Van Build Post 3: SOUND DEADENING

Now that you prepped, primed, and painted your floor, you are ready to add sound deadening to your vehicle. This is a pretty short project. The Ram Promaster is an awesome vehicle to build out, but it is NOISY when it drives. When Zak and I first got the van, it sounded like everything in the world was shaking back there. If we ran over a speed bump, it was so loud that it sounded like the back was going to fall off! However, once we added sound deadening to the floors, walls, and ceiling, the van was noticeably quieter when we drove. Now, we can listen to our audiobooks and music without a problem.

Materials

So, let’s talk about materials. First, you are going to need 2-3 boxes of Kilmat or any other sound deadening adhesive mat. We used Kilmat because it was the easiest to get at the time, and was relatively cheap. We ended up buying 2 boxes, which we have been happy with, although a third box won’t hurt if you are wanting additional coverage, or if you have a larger van. We have the Ram Promaster 159″ (long) wheelbase, with a high roof. We also bought one small roller for each person to flatten out the sound deadening. The Kilmat has small bubbles in it, and to ensure that it is properly installed, you have to roll out the mat until the bubbles are flat. You will also need some decent scissors that you will have to be okay with getting mucky because of the adhesive on the mat. In addition, you will need a marker to mark where your windows and fans will go. We used an Expo, but it doesn’t come off the wall like a regular dry erase, so really any marker will do there.

Planning

Next, it’s time to plan out where your sound deadening will go. Take your marker and draw an outline on the walls/ ceilings of where your windows and fans will go. You will eventually be cutting out these parts, so you don’t want to put down Kilmat in those areas. That would be a waste of time, energy, and Kilmat. Plus, putting Kilmat in areas that you are cutting could mess up your cuts through the walls or ceiling. (Jigsaws are finicky!) Next, take the Kilmat out of the box (careful, the boxes are deceptively heavy!) and lay out the pieces on the floor before you glue them down. You may also want to cut some pieces in half or even to fit certain areas. We covered our wheel wells the most, and then the floors, walls, and ceiling afterwards because the wheel wells are the most noisy. You will use your scissors most for cutting pieces on the wheel wells to get a nice fit.

Application

After everything is set out and cut, you are ready to roll out/ adhere your sound deadening! Before you begin however, make sure that your surface is clean and dry. To start fixing the mat, first remove your sticker paper, then use your rollers and press down firmly until all of the bubbles are out/flat. (To the best of your ability.) The Kilmat does also come with directions, so make sure to give those a read through as well. Other than that, you should be all set to go! Happy sound deadening! Here is our video of how we went about sound deadening.