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I used the same tin twice and couldnt habe mixed it very well the first time i used it, as the second time i opened the tin what was left was the fibres and not much liquid, it was like painting horsehair on the the floor then. Did alright for a touch up job though

 
Finally finished the inside of my van today. Thought I would list some helpful pointers for those who are considering lining the back of the van.

I had previously ply lined and - what I had assumed - sealed the base with 5 coats of garage floor paint. It still looked in pretty good condition but when I removed my tank and reel it was COMPLETELY saturated. It smelt of sewers it was that far gone (didn’t even last two years).

I don’t like fibreglass, I know a lot of people are fans but I don’t get on with the stuff and find it messy and awkward to use - so I opted for Protectakote.

So - my recommendations......

Strip the back out completely (floor).

Clean with CIF cream cleaner using a scotch pad, this process is to CLEAN the existing surface.

Wash down with water to remove residue.

Use a DRY scotch pad (green or red -medium or coarse) to dull the paintwork. I found trying to dull the paintwork with CIF didn’t work all that efficiently, when I went over the whole van bed again with a dry scourer it gave instant results.

Brush out and wipe over with xylene (thinners for Protectakote). Make sure the van doors are open and you have a breeze - it’s powerful stuff and gave me a horrific hangover!!

Make good any edges and holes, I’ve used UPOL Tiger seal (used it before) and find it extremely good and hard wearing, for larger gaps around the edges I used expanding foam first.

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Once the foam has set (an hour for most brands) it can be trimmed and Tiger seal applied to the perimeter/edges of the van floor.

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Everything was then masked up (the bits that you don’t want painting) ready to paint.

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Now - I ordered the textured (by mistake!!) as I got carried away with the colour choice, ginger was the only choice for a member of the superior race (Steve Garwood understands!!) so struggled at first getting to grips with the finish.

The only tips for painting would be -

Buy a roller for each coat you plan to do , the paint dries very quickly and you can not store them (I tried the usual cling film trick and the second time I brushed on some xylene thinners) the first roller dried after the first coat, the second roller disintegrated during the third coat so I had to finish off with a brush which isn’t easy!!!

Don’t worry about full coverage on the first coat, even if you only do two coats (I did three) the second coat goes on a lot thicker naturally anyway. I had a lot of white showing through after the first coat but didn’t panic as the instructions said get the first one on as a key in a thin layer.

I didn’t use a roller tray - I just dunked my roller in the tin which seemed to work really well, I just made sure I stirred it frequently and the rubber granules were distributed evenly.

Use frog tape to mask off - it’s foolproof!!

Overall I’m pretty pleased and impressed with the final results - even though I did get the textured finish and not the smooth. I’m confident this time I’ve created a ‘tanked’ liner in the back that should last a lifetime.

Everything came to around £150 so around the same price as fibreglassing - just without the mess!!



Job done - just got to get the new tank in now and set it all up!!!!

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
@AGlassAct Your guide has been really helpful this week so a big thankyou! How do I apply the xylene on the van floor please after the initial clean, wash and rub down?? Cheers

 
Use a lint free cloth to just give the whole bed a wipe over. I poured a bit on to the cloth and turned it over after every ‘pass’.  The Xylene will evaporate on contact, you’ll also get minor paint rub off but don’t worry. 

 
Going to be waterproofing With protectakote my van floor but it has ply lining, is it best to rip the floor ply out or paint over it before tank gets bolted in? Ive seen a lot of set ups without van floor ply.

 

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