@Linneaandakela I know you can do the electrical just remember 4 things # 1 power come from the source #2 something turn it " on and off " # 3 something use the power # 4 it go back to the source That is called a circuit and remember you do not share beer ( everybody get there own beer) parallel
Regards 2x10 & bolt worries = (A) you had the carriage bolts backwards. The square part of the head wedges into the drilled hole in the metal as you tighten them, thus no need to hold with a wrench & the nut with a flat washer is on the outside of the wood, & therefore easy to tighten with a wrench. (B) you need to use [split] lock washers or nylock nuts. The bolts can't back off\come apart...
I know I’m a little late but don’t worry about the bed slats because we have those and they tend to crack when we re-screw them to the bed keeep ur head up I have high hopes for you 💞💞💞
My plan for flooring was also vinyl and got great offer for two boxes headed to trash... which barely cover required area. Those have snap-in grooves on all sides but bottom is so slippery that whole flooring slides when braking harder... Bought some super adhesive which going to use in rear doors & sliding door sides but leave floating elsewhere for allowing it to play well around year weathers
Very helpful thanks! A couple questions for you or anyone with flooring advice: Is there a way to prevent the cracks in the sub floor? Is it just dependent on type of wood? Because of this do you think it’s beneficial to not lay the flooring down right away so that you. Can seal the cracks that do surface? What was the reason for the extended flooring in the rear/garage area?
I used the same, the result was elcrappo. then I decided to screw it in place, even bigger mistake. I didn't install properly obviously but it holds true to my third time is a charm. girl, I hope you succeed beyond your wildest dreams, your honesty and lack of ego makes us love you.
I stumbled on one of your TikTok videos, and I have now watched all of your posts. All I can say is WOW! I’m so impressed with your dedication, bravery, and motivation. Just the mere fact that you had no previous knowledge or experience with building anything before is amazing on how well you have researched and educated yourself in creating your perfect home for you and Akela! Wish you both all the best in #VanLife. Akela is a beautiful GSD! I had a white GSD named Cairo (he passed away in 2017) 💔. Stay safe out there and continue living life to the fullest! By the way, how old is Akela? 🐾💜🐾
Thank you so much for this, I appreciate the time you took to write such a warm comment. And yes, I will tell Akela you say so! I am sorry to year about your Cairo - losing a dog is a different kind of pain. We will be safe❤️
I have made a previous comment on your video but I have to say that after watching you and your video,it just leaves a big smile on my face. Thank you ! Bo
I love to read the comments well other than the troll messages. You are doing just fine, the best learning tool is hands on. So that being said I too split bed slats and found that self tapping screws work the best because you don't have to drill pilot holes. Your van is awesome!!!
To my floor I don't want to do the bed like that I don't I have arthritis so I cannot slide it out I am an older person I live in a van and I'm trying to do some of the things so I am getting lots of ideas thank you for your brilliant mind you are so so brilliant on how you do these things I am glad that I watched your video
Linnea, you are such a badass. What an incredible attitude you have for life and how you tackle this is just awesome. I subscribed immediately. Your videos are very well edited. It's so hard not to binge your videos. Keep up the incredible work. You should be so proud of yourself. Be well!
I first seen the build on TikTok, had to come over and check it out to get the full videos. Great job on build. Looks great so far. Little things that I thought would help that I noticed.. To prevent cracking in the wood, pre drill the holes. Goes a long way to help save some money and materials. On your bed frame to gain the extra 3 inches to keep the slats from hanging off the edge; notch the 2x6 on the edge to fit the van. So youu can slide them as far out as possible. I would also put a center support underneath the bed to prevent the bed from sagging in the middle. Youu could make it on a hinge that folds up when youu aren’t laying on it. So youu could have space for storage(since it is limited). Just make sure to put something on the center brace for it to lock into when youu fold it up out of the way. Once again, great job on the build. Looks great, keep up the good work. Look forward to see what else youu do to make it yours. Best of luck.
Hey there Thank you for the suggestions! I do pre-drill almost everything. I had predrilled the bed slats and found that the cracking regardless is pretty normal. And the three inches didn't make a difference at all in the end! As for under the bed, I have planned out my storage space - which is one of the reasons why I don't want extra support at this time, because I want maximum space for what I need under my bed! While I build out my compartments, it will act as extra support for my bed. I had considered a hinging bed, but I know myself well enough to know I wouldn't go through the extra effort to make that a part of my lifestyle haha.
Hi Ms. Linnea, can you make a playlist of all the music you use in your videos (: . I can watch you build your van all day almost done binge watching you videos then ill have to wait for the updates. I can not wait to see the finally finish (: super stoked for you Ms. Linnea and lady Akela (: i appreciate you guys for making us all feel at home, loved, and important we are one big happy youtube family.
Thank you so much! I get all of my music through Epidemic Sound, specific for video content, I love to hear that you enjoy the music I choose! Thank you for your kind words :)
Thankyou for your VLOG ... I'm just starting planning for a van conversion and yours is so clear and so full of great information. I love that you keep in the mistakes; a lot of vanlife youtubers only show the good stuff. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou all the way from England :)
Thank you! I did learn that it doesn't do well with drastic temperature changes, so in the future I think I would go with the sheet flooring... now I know!
@@Linneaandakela re: sheet flooring vs. peel n stick: I think there are pros and cons to both. I've heard sheet is not very durable (it can tear?) and can look fake. However, it looks super easy to install and can be replaced easily (I *think*... not positive tho). Your floor looks great-- try not to hyperfocus on the little mistakes-- even pros make little mistakes. At the end of the day, stand back and say, "Hell yes! I did this!" and "My van looks great!" Allowing things to be imperfect can create a wonderful state of mind. p.s. Maybe I missed this but am wondering how many boxes you purchased?
Just hit the top of the screws with your spray paint that you used on transition pieces (you can try spraying the top of a screw you havent used first to see if it color matches)
@@Linneaandakela I do this a lot! Take a cardboard box, flip it over and push the screws through the box (while still sticking out) and spray paint it all! Helps to keep the screws in place and you can hit all the angles!
I’ve put flooring in a short bus. You should try the type of flooring that we used. Each individual piece interlocks with a top and bottom piece of adhesive. I can’t remember the name, but the bus got a lot of use and the floor has been really durable.
Everyone who disliked the video is just jealous because they KNOW they couldn't do as good as you 💞. Good work! Keep it up! It's really good and it looks amazing! Good luck. I followed and subscribed to you on RU-vid and TikTok.
Hey I got new Mercedes van and first thinking to hire someone but when I saw her building a van so I decided to try thanks pretty girl you saved me $$$$$over hundreds thousands of dollars
I’m not sure if you mentioned this in the comments but what did you use for your floorboard trim? I’m at this part in my build and I love the look of yours! 💙
I'm wondering how she feels with the color of the flooring now, we got a similar color for our house and every speck of dust and dirt shows, the color is also only surface on our floors so the scratches show really easily... you can see it at the end of this video how dusty her floor looks and you know she's taking care of it, so I'm thinking it will be very hard to keep looking clean. excited to see where she goes from here :)
I could not tell if your drill also had a countersink on it. I think the hole itself is fine but the underside of the screw head is pushing the slats apart when it goes in the hole. A countersink would match the angle so the screw wouldn’t try to push the wood apart. Looking great so far.
Linnea, I have a couple of questions. I don’t have tiktok so I can’t comment on those videos so here are my thoughts. 1. Why not just a camper? 2. At the time I’m writing this u just did a video of putting wood in your doors, why don’t you make those foldable for tables? 3. You haven’t shown Akela in a while, can we see her?
hey, quick tip in case you ever have to screw to pieces of wood together again: pre drill a pilot hole (a hole slightly smaller then the screw that is supposed to go in it) this should help prevent the wood from cracking and tearing
Hi!! FLOORING IS A TOUGH JOB!! PROBABLY TAKEN ME LONGWR THAN MOST AND IM EXHAUSTED😂😂 BUT I CHOSE PEEL AND STICK AS WELL ALTHOUGH I WAS WORRIED IT WAS MORE LIKE PEEL AND NON STICK!! 😮 SORRY THIS IS IN CAPS IM NOT SURE WHAT HAPPEN...😂😂 ITS BEEN A DAY!! 🎉🎉🎉
I had an idea to save some space! You can take Akela's cage and put it under tge bed or take some organizers and put it under the bed. Just some thoughts!
Even though I’ll never do this myself I’m so invested in this series. I love your creativity and drive, it’s inspiring. Since you’re big into nutrition and exercise what will you be doing to replace the gym while you’re on the road?
Thanks so much! So I will have a 30#, 40# set of dumbbells, a 80# ish kettlebell, a stool for steps or jumps, and I will be rigging up a pull-up bar. I also will have a sandbag with me. So with a few weights I will be able to work out often, and when I feel like throwing the barbell around I will just drop in to a gym! As for the nutrition aspect, I decided to get a decent fridge so I can still easily prioritize healthy eating.
Linnea & Akela sounds like you got it all planned out! Excited to follow you on your journey. Beautiful, smart, and handy. You’ve got a lucky man, keep up the hard work
I don't know if you will get this or not cuz this back a year ago when you put your flooring in bed in I was trying to figure out how you were doing I had to watch the video like eight times but I finally got it I wanted to do something like that
You probably are aware of this but when using screws through thin wood “pre-drilling holes a size or two smaller diameter of the screws will help pr3vent the wood from splitting.
