Sound Control and Insulation

Day 1: Friday, August 5th 2022

Josh researched products for sound control and insulation. He determined the best product for our build would be Lizard Skin. Lizard Skin is a spray on noise and heat insulation. We were excited for the end result but there was a lot of labor to prep. An entire day and then some was dedicated to removing the seats, floor, headliner shelf, curtain rod, and covers to electrical components. Josh even had to disconnect the battery to ensure the air bags wouldn't deploy. We then masked off the vehicle from front to back and along the sides. We used aluminum foil for awkward sized items or electrical wires. Painters tape, paper, and plastic were also extensively used to cover anything we didn't want to get spray on.

Day 2: Saturday, August 6

We made a morning trip to Home Depot to stock up on more tape, paper, a work light, and some more Tyvek suits. We had previously purchased PPE consisting of goggles, masks, and gloves from Harbor Freight. We also purchased a spatula to scrape excess product from the bucket.

After a short discussion we decided to insulate the electrical sliding door. We considered removing all the wiring to make it easier to spray, but we were afraid we wouldn't be able to put everything back together exactly as it should. Ultimately it was easier to wrap the wires and harnesses in aluminum foil and tape.

After covering everything up we used scouring pads to scratch the paint and create some texture so the spray would adhere better. After scuffing all the surfaces we used isopropyl alcohol to clean the surfaces.

We didn't get to spraying until after noon. We had a good rhythm of Josh spraying while I refilled a can of sound control product. We had to utilize two compressors to keep them from overheating and to keep up the pressure. Once a first coat was on (after about two hours) we were beat.

Day 3: Sunday, August 7

It was my turn to don a Tyvek suit. After I had the suit, goggles, and mask on, I felt a bit claustrophobic. I only sprayed about a quarter of the Sprinter before we decided to switch. We work a lot faster if Josh sprays while I refill the canister. The second coat we were able to put on a lot thicker. We had four buckets of sound control and only used 1.5 buckets for the first coat. Once the second coat was applied the Sprinter looked great! We had to stop at this point since we had to wait 24 hours for the sound control to cure before spraying in the insulation.

Day 4: Monday, August 8

While waiting for the sound control to cure, Josh worked on building a wooden box to house an amp which will be located under the passenger seat. We didn't get started spraying until around 3:30pm. We had to wait the full 24 hours for the product to cure and we were both working our regular day jobs as well. We were able to start a first coat of the ceramic insulation but then one of the compressors overheated and stopped working. We took a break for dinner. Once we got back to work the compressor worked again. We were able to finish an entire first coat using about a bucket and a half before calling it a night.

Day 5: Tuesday, August 9

We had hoped to be farther along and be finished today - as in coats completed, dried, and we would've reinstalled the seats and everything. However, things were still coming together, albeit a bit slower than we anticipated.

It took us three sessions throughout the day to spray the second coat and work our way through the remaining two and a half buckets of insulation. About half a bucket was dedicated entirely to the floor of the van. We ended up with half a bucket of product remaining but felt the Sprinter was adequately covered. After a couple of hours we took some of the tape off and were impressed with the results.

The next project we worked on was tracing the wooden floor that came with the van onto 1" polyiso. We were able to cut this out easily enough using a regular knife.

Day 6: Wednesday, August 10

Today was dedicated to removing the tape, reinstalling the seats, and putting everything back together. Josh took the lead on this. The polyiso fit well - we used four sheets that were cut to size - and then placed the wood floor on top of it.

We didn't complete everything we set out to do but felt accomplished nonetheless. The other items that will be installed are the swivel seats and headliner shelf.

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