Installing Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors in Our Ram ProMaster Van Conversion
Products listed on this blog contain affiliate links. Learn more here.
It feels like life has been hectic with our recent trip, losing power due to a hurricane, and various other things. Nevertheless, we’re back to focusing on our van conversion! For those of you who are new here, my husband Jason and I are in the process of converting our 2019 Ram ProMaster Extended 3500 High Roof into our dream home on wheels.
Today, we’re tackling an essential part of the build: installing our luxury vinyl plank (LVP) floors! Here’s a detailed breakdown of our process, materials, and tips for those planning a similar project.
Materials for Installing LVP Floors in our Van
Prepping for Installation
Before diving into the floor installation, we hit a small hiccup: the van wouldn't start, and the key got stuck. We tried jump-starting it, and fingers crossed, it’s just a battery issue. Pro tip: always check your vehicle’s battery health before starting a major project. Once that was sorted, we moved on to the floors.
We chose SmartCore Premium Waterproof Luxury Vinyl Planks for our flooring. It goes beautifully with our cedar tongue and groove ceiling. These planks are durable, waterproof, and scratch-resistant—perfect for the foot traffic and occasional muddy paws from our dogs. The total cost was around $320 for five boxes, a little over our original budget of $300, but we wanted to ensure quality.
Why We Chose Vinyl Flooring
Some van builders wait to install floors until after their furniture is in, using only enough flooring for the exposed areas. This saves weight and money, but we decided to install the flooring throughout. Here’s why:
Durability: The factory subfloor in our van is water-resistant, but we wanted a waterproof layer to protect against spills, moisture, and wear, especially around the garage space and near the water tank.
Aesthetic: The vinyl planks we selected are light-colored with natural-looking knots, giving a warm and homely feel while still being durable.
Installing the Vinyl Planks
The first step was ensuring our subfloor was clean and dry. Moisture can damage your flooring, so we waited until the morning condensation had evaporated before starting. Next, we made sure to smooth out any debris or metal shards that could cause long-term damage.
We began laying the first plank near the wheel well, leaving a small gap for expansion. The key to vinyl flooring installation is matching the tongue and groove system on each plank. It took a few tries, but we quickly got the hang of it. As we moved along, we encountered some challenges, like needing to trim pieces to fit around curved edges using a jigsaw.
Dealing with Curved and Tight Spaces
One of the trickiest parts of the installation was trimming the planks to fit around curved areas, like the wheel wells. We measured the longest part of the curve and used a jigsaw to cut the plank accordingly. Thankfully, this process was straightforward, and we plan to add trim around these areas later for a polished look.
The Final Look
We’re thrilled with how the floors turned out! Even though there were a few tricky spots, like cutting around the edges, the installation was smoother than we expected. The planks snap together easily, and the finished result looks sleek and professional.
Lessons Learned
Prepare the subfloor: Cleaning and drying are crucial to a successful installation.
Measure carefully: Taking the time to measure accurately saves a lot of headache later when trimming planks.
Use YouTube as a resource: We relied heavily on YouTube tutorials for both flooring installation and learning how to change our van battery!
Next Steps
Now that the floors are installed, we can finally move on to installing our cabinetry and other essential features. Stick around because we’ve already started on our bed frame (and it’s a queen size bed!).
We're not experts, but we're figuring things out as we go and are excited to share the process with you. If this post was helpful, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram @adventurvan for more updates.
You can also check out our van build budget spreadsheet for a breakdown of all the materials we've used so far.
We’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to drop a comment with any questions or suggestions for what you'd like to see next. Your support means the world to us, and we’re thrilled to have you along for the ride!
