Sound Deadening for Less

Because an empty Vanagon sounds something akin to a giant tin can on wheels, finding a good means of deadening all those vibrations has been near the top of my to-do list ever since gutting the van's interior. Unfortunately, while visiting a few auto parts stores recently to price some of the products specifically manufactured for this task, I was pretty shocked to learn that it was going to cost a ridiculous amount to properly treat an entire van. Surely there must be a better (i.e. cheaper) way...

To the interwebs I went, where I found countless user reports claiming great success for this application using a certain type of foil-backed roof repair tape – available at many hardware stores, and best of all, very inexpensive. There is plenty of debate as to whether or not this tape works just as well as the higher priced sound deadening products out there, but after reading so many positive reports, I decided to pick up a roll and do some experimenting.

Fast forward to late this afternoon, after I had gone through five rolls of U-Seal from my friendly neighborhood Home Depot, covering about 70% of the van's interior in the process, and you could say that I'm sold on this solution. Two or three more rolls ought to finish the job tomorrow, and even if it isn't quite as effective as the expensive stuff, I am quite satisfied by the results. 

The doors now slam with a more satisfying "thud," and the body panels don't reverberate like drum heads. And at just $16 for a 6"x25' roll, along with a couple of cans of spray adhesive to help beef up the ceiling portion of the installation, the whole job should ring up in the neighborhood of $150. Not bad at all.