Rear floor installations
Updated: Sep 2
Campervan & Van Floor Insulation: Rear Floor Installation Guide
The rear floor of a van or campervan can make a surprisingly large difference to overall noise and comfort. Tyre noise, road rumble and low-frequency vibration can travel directly through the vehicle floor, making the rear of a campervan noticeably louder than it needs to be.
Choosing the right campervan floor insulation and sound deadening can help reduce this road noise while also keeping the floor warmer underfoot — without unnecessarily sacrificing valuable headroom.
Why Insulate the Rear Floor?
When converting a van, it is easy to concentrate on the walls, doors and roof and overlook the floor. However, the rear floor is an important part of the overall acoustic performance of the vehicle.
A properly insulated floor can help:
Reduce tyre and road noise
Reduce low-frequency road rumble
Improve acoustic comfort inside the van
Add thermal insulation beneath the finished floor
Keep the floor warmer underfoot
Avoid unnecessary loss of interior height
The aim is not simply to make the floor warm. The main benefit of insulating the rear floor is acoustic isolation from the road beneath you.
What Is the Best Material for a Campervan Floor?
There are several options, depending on the type of conversion, available floor height and budget.
For a typical campervan conversion, we recommend using a product specifically designed for floor insulation and acoustic isolation, rather than simply using a soft wall insulation product.
The vehicle floor is supported by its ribs and is considerably more rigid than the large side panels, so it does not behave in exactly the same way acoustically. The priority is therefore to mass-load and isolate the floor while adding a suitable thermal barrier.
Dodo DUO – Low-Profile Floor Insulation
Dodo DUO is an excellent option where you want both sound deadening and insulation in a single product.
At just 4.5mm thick, it combines a deadening layer with Dodo Super Liner to help reduce low-frequency road noise while providing thermal insulation.
Its low profile makes it particularly useful when maintaining as much interior headroom as possible is important.
Dodo DUO can be fitted across the rear floor before installing the finished plywood floor and can also be used on areas such as wheel arches.
Dodo DUO PRO
Where additional acoustic performance is required, Dodo DUO PRO provides a thicker and denser floor insulation option.
It is designed around the same principle of combining acoustic isolation with thermal insulation, while keeping the overall floor build-up relatively low.
This makes it suitable for higher-spec campervan conversions where reducing road noise is a priority.
Dodo Super Liner 6mm
Another popular option is Dodo Super Liner 6mm.
This is particularly useful when the finished floor already incorporates an extruded insulation board or similar system and you need to keep the additional floor height to a minimum.
The 6mm material provides a useful combination of thermal insulation and acoustic isolation without creating a large increase in floor height.
Sound Deadening Only
If budget or available space is limited, applying sound deadening directly to the floor can still provide an improvement in acoustic comfort.
A product such as CTK can be used to mass-load the floor and reduce vibration and noise. However, sound deadening alone does not provide the same level of thermal insulation as a combined floor product.
For this reason, we generally recommend considering both acoustic isolation and thermal insulation when planning a campervan floor.
Should You Use Thermo Liner PRO on the Floor?
Dodo Thermo Liner PRO is an excellent product for van walls, doors and roof areas, but it is not our preferred choice for direct floor installation.
Its soft, flexible construction can compress under pressure. If plywood is placed directly over a soft insulation material, the floor can move or dip when weight is applied.
For this reason, products specifically designed for floor applications are a better choice.
Recommended Floor Installation
For many campervan and van conversions, we recommend creating a simple 9mm plywood lattice or batten system bonded securely to the original floor.
The floor insulation or acoustic isolation product can then be installed across the appropriate areas before the finished plywood floor is secured to the 9mm strips.
This approach provides a solid finished floor while helping to:
Reduce road noise
Add thermal insulation
Maintain floor strength
Minimise unnecessary floor height
Create a suitable base for the finished floor covering
Where possible, avoid building the floor higher than necessary. Every additional layer reduces available headroom, which can make a significant difference in a campervan conversion.
How Much Floor Should You Cover?
For the best acoustic result, we recommend considering full rear-floor coverage rather than only treating isolated sections.
Complete coverage provides a more consistent barrier between the road and the interior and is particularly worthwhile if the vehicle will be used regularly as a campervan or motorhome.
That said, the ideal solution will always depend on your individual conversion. Weight, budget, floor construction and available headroom all need to be considered.
Choosing the Right Campervan Floor Insulation
There is no single floor insulation product that suits every conversion.
If acoustic performance and low-frequency road noise are your priority, a combined product such as Dodo DUO is an excellent starting point.
If you need to keep the floor build-up particularly low, Dodo Super Liner 6mm is a useful option.
For a more budget-conscious installation, dedicated sound deadening can be used, although you will need to consider thermal insulation separately.
The key is to choose the product around your finished floor construction rather than simply adding as much insulation as possible.
Shop Van Floor Insulation
We supply a range of campervan floor insulation, van sound deadening and acoustic floor products designed specifically for vehicle conversions.
Browse our range of [floor insulation products] to find the right solution for your van, campervan or motorhome conversion.
Remember: the best floor installation is not necessarily the thickest one. A well-planned, low-profile system can significantly improve acoustic comfort while protecting the headroom you have worked hard to create.
Whilst it's a perfect build to cover the floor totally and will provide a vehicle which acoustically is top notch and warm, it will always depend on your build in the back as to products which you choose with a decision to be made over weight, cost and head room.
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