If you’re converting a van into a camper, sound deadening is one of those early-stage projects that makes a massive difference — and not just for noise. Reducing road rumble, rattles, and outside clatter turns your van from a tin can into a comfortable, cozy home-on-wheels. It’s the kind of upgrade you feel every time you hit the road.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to sound-deaden a van, what materials to use, and where to focus your efforts for the best bang for your buck.

Why Bother With Sound Deadening?

Before we get our hands dirty, let’s talk about why this matters. Vans (especially cargo-style ones like the Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster, or Econoline E250/E250) are essentially metal boxes. That means every noise from outside — wind, rain, tires, passing cars — echoes through the cabin. Sound deadening does a few key things:

  • Cuts down road and engine noise
  • Reduces panel vibrations and rattles
  • Makes your interior build feel more solid and peaceful (and less like a van)

Sound deadening is essential to turning your van into a real living space.

Step 1: Strip It Down

Start by removing everything from the van — wall panels, flooring, headliner, etc. You want to expose all the bare metal surfaces, because that’s where most of the vibrations and noise come from.

Tools you might need:

Step 2: Clean the Surfaces

Before applying any material, clean all metal surfaces with a degreaser like Simple Green. The degreaser will remove heavy grime and grease from the inside of the van. Next, use Dawn dish soap to remove any residue remaining from the degreaser. Lastly, use isopropyl alcohol to remove anything left on the surface. The alcohol dries quickly, just make sure a window or door is cracked while cleaning.

Sound-deadening materials need a clean, dry, and warm surface to stick properly. Make sure the temperature of the metal and the insulation is higher than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3: Apply Sound Deadening Mats

These are usually butyl-based sheets (like Noico, Dynamat, or Kilmat) with a foil top layer. They dampen vibrations in the metal panels and reduce noise transfer. We opted for the Amazon variety and were completely satisfied with the result.

How to do it:

  • Cut the sheets to size with a utility knife or scissors.
  • Stick them to large flat areas: floors, wheel wells, walls, and roof.
  • Use a roller to press them down firmly and eliminate air bubbles.

Pro tip: You don’t need to cover 100% of every surface — covering 60–80% of each panel is typically enough to get great results. Don’t forget areas like above the driver’s seat and around the engine cover/doghouse.

Step 4: Add a Sound-Absorbing Layer

The mats kill vibrations, but sound still bounces around. To absorb ambient noise and improve acoustics, add a layer of closed-cell foam (like Siless Liner or Thinsulate) on top of your sound-deadening mats. We will cover that in a later post. Adding furniture and soft items like mattresses and blankets will help reduce noise moving forward.

Step 5: Don’t Forget the Floors and Wheel Arches

The floor is one of the biggest sources of road noise. Lay down sound-deadening mats first, then add closed-cell foam insulation before installing your subfloor. Also, double up material on the wheel arches — they’re the loudest part of the van.

Step 6: Reinstall Panels or Add Insulation

Once everything is stuck down and looking good, you can move on to the insulation phase (think: Havelock Wool, polyiso foam, etc.) or start putting your wall and ceiling panels back up if you are replacing the stock panels in your van.

Sound deadening might not be the most glamorous part of a camper van build, but it’s one of the most rewarding. It creates a solid, quiet base for everything else to come — and you’ll definitely notice the difference every time you drive or sleep in your van. We took a 1200-mile road trip back to Oklahoma after this installation, and the difference was night and day.