Rubber Paint

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jjwhittle

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Hi All,

We have just come back from the Isle of Skye and the Camper has bunks at the back for the kids. There are parts of the doors that have not been lined with anything as we were told that this soon gets damp and scruffy. Issue is this becomes very cold due to bare metal and I wondered if anyone has ever tried rubber paint on this? If not are there any other ideas to cover this?

Thanks

J
 
I've used Plastidip rubber paint on some surfaces to protect them from condensation. It's not going to make a lot of difference to the actual temperature but I suppose it might make a psychological difference with a 'warm' colour. I would think there were better solutions. Personally I'd opt for the carpet.
 
jjwhittle said:
Hi All,

We have just come back from the Isle of Skye and the Camper has bunks at the back for the kids. There are parts of the doors that have not been lined with anything as we were told that this soon gets damp and scruffy. Issue is this becomes very cold due to bare metal and I wondered if anyone has ever tried rubber paint on this? If not are there any other ideas to cover this?

Thanks

J
Click to expand...

You could experiment with sheet bubble wrap from a stationers to see if you would like something like that as insulation ?
 
No paint will make a significant difference, the film thickness is too thin.

How much space could you afford to give to insulation?

The most effective insulation material commonly available locally are the PIR or PU boards. Brands found in Wickes, B&Q etc are Celotex and Kingspan but usually 1 or 2 inches thick. The surface is not very hard so benefits from a bit of impact protection with any thin tough lining, thin ply, plastic wall lining etc.

Coachbuilt motorhomes commonly have 30 to 40 m thick walls the core of which is a PIR or PU foam.

You are probably hoping for something thinner. The Aldi aluminium foil faced bubble wrap is good value, 2/3rds of the price of Thermawrap and very likely came from the same factory. It really only works well if you can space it off the van wall or form an air space over the inner face. It is principally a barrier to radiant heat two cavities, an air gap on both sides, gives the best insulation. Without a cavity it is not much better than ordinary bubble wrap.

The black foam rubber sheet with a self adhesive layer, found via the internet, is available in various thicknesses. I had some 5 and 10 mm thick. It is fairly robust, impact resistant, but can be scratched or picked away. It isn’t a really good insulant but 10mm feels warmer to the touch. Not beautiful to look at!

I have not tried lining over that with stretch carpet but it might be worth a try. The sellers of the foam or carpet can probably advise whether it will stay stuck in place long term.

Stretch carpet alone is not a very good insulant but anything of this sort can make a difference to the feel of a freezing cold metal panel. Insulation follows the law of diminishing returns so even a thin layer of insulation will reduce heat loss through metal and glass areas but not enough to significantly lower the total energy needed to keep a van warm.

Don’t be tempted to conceal the edges of carpet or similar porous material behind the door seal. You run the risk of wicking damp into the interior.

Hope that might be some help.
 
Is it possible to hang lined curtains? They will help keep droughts out, hang away from van sides and can be removed in summer if you want.
 
Dowel said:
No paint will make a significant difference, the film thickness is too thin.

How much space could you afford to give to insulation?

The most effective insulation material commonly available locally are the PIR or PU boards. Brands found in Wickes, B&Q etc are Celotex and Kingspan but usually 1 or 2 inches thick. The surface is not very hard so benefits from a bit of impact protection with any thin tough lining, thin ply, plastic wall lining etc.

Coachbuilt motorhomes commonly have 30 to 40 m thick walls the core of which is a PIR or PU foam.

You are probably hoping for something thinner. The Aldi aluminium foil faced bubble wrap is good value, 2/3rds of the price of Thermawrap and very likely came from the same factory. It really only works well if you can space it off the van wall or form an air space over the inner face. It is principally a barrier to radiant heat two cavities, an air gap on both sides, gives the best insulation. Without a cavity it is not much better than ordinary bubble wrap.

The black foam rubber sheet with a self adhesive layer, found via the internet, is available in various thicknesses. I had some 5 and 10 mm thick. It is fairly robust, impact resistant, but can be scratched or picked away. It isn’t a really good insulant but 10mm feels warmer to the touch. Not beautiful to look at!

I have not tried lining over that with stretch carpet but it might be worth a try. The sellers of the foam or carpet can probably advise whether it will stay stuck in place long term.

Stretch carpet alone is not a very good insulant but anything of this sort can make a difference to the feel of a freezing cold metal panel. Insulation follows the law of diminishing returns so even a thin layer of insulation will reduce heat loss through metal and glass areas but not enough to significantly lower the total energy needed to keep a van warm.

Don’t be tempted to conceal the edges of carpet or similar porous material behind the door seal. You run the risk of wicking damp into the interior.

Hope that might be some help.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, it's very little space and is the 'awkward' parts of the edging of the door. There is as much as the door insulated/carpeted as possible already (I think the parts that are bare metal have been insulated behind). I would struggle with anything with any real thickness as this would take room away from the bunks. It's really just to get the cold to touch away I think. Carpet would come away as it does get damp.
 
I saw a product used on the interior of a van that resembled expanding foam but was applied like a spray paint in several coats it was finished about 10mm thick. It was intended to spray under a slate roof but seemed ideal for insulating a van. Sorry can't remember any product name only saw it used once.
 
jjwhittle said:
Thanks for the reply, it's very little space and is the 'awkward' parts of the edging of the door. There is as much as the door insulated/carpeted as possible already (I think the parts that are bare metal have been insulated behind). I would struggle with anything with any real thickness as this would take room away from the bunks. It's really just to get the cold to touch away I think. Carpet would come away as it does get damp.
Click to expand...

Difficult to comment usefully as no idea what sort of van you have, how it has been trimmed and just how much or little space needs to or can be insulated. A photo and some dimensions might help.
Insulation within the door thickness at the perimeter has at best a marginal benefit as the metal skin conducts warmth away directly to the outside

If space is very limited and the surface or geometry poor maybe you need to look at another approach, perhaps as suggested by Yorkslass or something similar. An insulated curtain or bolster to shield the kids from the cold bits? At least they could be aired or washed and dried if necessary.

Thermalmix - Insulating Paint Additive: Scientifically tested and proven to reduce energy costs by up to 25%
Hope springs eternal for those looking for an easy fix. Take a look at the posts linked to below and request proof of the scientific tests from the seller:
Does insulation paint work? - TheGreenAge Robmac has already linked to this one

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance...oes-insulation-paint-make-any-difference.html

I see that you can buy 100g (1L.) of glass Microspheres, sold for use as a filler in resin moulding, for less than £10, half of that is postage. Interesting comparison but Not a recommendation!
http://easycomposites.co.uk/#!/search?q=microspheres

I did a very rough test of a scrap of the10mm black rubber foam stuck to a window. With 2C outside and the inner face of the glass about 13C, Temp on the rubber was only a degree higher. Touching the glass with the back of the hand felt uncomfortably cold whereas the rubber whilst not warm was bearable. The back of my hand at about 30C is very sensitive to losing heat. That was only a subjective test and the small improvement in insulation may well not be enough for prolonged contact.
 
witzend said:
I saw a product used on the interior of a van that resembled expanding foam but was applied like a spray paint in several coats it was finished about 10mm thick. It was intended to spray under a slate roof but seemed ideal for insulating a van. Sorry can't remember any product name only saw it used once.
Click to expand...

That was probably Polyurethane foam. Very similar to the fill n fix foams we might buy from Toolstation etc but a 2 pack mixed in the gun. It has been used for internal insulation of tile and slate roofs lacking a sarking felt underlay. Long term not always the best solution as the PU can bond very very well to the slates or tiles making them difficult or uneconomic to recover for re-use on the roof. Also can trap moisture around the rafters and battens causing them to decay more quickly.

The same 2 pack PU is used to insulate canal boat hulls, DIY camper vans and industrial insulation . Some self builders believe it to to be the best insulation. It is very similar to Celotex etc in thermal transmitance but easier to apply to odd shaped panels. Can be messy, the self builders mask off everything they don't want sprayed. If the installer is not very good the thickness could be variable but there are some recommended firms on a forum for those who have an interest in self build. I thought the prices posted were expensive compared to Celotex etc bought at commercial prices but depends on how you value your time.
 
I seem to remember one of the van converters had an insulated strip with metal push connectors for the centre of the rear doors this was covered with the same internal lining and reached top to bottom of the doors.
 
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