Cork Insulation in a Van

What is the goal of insulating your van?

  • Thermal Insulation: The human body releases water vapor to regulate its internal temperature. The van walls are cold (especially at night), turning this vapor into droplets when they come into contact, creating a condensation phenomenon inside the vehicle. The goal is to cover the van's walls as much as possible to prevent thermal bridges and push the dew point outside the van.
  • Sound Insulation: When sleeping in your van, even though a peaceful environment is the goal, sometimes noisy surroundings are unavoidable, and it is best to have good acoustic insulation for vans to ensure peaceful nights.

As a bonus, cork spraying offers an unmatched aesthetic result, including the ability to pigment the mixture to personalize the outcome of your sprayed cork insulation.


We are excited to test this insulation for you in one of our vans to convert into a camper van.

To go further, our team takes on the challenge set by our community: convert a van from A to Z in one day (with, of course, the addition of a Combeing conversion kit):


Summary


An Eco-Friendly Insulation with Thermal, Acoustic, and Hygrometric Performance

sprayed cork insulation

After extensive research, Combeing selects Soliège as the material for sprayed cork insulation.

This high-performance insulator is also eco-friendly and aligns with our environmental values.

This cork granulate comes from the manufacturing waste of the Landes forests, ensuring it supports the local and solidarity-based economy.

Moreover, originally intended for the insulation of yachts and boat cabins, its performance matches its aesthetic appeal:

  • Thermal Insulation: Thermal conductivity tests have been conducted at 0.039W/mk (reporting the thermal energy transfer per unit time).
  • Sound Insulation: On sheet metal, the acoustic efficiency is effective up to 19DB.
  • Hygrometric Insulation: Since it covers the entire bodywork, sprayed cork pushes the dew point outside and protects from condensation.
  • Durability for 10 years: Laboratory tests show an insulation effectiveness for vans lasting at least 10 years.

Step 1: Preparing the Van Before Insulation

Cork spraying is an effective and quick solution.

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The longest part of insulating your van is protecting the areas you do not want to cover with insulation using painter's tape and masking film (very practical and commonly used in bodywork):

  • Windows
  • Seals
  • Plastics
  • Protecting the van's exterior edge (in case of overspray during application)
  • Insert holes if installing a wood kit

It will take about 2 hours for this van masking step before insulating.

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cork-insulation-protection-holes

If there are adhesive traces or anything that could affect the cork’s adhesion, we recommend lightly sanding these areas down to the metal before applying the final product.


Step 2: Preparing the Mixture Before Cork Spraying

The sprayed cork solution offered by Soliège is very easy to use. Everything is available in the natural kit, and you simply need to add water to your mixture.

In our product kit, you will find:

  • 2-3 bags of cork (depending on the size of your van, use 2 bags for vehicles like Trafic, Jumpy, Transporter, and 3 bags for larger ones like Master, Jumper, etc.)
  • For coloring, 1 black pigment and 1 white pigment, to be dosed according to your desired cork visual result (for this gray, we used 200g of white for 100g of black)
  • The spray gun for application (with an 8mm nozzle)

You will need a compressor with a minimum of 90 liters capacity and 3-4 bars of pressure.

weigh-pigment-cork-color

The steps for mixing the insulator are:

  1. Pour water into a bucket (maintain the 1:1 ratio, 6kg = 6L of water)
  2. Weigh the pigments (to remember the mixture for the second layer) and add them to the water
  3. Slowly pour the cork into the bucket and mix gradually until achieving a uniform texture and the desired color

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soliege-van-insulation

Step 3: Spraying the Cork into the Van

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After pouring the mixture into the cork spray gun reservoir:

Apply a first layer (primer) followed by a filling pass (second layer), then wait 12 hours for drying

Try to maintain a 40cm distance between the spray gun and the surface to be covered with sprayed cork.

cork-spraying-van

Then, apply a second or third pass depending on the use and desired thickness (in this video, we applied 2 layers and are satisfied with the result):

van-insulation-cork-spraying

For a smooth finish of your sprayed cork and to avoid small grains on the floor, we recommend lightly sanding manually with a 240-grit sandpaper.

It is important to insulate all parts of your van: from floor to ceiling, ideally applying multiple layers.


Step 4: Installing a Wood Kit and a Combeing Kit

The aesthetic result of sprayed cork is very satisfying, but we added a wood kit to the walls of our van conversion.

screw-wood-kit-van

Place the different wood kit panels in the designated spots, then insert them into the holes in the van's body reinforcement

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wood-kit-van

We're almost there. The most important part, as you will agree, is adding a Combeing conversion kit to create a true camper van:

cork-insulation-van
insulated-van-cork-spraying

The Combeing team took on the challenge of converting and insulating a van with sprayed cork in 1 day.

With this conversion and insulation, all that remains is to find beautiful camping spots without worrying about the weather conditions.

Here’s a video summary of all the steps for applying sprayed cork:


What other insulation materials can I use for my van?

There are different insulating materials available to improve comfort in your van and make your camping experience more enjoyable:

  • Adding Armaflex behind your panels can enhance the thermal performance of sprayed cork inside the van. You can also place it on the floor, under the flooring, if the added thickness doesn't interfere.
  • Fiberglass is another option, commonly used in construction. It offers cold protection and is priced reasonably. It comes in rolls or panels. However, fiberglass is sensitive to moisture, so you must add a vapor barrier film; otherwise, it may compress over time due to condensation inside the van. The thickness of fiberglass can be quite significant, which is an issue in a confined space like a van, especially if you leave an air gap between the insulation and the panels to slow down the cold.
  • Extruded polystyrene is more durable over time as it is not sensitive to moisture. It comes in panels and is relatively expensive. Polystyrene offers good cold protection but is less effective acoustically, and it is not fire-resistant.
  • Multilayer insulation is a great product and one of the most commonly used in van conversions. Like Armaflex, it is very easy to cut and install because it is flexible. You can add multiple layers to improve the product's performance. Multilayer insulation is not sensitive to moisture in the van.
  • Biofib Trio, made from three plants—flax, cotton, and hemp—is a more natural solution than Armaflex. It can be used behind panels to avoid reducing available space in the van. It offers good thermal performance inside the van.
  • There is also the Seacork product, applied in pots, but we did not choose it because it is designed more for external use. It releases odors due to chemical adhesives with resins, and Seacork dries quickly in the pots (thus a fast drying time).

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110 reviews

What our customers say...

Joel Joel

2 month(s) ago

star star star star star

5 stars well deserved. Great team A simple email resulted in a purchase. I felt considered, taken seriously and at the center of attention Once there, Matthieu was more than incredible. Really at the top. Knew how to satisfy, fulfill all my wishes. The family thanks you.

Hervé LOZES

5 month(s) ago

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Ingenious and really well thought out concept, quality material and precision manufacturing, with a responsive team, I highly recommend!

Laetitia Coudrai

5 month(s) ago

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We bought a Combeing kit a few months ago for our VW T5 transporter and we are very satisfied with it! Delivery was free and fast. Customer service is top notch, whether for information or responsiveness. The kits are adaptable to your type of vehicle but also to your use whether it is road mode, night mode or day mode (with table). Very good value for money. We highly recommend. And a big thank you to Mathieu for sending goodies!!

Laurent Gréco

6 month(s) ago

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A great team, a high-quality product, a very competitive price. We sold our converted van because our annual usage time did not justify such an expensive investment. We bought a utility vehicle that we converted to our taste with the possibility of modifying its configuration according to our needs following the many very professional tips received from COMBEING. The team took the time to welcome us into the company and to assemble our modules in order to have a tailor-made layout with everything necessary to live independently: gas, water point, electricity, toilet, solar panel, shower... In short, everything necessary to live pleasant moments according to our desires without having to have our vehicle approved in VASP. Thanks again to the whole team for their welcome, their availability and their professionalism which really deserve to be highlighted

Domie Palet

7 month(s) ago

star star star star star

Very satisfied with the modules, fast delivery, a super friendly team, thank you Mathieu for his advice and his professionalism, the best!!!! We recommend without moderation...

Johann Manassian

9 month(s) ago

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Really great, the team is really cool, the products sold (sports kit for VW T6 for me) are really great (but I didn't doubt that, I had already planned everything thanks to their website, but with their advice I made some changes that suit me better). I also did the sprayed cork insulation before going to get my kit, super simple and beautiful rendering. I really recommend more than ever. Thank you and good luck in your new premises.

caroline faure

1 year(s) ago

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5 stars without hesitation for this professional company for the modular fitting out of Vans and Campers. Special dedication to Mathieu, who was able to listen and find all the solutions to my constraints while respecting my budget! The team is great, the atmosphere friendly! I recommend!!

Laurent FOUCHARD

1 year(s) ago

star star star star star

I was looking for a van that could be used as a daily, utility or leisure vehicle and with the Combeing Full kit, I found exactly what I wanted for my L1H1 van. I spoke several times with Mathieu and Raphaël, their listening, their responsiveness and their availability as well as their advice and services were very valuable in guiding me in my choices... In short, very well-made kits, easy and quick to set up, as well as a great team mean that I highly recommend this friendly company...

Stephane Picard

1 year(s) ago

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We made an appointment, Mathieu welcomed us warmly and showed us around the workshop, then we went to the selection area to recap and make the quote. We had all the necessary technical explanations as well as his advice and feedback. The guy is sincere and super professional. Our choice validated, he helped us throughout the time needed to set up the modules. Again, lots of advice and tips, thanks to him. I thought the idea was absolutely brilliant on paper but it's even better in the van, the possibilities are endless, the quality is great, everything is thought out down to the smallest detail. In the end, it confirms that with my 1m70 we can sleep across without any problem and therefore keep the table in place during the night. Conclusion: we are satisfied beyond our expectations. Thank you COMBEING, thank you to the brilliant inventor and thank you Mathieu for your advice

Our strengths & values

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No VASP approval required

local_shipping

Shipping within 48 working hours

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Come and leave with your kit

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Local and artisanal production

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Low ecological impact

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Professional integration (ESAT)

Infinite combinations to suit your wishes

Our kits adapt to all types of vans. Combeing selects the appropriate floors for your utility vehicle; you will just need to move the boxes around on this floor as you see fit. In just a few seconds, switch from a configuration with a table and seats to a large bed that covers the entire interior of the vehicle.

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