Brandrup carpet regrets??

[Ocean Wanderer]

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

 

[Van Diesel VW]

Do I have regrets maybe, I have the wood floor and then covered it with the Brandup carpet. It was a bit of an effort to fit and would agree on the issue of keeping clean. Might remove this year and just have the wood floor and a simple rug.

 

[Kernowboy]

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

Yep, but only that I had a previous set of carpets for a previous van that were a better fit and much cheaper. But that company (QTM) doesn't appear to be in business any more, so Brandrup at over inflated prices it is. No problems at all with sand etc getting trapped under the carpet. Have Titanium Black and much prefer them to Palladium, I like the contrast rather than all grey everywhere. No worse than Palladium to keep clean.

 

[Ocean Wanderer]

Thanks for the info. I agree Brandrup prices on everything they sell are about double what they ought to be.

 

[montyburns1982]

I have the Palladium carpets and I really like them because imho they really finish off the inside of the van (and hide the ugly grey plastic floor). They can easily be kept clean and any stains remove easily with Dr Beckmanns. That’s being said I have overlay carpet for the winter because the rails are freezing! So the brandrup carpet only gets any wear really in summer.

I have a decent worx 24v wireless vacuum which I use when we are away to stay on top of grit, sand etc.

 

[SamSara]

Mine came with them and I find the ease of use helpful. They are boring and the rails very cold under foot in winter but easy to clean and vacuuming in the rails is no hardship

 

[Azteccamper]

I have the Palladium carpets and I really like them because imho they really finish off the inside of the van (and hide the ugly grey plastic floor). They can easily be kept clean and any stains remove easily with Dr Beckmanns. That’s being said I have overlay carpet for the winter because the rails are freezing! So the brandrup carpet only gets any wear really in summer.

I have a decent worx 24v wireless vacuum which I use when we are away to stay on top of grit, sand etc.

A carpet on a carpet on a wooden floor

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

We got our cabin carpet 2nd hand, so at a much more reasonable price. It's very durable, relatively easy to clean (not too much pile) and warmer than the plastic floor. As an added bonus it reduces the risk of the bunk ladder slipping on the floor when it is in place. Not sure I'd pay list price, but worth seeking out a bargain. Ours is black and complements our checked seat covers.
Cheaper options are available. One other bonus of the Brandrup stuff is that it can be sold on when you sell the van, provided it's in decent condition.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Expensive but well made. Clean up nicely.

Not much point buying new as you only walk on them, get 2nd hand ones.

 

[OooOooTheMonkey]

We got one last week so not exactly thoroughly tested. However, the quality is really good and it matches the vans interior nicely.

 

[jamie]

Have you considered these https://www.rugsforbugs.co.uk/collections/california-campers.
Same cutouts as Brandrup for the living area and boot also have gel backing the option for custom embroidery, colour edging and a selection of thicknesses.

Not seen them in the flesh and would be interested if any other members have them as the price is much more attractive than Brandrup.

 

[BeeBee]

We have the black rubber fitted matting, in rear and boot. Rails are exposed but easy to lift and clean.
It’s mostly functionality for us , not really bothered by lack of ‘cosy toes’.
We think it looks good too

 

[Ocean Wanderer]

Thanks for all the replies folks. Really helpful to know peoples's experiences before possibly making an expensive mistake. I love this forum it makes owning a Cali an even better experience!!

 

[reserves]

A friend brought the 2 rail version for their 3 rail California.

Stops sand getting in the middle one (which they don’t use) and the bench still slides

 

[Blackbrogue1962]

As a recent Cali owner I’d considered the Brandrup carpet but initially put off by the price. After a few trips away I’m now happy I didn’t buy this item as I much prefer rolling away the carpet mats in the evening once the bed is out. We then place the porta potti at the end of the bed which I’m much happier being on the plastic flooring than on a fitted carpet. The rolled up carpet is easily placed in a front footwell during the night. All depends on how you use the living area, but for us, the fitted Brandrup carpet would have been a mistake.

 

[Paul E]

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

We bought the Brandrup carpet and I don't regret it, but have since had a mat from Fat Bob's Emporium made to measure. Met someone in the Eurotunnel queue who had one. It's made to measure, and has a VW logo in the middle, so looks very smart. Very easy to keep clean as you can just lift it outside and give it a shake or a brush down. It's made of similar material to the Brandrup carpet, maybe a bit thicker. The only downside is that you have to lift it if you want to slide the bench seat.
I would certainly recommend, particularly if you have a dog like us!

 

[GollyOlly]

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

Nope. Not at all. But I clean the floors, rails and channels regularly and ensure the railed are lubed with dry PTFE.

 

[Anthony1]

We have the black rubber fitted matting, in rear and boot. Rails are exposed but easy to lift and clean.
It’s mostly functionality for us , not really bothered by lack of ‘cosy toes’.
We think it looks good too

View attachment 120250

Lovely dog. I regret not buying carpet earlier. Nothing to do with cosy toes, but the original floor is hard on the knees, when scrabbling about in cupboards, etc.

 

[ejmoore]

Our (second-hand) van came with a black carpet, but we sold it. Carpet is a nuisance to keep clean - we do a lot of outdoor stuff & have muddy boots/shoes, so prefer mats that can easily be shaken out.

 

[IanH777]

Has anyone bought the Brandrup living area carpets and then had regrets? I'm wondering if having the rails exposed will result in sand and other debris being a problem getting trapped under the carpet. Also, on the forum a few people have said that the Palladium colour is hard to keep clean but it's either that or black which tends to show up bits like crumbs etc. Would be interested to hear opinions....

We bought the GC Brandrup carpets and agree that they show bits/crumbs. I got a carpet offcut from CarpetRight for £30, used the Brandrup carpets as templates and had the new pieces professionally whipped/bound.
I’ve since changed that carpet for one in a slate blue/stripe, in one seamless piece and again, whipped/bound.

 

[ClanTimmins]

We love our Brandrup pale grey carpet. It's 4 years old now and looks new. Spills disappear with vanish. We keep an Oxo mini brush and shovel in the driver seat side storage which I use to sweep out any crumbs etc. We also have a small mat for keeping our boots on on muddy days. I think the carpet makes the van look airy but feel cosy. Interestingly we were advised by Campervantastic where we bought them to avoid the dark carpets as they show every mark.

 

[Thirteencharacters]

I owned a set briefly, bought from "Campervan-bits".

They arrived in the wrong colour, and 3 rail instead of 2, but the most significant issue was that the two outer rail opening centres were 1.5cm different from the floor/seat rail centres (narrower).
This resulted in the carpet being "lifted" by the floor rail near the sliding door.
That created a gap and trip hazard, and also meant that the velcro contact strip by the door did not engage at all.

Campervan bits were superb in following up, and confirmed that this was the second similar observation he had had in two weeks.

They went back to Brandrup, who indicated that the rails must be incorrectly installed in my new 6.1 Ocean.
Their carpets were absolutely manufactured to a quality standard and could not be incorrect.
And they are great quality, but just didn't fit my California, so I couldn't use them.

I asked VW to confirm that the outer rail spacing was the same for both 2 and 3 rail vehicles, and of course they are.
They don't rejig the floor just to fit the third rail.

I was amused at that thought that VW adjusted their seat fixings and floor pans to match different rail centres.

So fine, they got them back, and I received a full refund from Campervan Bits, who were professional and superb throughout-as I already mentioned.

What I did next was to go and buy some rubber backed heavy duty carpet/office tiles in the colour that I wanted, and stuck them down on the original "wooden" floor with double sided sticky tape.

They are lightweight, tightly fitted and waterproof (with joints virtually undetectable), and can be fitted easily using some waxed paper or cardboard to make a template, and then cut out with scissors.
Most of them go down as full tiles anyway...

Took about 3 hours to do the whole van to the back door in the living area, and they are super durable and tightly located. Been in about 3 months now, and have been perfect throughout.
I also bought some VW rubber matts for the driver/passenger foot wells-then filled the section in-between with tiles too.

They are also thinner than the Brandrup carpets and so the seats slide/move unhindered.
Any spillages, just remove and wash the tile, or replace it.

They look great and cost about £80 for the lot.
Nice thing is that they don't slip, and can be removed at any time with no marks to the original flooring.
As they are not removable in one piece for cleaning (in the way that the Brandrup can be), I also bought a £30 12V hoover...

Just a solution which works for me, and it might be useful to think about.

 

[GollyOlly]

Our (second-hand) van came with a black carpet, but we sold it. Carpet is a nuisance to keep clean - we do a lot of outdoor stuff & have muddy boots/shoes, so prefer mats that can easily be shaken out.

Agree with ej, but like with a yacht, we don’t wear shoes in the van.

 

[DavidofHook]

As a recent Cali owner I’d considered the Brandrup carpet but initially put off by the price. After a few trips away I’m now happy I didn’t buy this item as I much prefer rolling away the carpet mats in the evening once the bed is out. We then place the porta potti at the end of the bed which I’m much happier being on the plastic flooring than on a fitted carpet. The rolled up carpet is easily placed in a front footwell during the night. All depends on how you use the living area, but for us, the fitted Brandrup carpet would have been a mistake.

Your experience is almost identical to ours.We have had our current van for 12 years & bought special van carpets for it. We quite quickly removed them in the passenger cabin, one reason being they interfered with rolling the bed forward at night. We replaced it with two small mats from Wilko which fitted perfectly and very inexpensive, i.e. cheap. We put these away at night as you do and put the loo at the end of the bed in the same way.. The mats are easy to clean and cheap to replace if they get grubby .
All in all I would not have a carpet in the main cabin, whether Brandrupp or any other make.

 

[Viktorgeorge]

Your experience is almost identical to ours.We have had our current van for 12 years & bought special van carpets for it. We quite quickly removed them in the passenger cabin, one reason being they interfered with rolling the bed forward at night. We replaced it with two small mats from Wilko which fitted perfectly and very inexpensive, i.e. cheap. We put these away at night as you do and put the loo at the end of the bed in the same way.. The mats are easy to clean and cheap to replace if they get grubby .
All in all I would not have a carpet in the main cabin, whether Brandrupp or any other make.

Agreed, never understood carpets in this situation. I like a floor I can wash/wipe daily - or more often. Carpets are just magnets for dirt, crumbs and mites, and look it too. A small dirt buster or similar mat is all you need to wipe your feet by the sliding door.