Insulating the headliner

We've heard somewhere, that the front of the van can become a real oven in summer. So we decided to insulate the headliner - the space above driver and passenger seats. It took us about two days to take it off, insulate, seal with the vapour barrier membrane and put it back.

Removing the headliner

Headliner removed

We picked cork for the floor, we used hemp for the headliner. Cork works great for flat, thin surfaces - hemp works best for uneven space. For the walls we are using both in combination, a post will follow on this. We have bought all the insulation material in a local bio shop called alsabrico. These materials are good for the vanlife: they are natural, high air-quality, rot-proof and can absorb humidity to some extent.

The difficulty of this build was to get the membrane to conform to the shape of the headliner. But even this was easier than anticipated. Once it was done, we re-installed the headliner and stuffed hemp until the space was full. We also found the timer relay installed by the previous owner, which enables the rear camera to stay on for a few seconds after leaving the reverse gear - quite handy.

Fitting membrane and cables

Timer relay

Finished sealed