Masked, But Not Taped Shut

A weekend on my knees with brown paper and tape, getting the van ready for spray cork.

The van still closes. That was the one rule for this weekend.

Spray cork goes on the bare metal, and everything else has to stay clean. So before spray day, every part that should not get cork needs to be covered. This weekend I did that.

I started at the front and worked my way back to the doors. Brown masking paper on the floor, tape along every edge where the floor meets the walls. Nothing went wrong. But crawling over the whole floor to lay that paper was hard on the knees. If you ever do this yourself, bring something soft to kneel on.

The front panel between the cab and the cargo area stays in. We talked about taking it out, but it would be too much hassle, and it ties into whether the van stays registered as light goods or gets converted to a camper. So it stays. I taped it off at the screws, so no cork ends up in them. That way I can still take the panel out later if I change my mind.

You might spot “RAAM” written on some of the side panels. That is Dutch for window, and it marks where the windows will go. Those get fitted by a COP certified installer after the insulation is done, so the cork goes on first.

There is one exception to the masking. The lock mechanisms are still bare. If I taped those now, I could not close the van, and it has to stay closed until spray day. So they get masked on the day itself, right before the cork goes on.

Lessons learned: Mask in two rounds. Do the big surfaces early, and leave anything you still need to use until the last moment. And protect your knees.

Next up: Spray day. I’ll be doing it myself, no date yet. The locks get their tape, and the cork goes on.