21 Jul 26
Not All Van Floors Are Created Equal...
Every van begins it’s life the same and it’s in the owners hands how it’s life continues.
Your van is delivered and it looks clean and fresh with it’s clean, flawless metal shell. At least that’s how it appears, maybe it won’t stay that way forever though…
Then you might go an line it with approximately 1/3 of a tree. Not only is that damaging an ecosystem somewhere in the world, it also looks incredibly ugly - you would have been better off leaving it with just a metal shell. Anyway you’ve made the decision - one that initially cost about £300 - no other costs at the minute.
If you’ve done your research when you’re looking at upfit options for your new van, you might have realised the plywood isn’t the only option for your vehicle. Maybe you wanted something that was BUILT TO LAST a little longer, knowing that ply has it’s downsides. Then you come across LEGEND, the suppliers of a premium van lining solution. you find one of their approved dealers and buy a kit and fit it in a couple of hours. It looks incredible! Seamless and you feel like it’ll take anything you throw at or into it.
After 1 year of use
“as we’ve seen, the product is damned near indestructible!
- Martin Halewood | Greenthumb x LEGEND
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We’re only 1 year in and our ply lined van is beginning to show signs of it’s old age. It’s been used by a plumber who ends up with a few damp tools in his van after a day out at work. These tools have been dripping through the racking onto the plywood floor. Plywood has absolutely no protection against water, and when it seeps in and stays there for a little while, you’ve got a problem on your hands: rot and mould start to creep in. The plumber has also ended up dropping some of his larger pumps on the floor and it’s beginning to splinter, not to mention the amount of times he’s slipped on a patch of wet floor when he’s jumped into his van.
Meantime, our LEGEND lined van is still looking pretty neat. This owner is part of a construction fleet and he’s throwing cement mixers, concrete blocks and hose’s in and out all day. No sweat for his StabiliGrip floor though - it’s built to TAKE THE HITS and so far, seems to be standing up to the test. His floor is covered with brick dust after a tough week on site, but all it takes is a wash down and a sweep and the floors back to new. His Econolite wall liners are also preventing him from ruining his metal walls as he swings tools around his van.
YEAR 3
3 years in and the plumber is regretting his decision buy that plywood because he’s just about to spend another £300 on it’s removal and replacement (he doesn’t have to replace it with more ply!). The rot has taken over and the floor is crumbling beneath his feet. His wall liners look an absolute mess and don’t do anything to help his brand image.
There’s a few additional costs that have come around with his choice to go with ply…
His payload has significantly decreased (approximately 40kg+ in added weight)
Higher fuel costs (approximately £40 more from extra weight/less MpG)
Replacement costs (the lining has now totalled over £600)
As for the LEGEND lined van, it’s still standing up and ready for another few years on the road. Instead of having to bear the brunt of extra costs, the LEGEND of the Road is making some savings:
53% more payload (the LEGEND kit is 53% lighter than plywood.
£36 reduction in fuel costs (lightweight means less energy needed)
1 day less downtime per year (a stronger foundation means less repairs needed)
RESALE
5 years down the line, resale is coming up for conversation. The plumbers fleet manager checks out the van and decides its going to need another replacement ply lining before it goes up for sale - the metal shell isn’t in great condition either after a lack of protection from plywood; that’s all going to come out of the total resale value too.
Our construction fleet manager, who made the sensible decision to go with LEGEND does a quick check over his van - the floor needs a spray down and the walls need a bit of a wipe but apart from a couple of scratches (nothing piercing the lining), there’s nothing to show that it’s been used constantly for the past 5 years.
Without LEGEND | With LEGEND | |
Cost to Upfit | £0 | £37,500 |
Avg. Fleet Repair Cost | £135,000 | £23,000 |
Resale Value Uplift | £0 | £56,000 |
Net Benefit | None | £4.50 ROI/ £1 Spent |
That’s the LEGEND vs ply contrast in numbers - discover your own savings and request a trial kit for your fleet!
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