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There are loads of campervan ceiling ideas floating around the internet. The camper ceiling materials you use really comes down to personal preference for the look you’re going for, and let’s face it, often time costs.
This post is meant to simply give campervan ceiling ideas, so you can decide which ceiling style bests suits your van build. We will have another post coming soon about our complete campervan ceiling material list using upcycled tongue and groove flooring.
Check out our campervan ceiling material list here.
5 CAMPERVAN CEILING IDEAS
1. Tongue and Groove Van Ceiling
In our second DIY van build, we used tongue and groove for the van ceiling. We were really going for a cozier look/feel in the build, and thought this would provide just that. Tongue and groove flooring is nice to work with as you can go piece by piece as you build out the ceiling, and if you mess up on a hole for a light, it doesn’t ruin the entire ceiling… you just have to replace that one strip.
The major downside to tongue and groove is that if something is wrong, you have to take off the ceiling piece by piece starting on one side. This means if you have to fix say your van fan in the middle of your ceiling, you have to take down the cabinets and shelves all the way from one side to the center tongue and groove pieces.
I reckon tongue and groove flooring is the most popular of the options for campervan ceiling ideas, as it’s easy to make it just what you want. You can buy white wood, paint the wood any color, or stain the wood (as we did) to fit really any style you’re after. It also looks really good once it’s installed.
We got our tongue and groove flooring gifted to us by our grandparents, but you can potentially seek out a flooring store near you to see if you can scrap any tongue and groove flooring. It’s a bit of work to sand down the old flooring, but will save you loads of money on your camper van ceiling!
Check out this post by @divineontheroad to see how she painted her tongue and groove blue to add a little pop.
We capped this side of the ceiling with another shelf. So, what you see here is the final product of the tongue and groove campervan ceiling.
2. Simple Plywood Panel Camper Ceiling
Our first campervan ceiling was made out of plywood paneling painted grey. While ceiling panels don’t provide the cutest van ceiling, it gets the job done. The nice thing about using plywood panels for your van ceiling is the ease of installation. It’s definitely the quickest and easiest way to have a proper ceiling in your camper van.
Aside from using plywood paneling for a quick and easy van ceiling, it’s also easy to make your own. You can stain the wood, paint the wood all one color, or paint an epic design on the wood, prior to installing it, leaving you with a super fancy looking ceiling!
Another huge bonus to going with plywood paneling for your campervan is the ability to change the thickness of it easily if you need to rely on your panel ceiling for securing things like cabinets or hanging planters.
In my opinion, when you do plywood paneling as a ceiling, it looks okay when it’s in a small area, but in a larger van, I’d steer away from this option. Again, just my opinion here!
If you look closely above Jay’s head, you’ll see the mold that started growing with this van ceiling option. We will say, it was super wet in Scotland. It was never warm enough to completely dry out the van. And, we didn’t have a proper campervan fan in this van build.
3. Carpeted Campervan Ceiling
Lots of professional van build companies go with a thin carpet material as the lining of a campervan ceiling. You can do the same, but you’ll first need to install a thin plywood base for your ceiling. From there, you will attach the carpet to the plywood.
Using carpet or fabric (like the next option) in my opinion screams a smelly van over a period of time. Every time you cook, the carpet will soak in the food smell and oils. Over time, that’s going to smell. It seems like it would be very difficult to clean as well.
All in all, while a carpeted campervan ceiling may look more professional and slick, it just doesn’t seem to be a very good option. However, to each their own. If it’s your dream.. use the carpet!
4. Plywood With Fabric Covering
I have seen fabric on a number of cheap and easy van conversions. This is a fantastic idea for a campervan ceiling if you’re not planning on installing lights, a fan, or really redoing the entire roof in your van build. Take a lightweight shawl or shoot even a blanket, and tack it into your campervan ceiling and you’re set and ready to go!
Using fabric to cover the ceiling this way allows you to pull it down to wash it when needed. It also allows you to change it as often as you like depending on the season or feel you’re after. If you choose to do this super simple campervan ceiling idea, we suggest solar lights like a Luci or string lights like these.
Check out this post by @van.meer to see what a fabric ceiling would look like.
5. Slotted Wood Van Conversion Ceiling
Clean, lightweight, easy to install in theory, and easy to take down section by section if need be. The slotted wood campervan ceiling is becoming more and more popular these days, and with good reason. Choosing to go with slotted wood for your campervan ceiling creates a more modern look to the tongue and groove ceilings, while also offering an easier install than the tongue and groove.
Honestly, I’m not 100%% sure doing the slotted wood ceiling would offer less weight as you would have to have some sort of plywood behind the wood pieces so you don’t just see straight to your insulation. Nevertheless, the slotted wood is a good contender in the most recent popular campervan ceiling ideas.
Just like the plywood and tongue and groove ceilings, you can paint or stain the slotted wood in whatever color you fancy. And even add a bit of dimension to your campervan ceiling by using a different color on the plywood behind the slots.
In my head, this would be more difficult to install, not for the actual installation process, but for the planning. It would be difficult to conceptualize exactly where you need to make the cuts for your recessed lights and campervan fan.
Check out this post by @houseofoaken for an idea of what this looks like.
THINGS YOU NEED NO MATTER WHAT CAMPERVAN CEILING IDEA YOU CHOOSE
Furring Strips
Furring strips are what you’ll be using to attach any kind of ceiling to your van roof. Instead of buying proper furring strips, we cut leftover 1/2-inch plywood into strips that matched exactly what we needed. These will likely go along the frame of your van shell. And, will be used for screwing anything into your campervan ceiling!
For a better idea of the use of furring strips, check out this post on our complete campervan ceiling materials for our minivan.
Insulation
We went with 1-inch polyiso sheet foam insulation for our ceiling insulation, found at a local hardware store. This insulation is easy to work with. Super easy to cut to size, and the R-value per square inch is the greatest bang for your buck. We also used this insulation for the walls and floor of our van conversion, however, would probably use Havelock Sheep wool in a future van build for the walls. With that said, we’d still stick with Polyiso foam board insulation for the campervan ceiling.
Great Stuff Expanding Foam
Great Stuff Expanding Foam is your total best friend in a van conversion! You’ll use it to fill in any gaps and cracks that need insulation and, any areas where there are insulation pieces join together. It also works as a great glue! Great Stuff Expanding Foam is perfect for sticking your insulation to the ceiling and also offers extra adhesive for joining wood to the insulation and van frame.
Be sure to provide pressure when using the expanding foam. Otherwise, it will expand too much and cause more hassle than help!
Rustoleum Rust Treatment Spray
When doing a DIY campervan conversion, you want to be sure to treat any and all rust you see. When stripping down your conversion van to its bare bones, you’re almost certain to find rust. This spray paint was made for this type of project. After sanding down any big chunks of rust and cleaning the area, simply spray on this rust treatment, let it dry, and you’re good to go!
MORE ON VAN LIFE | IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MAY FIND THESE HELPFUL TOO
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Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Van Panel Walls
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9 Things to Avoid When Doing Your Campervan Floor
How to Save Money for Life on the Road
Things to Consider When Deciding on a Campervan Stove
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