Thinking about replacing the plywood floor in sprinter with rubber stall mat.

Paddy

Adventurer
My wood floor is ugly and beat up, so I thought about removing it, but then I’d have the ribbed metal, noisy and cold, and bumpy. What about stall mat instead? Might quiet the ride a little too? I had a pickup with a rubber bed mat and I remember it being nice for holding cargo still during transpo. Not sure if it would smell though.
Could also roll out bedliner on the plywood to spruce it up.
 

mgmetalworks

Explorer
I use a vulcanized rubber mat in our van (and a few customer vans) and it holds up really well, cleans up easy and does have some good insulation properties. In almost two years in our daily driver, I haven't been bothered by the smell at all. We let the mats air out for a few days before final install. Some rubber products do smell, all the time...like the recycled rubber horse stall mats you find at your local farm stores. If you're careful in your selection, you can find a quality product that won't stink up the van.
 

luthj

Engineer In Residence
The horse mats are very heavy, so take that into account. Industrial rubber flooring glued to the plywood would be pretty tough.
 

86scotty

Cynic
I'm a stall mat fan. Yes, they stink awhile but it goes away. If you're passengers have sensitive noses then take that in to account. Smells better than smoke IMO. Just gimme any vehicle that doesn't smell like smoke.

After a lot of experimentation I found the easiest way to cut them is with a hot knife. I heat up a utility knife with a propane torch as I go. Do this in an open driveway (open air) because it stinks too.

They are heavy and bulletproof, easy to clean with a wet rag and IMO the last floor you'll ever put in your van. I used them in an expedite van with skids in and out all the time. Held up perfectly. I have cut up coin flooring repeatedly. Even though I love that stuff I won't go back to it.
 

s.e.charles

Well-known member
when I finished the van, I isolated the meranti plywood floor from the van steel.

first, dyna-mat HD sound deadening 100% coverage, then 4" x 1 1/2" pieces of 70 durometer rubber in a 12" staggered pattern VHB taped to the low part of the van corrugations.

tops of the rubber had more VHB tape applied, and the 9 mm plywood floor dropped on top. no mechanical fasteners needed. casework built and attached to plywood where convenient. vinyl floor covering applied to remaining exposed floor plywood.

this allowed air flow under the floor as it could find its way, isolation from van body, and no nasty smells.
 

s.e.charles

Well-known member

weight was moot for me then. the GMC was a 2500 and the only cargo was myself, 100# of gear, plus about 300# of plywood, paint, & screws.
 

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
I have stall mat in my E-350, have been really pleased with the result. My van is multi-purpose, and the stall mat holds up to just about anything. I put it in as a temporary solution when I first got the van but liked it enough to keep it.

It stunk a bit for a while, but that went away over time.
 

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