How to Build a Van Dwelling: Trimming the Paneling Seams Covers All the Rough Edges

Getting a perfect fit when installing your paneling will be pretty much impossible. Working with wall surfaces that are curved and uneven means you will have seams with small gaps or corners with rough edges. The next step, "Installing trim" will cover up all these irregularities and clean up the whole process so that after the paint goes on you will have a neat and professional looking wall system.

Commercially supplied corner and flat seam trim is available but with a good quantity of trim needed the thought of paying from $5 to $10 per length (cheaper can probably be found) seemed too extravagant for my tastes. I chose a very simple and exceptionally inexpensive way of making my own trim pieces that in the end, after paint is applied, will look every bit as good as what I could have purchased.

I set the fence on my table saw at ¼" and cut 8' long strips off the edge of a 1"x3"x8' furring strip. After a quick once over with a sanding block to take off any burrs, and slightly round the corners, I had about 75' of trim that came at a total cost of less then $1.00. All cut from that single 1x3x8 furring strip.

The staple's I used to attach my paneling where "U" shaped, leaving the top of the U visible. I was careful to staple close enough to the edge of a panel that my ¾" wide trim strips would cover the staples leaving a clean surface. Staples that where installed in areas not covered by trim will be spot puttied with spackle. This is the main reason I decided to use luan plywood and to paint the walls at completion. If you plan on staining or using polyurethane on your paneling you could use wood filler to cover any exposed staples.

By keeping your trim at no thicker then ¼" it will bend, and to a minor degree it will follow around shallow curves. This flexibility is important because as I stated earlier none of your walls are straight and flat.

The method of attachment I chose to install my trim pieces was to use yellow carpenter's glue for strength and permanency and 1" brads to hold it in place until the glue dried. As there are some area's without the benefit of substantial backing for nailing I needed to use temporary clamping to hold some trim pieces in place until the glue dried. In some instances this was no more then a quick wedge tapped in between the wall and the bed platform. Another trick I used was to attach a short piece of trim to the wall panel using a sheetrock screw. Pinching the glued trim piece between the paneling and the temporary clamp.

When the glue dries just remove the sheetrock screw and spackle over the small hole. A quick once over with a little sandpaper and your ready for paint.

Homemade trim is so cheap you should make the effort to cover all corners and seams. This is where you make the difference between a build out that looks amateurish or one that shows pride of ownership.

Remember, in the long run you will likely be asked to show others your new mobile lifestyle. Having a portable residence you can be proud to show means the next time Johnny Law comes knocking he may show interest in your workmanship instead of looking for a way to lock you up for the night... or longer.