I just finished pulling the entire interior out of my 81 Westy to recarpet.
Turned into a soundproofing/insulation job too. Also replaced the banged up
side panels with white fiberglass (bubble type texture) shower paneling from
Home Depot ($30 4x8). Don't attempt this unless you are willing to work well
into the night on this one ;-)

The carpet in my Westy kitchen was recessed under the cabinets a good inch
and would not have come out without lifting the cabinet and tearing through
the occasional staple that held it in place.

The replacement I am putting in I will recess just a 1/4 of a inch under the
cabinet overhang like it looks like it was designed for.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Hinkle [mailto:chris_hinkle@HOTMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 11:06 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Re-carpeting my van... any advice?
>
>
> This may not be of much use to you, as you've already bought
> your carpet,
> but I can report great results from cutting a piece of vinyl
> flooring to
> replace the carpet in  the "kitchen".  You can remove the
> metal strip in the
> doorway and fit it over the top of the vinyl, holding it in
> place.  The
> vinyl is much easier to keep clean than carpet.
>
> Can send a pic if requested.
>
>
> Chris
> '87 Westy Tiico
>
>
> Date:    Mon, 11 Mar 2002 09:37:14 -0800
> From:    "K. Taylor" <res07cqd@GTE.NET>
> Subject: Re-carpeting my van... any advice?
>
> Hi, folks.
>
> I need ro recarpet my van and I'm hoping that I can
> connect with someone else who has recarpeted their
> van.
>
> I've purchased a piece of commercial carpeting that will
> hold up as a vehicle carpet.
>
> Is it a problem to remove the original carpeting and use
> it as a template?
>
> Are there any tricky areas, such as carpeting that we
> molded to the shape of a wheel well, etc.?
>
> How can I best remove the original carpeting?
>
> Any advice on how to finish the edges of the carpeting?
> For instance, can I buy the edging and then finish the
> carpet's edges by carefully using contact cement to
> hold the edging on, or will I need to have it
> commercially sewn?
>
> Any advice will be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ken
> ken@kenandjean.com
>
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