Door insulation

Hi everyone,
Any good tips on how to insulate van doors?
The sliding and back doors make up almost 1/3 of the wall space and so much heat gets lost?
Really appreciate any advice.
Safe travels.

@animallady I took the inner liner off of the inside of my doors and filled the space with rockwool by cutting small, manageable bits which I could stuff into place with my fingers, or a stick, or something like that.

I then replaced the liners and added the vapour barrier to finish.

I hope this helps.

2 Likes

The hardest part was getting the interior door trim off without breaking the compression clips, or the plastic tabs that holds the door panel in place. Not knowing where to pull I did break a few clips and had to order new. I also ordered those panel trim removal tools that look like forked ends on a curved screwdriver handle. Even with the tools it was hard for me to see where the clips were so I carefully pulled the panel until I could get a small flashlight in to see. If I had an Endoscope I would have used it to find the clips. If the van is old the clips could be rusted in and the plastic trim could be brittle so I had to be careful. When I was ready to put the panels back I put a little grease on the clips so they would come out easier if needed, I also took a photos showing the clip locations. for future removal if needed. This comes in handy for the foot well trim that I take off about once every other year to clean and inspect for rust.
Insulating was the easy part. I first used a sound deadening 80 mil membrane on the steel door called SiLess. Then I spray glued some 3M Thinsulate which does not absolve moisture. I did not use a vapor barrier although it could be a good idea depending of your climate.

As mentioned by the others, remove your trim panels to expose the hollow areas and fill them with fiberglass, rockwool, or other insulation. Do you have a factory service manual for your van? If not, search online as there are usually some available for free download or, not much money. It is well worth it to have as you will use it time and time again for as long as you own your van. In this case, it will show you how those panels are attached to the doors, and where those plastic retaining pins are located. As EzShot mentioned, getting one of those trim removal tools is a good idea and amazon has those for pretty cheap prices. I just pulled the trim off my double side doors on my 1998 Dodge conversion van and did not break a single retainer, which is pretty good (and very lucky) because my van is 25 years old. You can used a large screwdriver to remove them but that tool is much better. Depending on which doors you are working on, you will have to remove the plastic trim around the door pulls and opening handles which is not hard. Best of luck to you and safe travels.

As mentioned by the others, remove your trim panels to expose the hollow areas and fill them with fiberglass, rockwool, or other insulation. Do you have a factory service manual for your van? If not, search online as there are usually some available for free download or, not much money. It is well worth it to have as you will use it time and time again for as long as you own your van. In this case, it will show you how those panels are attached to the doors, and where those plastic retaining pins are located. As EzShot mentioned, getting one of those trim removal tools is a good idea and amazon has those for pretty cheap prices. I just pulled the trim off my double side doors on my 1998 Dodge conversion van and did not break a single retainer, which is pretty good (and very lucky) because my van is 25 years old. You can used a large screwdriver to remove them but that tool is much better. Depending on which doors you are working on, you will have to remove the plastic trim around the door pulls and opening handles which is not hard. Best of luck to you and safe travels. (I tried posting a link to a nice set on amazon for $9 but the site will not allow me to post any links)

Thank you so much for all the info, I really appreciate it.
Wishing you safe and wonderful travels as well.
Blessings and health.

Awesome, yes, thank you so much.
Safe and wonderful travels.
Blessings and health.

Super info, many thanks. Really appreciate it.
Save and wonderful travels.
Blessings and health.