I think they call a ‘trunk’ a ‘boot’ in Europe. I’m not sure, and I’m really not sure if I care enough to look it up.

Just kidding, of course I’ll look it up. One moment, please.

Thank you for your patience. Boot has been confirmed.

Okay, the boot of this old BMW needed some attention. The plywood floor was old and warped. The 50-year-old vinyl was hardened and torn.

I was surprised to find wood. Others have agreed. I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe an MDF that barely qualifies as wood? Finding a proper laminate plywood was a surprise.

The restoration was a pretty easy process. I’m not particularly skilled with a Skilsaw, but it doesn’t really matter when you’re covering everything with vinyl.

The old boot. Omg just look at it.

I love the wear on the underside of the old boot floor. LEFT: padding to rest easy on the fuel tank. RIGHT: the worn circle of the spare tire.

Trace it and cut it. Arts and crafts time.

Fit it and trim accordingly. You need to ensure a decent gap to account for the vinyl. You can see that I went with a different layout. It seemed more simple and more durable to go this route. So far, I have no complaints.

Glue and staple the vinyl onto the new boot floor. If you have no idea how to do this, it doesn’t seem to matter much.

I stapled some carpet scraps to the underside to help keep noise and vibration down.

Here’s the finished product. It was an inexpensive project, but did take a bit of time and effort. I typically keep tools, extra fluids, and spare parts in the boot. All in case of a breakdown, which honestly always seems imminent. It’s fun nonetheless.