Can i wood clad the inside of my motorhome?

[Aidy_ontheroad]

Hi all,

 

I bought my 1989 Fiat Elddis Autoquest about a month ago.

 

After A LOT of youtubing and googling i've come to the conclusion that i'd like to do something with the walls inside. I see a lot of people refurbing the insides of normal vans and wood cladding the inside which i quite like. Is it possible to do this on the inside of a motorhome as i can't see this being done anywhere? There must be a reason??

 

Any help or advice would be great!

 

Thanks

Aidy

[Keithl]

Aidy_ontheroad - 2018-11-29 12:44 PM

 

Hi all,

 

I bought my 1989 Fiat Elddis Autoquest about a month ago.

 

After A LOT of youtubing and googling i've come to the conclusion that i'd like to do something with the walls inside. I see a lot of people refurbing the insides of normal vans and wood cladding the inside which i quite like. Is it possible to do this on the inside of a motorhome as i can't see this being done anywhere? There must be a reason??

 

Any help or advice would be great!

 

Thanks

Aidy

 

WEIGHT!!!

 

You will need to weigh your MH fully loaded as prepared for the longest trip you plan on taking, including water, gas, food, clothes, etc, etc. and then compare this weight with the plated GVW on the vehicles VIN plate. This figure may also be shown on your V5C as 'Revenue weight'. It is likely to be something like 3,200 kg or 3,500 kg.

 

The difference between weighbridge weight and GVW is your remaining payload and what you can 'use' to refurbish your MH.

 

What is the weight of the quantity of wood cladding you would need?

 

Keith.

 

PS This is why most MH's are built using lightweight wall boarding and cabinetry.

[Will86]

Your insurance company would certainly like to know !

 

You may be advancing or even reducing its capability to take an impact from the outside.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

I’ve never seen an example of a coachbuilt motorhome (eg. an Elddis Autoquest) that has had its interior 'wood-cladded' by its owner.

 

There are several possible reasons for no one (apparently) having done this.

 

1: The weight of the cladding (as Keith has highlighted).

 

2: The difficulty involved - it would almost certainly be necessary to gut the motorhome’s interior to carry out the task properly.

 

3: The strong likelihood that it would reduce the resale value of the motorhome radically even if the task were done well. Done poorly, the vehicle would become unsaleable except, perhaps, to keep chickens in it.

 

(I wouldn’t consider ever buying a coachbuilt motorhome that had been ‘cladded’ with wood, how could one know what DIY horrors the cladding hid?)

[Brock]

Before embarking on a major internal refurbishment, I'd be tempted to have a damp test done - if not already done recently - to ensure that any work I do cannot be ruined by water ingress.

 

Keith has set out the weight problem you will face if using traditional wood cladding. There are wallpaper/vinyl coverings that will give a panelled affect although it's not a current vogue so you might have to search to find some. You might also find large wood panels will be sufficient, although you will still need to check out damp and weight beforehand, such as from

 

https://www.caravanbreakers.net/index.php/4/353413/

 

For ordinary motorhomes such as yours, the usual course is to change the soft furnishings [carpet, curtains and seat covers] and be creative with tins of paint. My father used to paint our wood with brown varnish and then put in squiggles using a strong piece of rubber with a comb like edge.

 

https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/articles/practical-advice/top-10-motorhome-restoration-tips

 

[Rayjsj]

exactly the same as a house......what is the cladding covering up/hiding ?.

as the Elddis is 1989 the resale value is not very much anyway. But if living in a log cabin is your 'thing' why not ? just make sure the cladding doesnt exceed your weight limit......no lovely Oak or Mahogany !

mind you I once ripped out the 'manky' old fitted carpet from my 1988 Autosleeper and replaced it with a 'Cherwell Oak' floor.....albeit grained stick on floor tiles....it did look nice though.. j

Just watch your weight...good luck.

[colin]

It would depend on a couple of things.

Would you be replacing the existing cladding, or covering it, if covering it then the cladding will cost you payload, if replacing then this might be fraught with difficulties as the cladding often extends under the 'furniture', but you may find not a lot of difference in weight depending on the original material. Another thing you should be aware of, manmade boards are continuous and fairly stable, cladding will shrink in hot dry weather and expand in cold wet weather the opposite way to the bodywork which may lead to gaps opening and closing.

 

[Tracker]

In addition to all the logical reasons not to already stated, the carpentry skills needed and time involved with so many curves, angle, joins and corners is immense. Just going round the windows would not be easy to make it look good

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course but many people would find it hideous and claustrophobic no matter how high the workmanship.

[flicka]

Have a look on Magnum Motorhome (Grimsby) website for Wallboard.

It won't give a cladding look but they have a few different wood finish wallboards, packs of 4, 3mm thick 8ft x 4in panels. They also do various plactic profiles for joints / corners, etc..

Weight of each board is c5kg.

They also do various other finishes.

These boards are the type used by coachbuilt manufacturers.

 

Another possible source is O'Learys Motorhomes (Beverley)

 

If you are replacing the existing sheets, careful removal would enable them to be used as patterns for cutting.

[flicka]

Just my thoughts, but an all wood finish would create a very dark interior.

[pagey]

this has got to be a wind up (lol)

[Don636]

I have seen lots of videos of people converting vans into motorhomes and they often clad the inside with wood panelling. I personally don't like the finish as it can look a bit dark and heavy (as well as actually being very heavy) but I wonder if this method is used as it is perhaps easier to work with boarding rather than getting large sheets to fit. I am not sure about the practicalities of over boarding on top of an existing finish and getting it to look good round windows for instance and I would have thought that removing the existing finish and replacing would not work as the existing finish probably goes behind the fixtures. What about adding a fabric covering?

[Derek Uzzell]

As it’s the Autoquest’s walls that Aidy is considering cladding with wood, I would have thought that the only realistic way to approach this would be fix the cladding to the existing wall surface, either directly using an adhesive, or by building a wooden framework that is attached to the walls with the cladding then fixed to the framework. Even though the Autoquest is 1989-vintage, it's likely that its body panels have some sort of ’sandwich’ construction, probably with an aluminium outer skin, a plywood inner skin, and with insulating material between and bonded to both skins. So removing the inner skin thoughout the vehicle and replacing it with cladding will be a non-starter.

 

The following 2016 links relate to renovating a 1989 Autoquest

 

https://talbotoc.com/1989-talbot-express-autoquest-270-renovation-plus--t22038.html

 

https://hubpages.com/travel/Talbot-Express-Autoquest-270-Elddis-Motorhome-1989

 

There’s also advice on replacing a SHURflo Trail King water-pump

 

https://axleaddict.com/rvs/Changing-A-Shuffle-Trail-King-7-Water-Pump

 

This may also be useful to Aidy, but it’s worth mentioning that SHURflo connectors are designed to be fitted WITHOUT ‘plumbing tape’ being used to obtain a watertight seal. I‘m not sure if using plumbing tape would do any actual harm - but the tape’s just not necessary in this case..

 

 

 

 

[Cattwg]

Thirty-five years ago, I converted a Commer van to a camper. I lined it with 6mm plywood before covering that with carpet. The van was completely empty when I started, even so it was very, very difficult.

Would you empty the van before starting? If so that would involve dismantling gas and electric connections. If not then I think it would be virtually impossible to do a good job.

Then, as has been already mentioned there is the extra weight and resale value to consider.

 

I have heard of people using wallpaper to improve the inside look of an older van. Again, this would be tricky but at least the material being used would be easier to work with - and less expensive, especially if it all went pear-shaped.

Another possibility could be the plastic sheets often used these days to line household showers.

Improve the inside of your motorhome by all means but honestly I would not attempt wood cladding of any description.

 

By the way. Welcome to the forum! :-D :-D :-D

Cattwg :-D

[Derek Uzzell]

I notice that ‘peel and stick’ faux-wood panels are marketed in the USA

 

https://www.rvhabit.com/single-post/RV-Wall-Makeover-Faux-Wood-Panels-Peel-and-Stick-How-To-and-Review

 

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Home-Decor-Frames/Mirrors-Wall-Decor/Vinyl-Wall-Decals/Faux-Wood-Vinyl-Wall-Decor/p/80805322

 

(The reviews vary...)

[Tracker]

Many years ago I converted a Bedford CF van and after insulation framed and lined it with 6 mm very light wood effect plywood and it was a heck of a job that took ages - never again - but it did look good!!

 

After I sold the van I bought an old coachbuilt van that someone had previously painted and I used a heavy embossed patterned vinyl wallpaper that was not dis-similar in colour to the original - but prettier!! That was laborious and time consuming too but considerably less so than working with sheets of plywood - and mistakes that needed to be redone were a lot less expensive and time consuming to put right - and it looked pretty good when finished!!

 

Windows, corners, angles, light fittings (ceiling) and curves were the time takers to get a good finish

[spirou]

All the instagram #vanlife wannabe influencers use wood cladding but I suspect that's because the weight restrictions are a little less strict on the other continent. Sure, looks great, but it reduces your usable (legal) payload from swimsuit and towel to just a swimsuit :-D

 

One of countless examples: https://www.instructables.com/id/Cedar-paneling-for-van-interior/

 

I've seen one old PVC from the UK this summer around Lago di Ledro in much the same style (occupants and cladding). As far as I'm concerned the resale value is greatly increased, as long as you find gullible millennial instagrammers that have never heard of weight limits >:-)

[chello]

Back in 1966 I had a 12foot caravan, in those days there was not much thought about weight,i decided to cover the floor with parquet floor 12 inch wood tiles,it looked great and easy to clean,i dread to think of the weight, the same with loading, if you could get it in you took it, all foolish by todays thinking but we got by.

[Adiebt]

spirou - 2018-11-29 7:31 PM

 

All the instagram #vanlife wannabe influencers use wood cladding but I suspect that's because the weight restrictions are a little less strict on the other continent. Sure, looks great, but it reduces your usable (legal) payload from swimsuit and towel to just a swimsuit :-D

 

One of countless examples: https://www.instructables.com/id/Cedar-paneling-for-van-interior/

 

I've seen one old PVC from the UK this summer around Lago di Ledro in much the same style (occupants and cladding). As far as I'm concerned the resale value is greatly increased, as long as you find gullible millennial instagrammers that have never heard of weight limits >:-)

 

The Swedish sauna look ?

[spirou]

Adiebt - 2018-11-30 12:32 PM

 

The Swedish sauna look ?

 

You're lucky I'm only married to a Finn, not one myself :-D Swedes know nothing about sauna, it's a Finnish thing (the word itself is Finnish). You can imagine her trauma not having one in our house :-D