While the enthusiasm to build out our Sprinter into an incredible house on wheels hasn't waned our free time to perform this feat has continued to be limited. Over the Christmas/New Years holidays we were finally able to find the time to install the flooring. When looking into the various options available to cover the floor of our van we came across so many choices that it seemed daunting at first. Upon further research and discussing flooring options with knowledgable family, friends and even patients at work we settled on vinyl planking. Going with vinyl flooring offered a durable, waterproof and reasonably priced floor that also came in an endless array of colors/patterns.
The flooring we chose; photo courtesy of Home Depot
The particular style that we chose is called Mellow Wood from Home Depot and was quite easy to install. It can be installed over any flat surface and doesn't have to be glued down. The planks overlap slightly and when reaching a wall you score along the planks with a utility knife and are able to achieve a perfectly fitting floor. We weren't entirely sure that buying a style online without seeing it first was going to turn out alright but we're quite happy with out it turned out. Installation only took a couple of hours and the finished product gives us the first glimpse into what our future home on wheels is going to look like. The floor has a textured surface just like a hardwood floor without any chance of splinters or swelling up when exposed to humidity.
Other changes that have taken place recently can be seen in the first picture above. We finally pulled out the bulkhead with its sliding door. This opened up the space in the van and will allow for some future projects including overhead storage and a swivel seat. Speaking of seats we had spent many uncomfortable miles riding in a fold-down jump seat on the passenger side. With the bulkhead removed we were able to install a seat base and seat that we acquired from a junkyard. The new passenger seat appears to have not been used before and is quite a bit nicer with more bells and whistles than the driver's seat. Once getting it installed and testing it we're both looking forward to being the passenger on upcoming trips.