Your floor covering is what is visible to you and your guests. Mobile Home Repair has a forum that covers all kinds of topics. Porch and Decks and then put up new sliding. Once any needed supports for the floor joists are in place, it is time to replace the actual subfloor. Mobile Home Friend, LLC was started in 2015 by Chuck O'Dell and Scott O'Dell, a father/son real estate team. That could be causing it. All rights reserved. We featured the home here. Also make sure the seams of the plywood are staggered from the seams of the particleboard. Tile doesnt do well on wet and warped wood. Try to find the closest thing. I have replaced subfloor 2 times and going for a 3rd in 5 yrs, due to condensation between the subfloor and vinal floating floor. (The home has been inspected and his opinion has been verified.). By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. I am buying a 1983 mobile home. This home was a 1980 model and had a subfloor made of particle board. This technique reduces splitting when edges are nailed and improves dimensional stability, creating stronger sheets all around . They actually made it worse by causing a mold issue. Heres an article that explains the process better. Since you are dealing with major components of your home like plumbing, wiring, and walls a professional should be present. We have laminate flooring in the dining room on one side of the kitchen and in alcove on the other side that leads to the back door is our laundry room with nice vinyl tiles. If you do see damage, you can reinforce it by adding an additional 2 x 6 to the original or removing and replacing. How can it be fixed without getting into the under belly? Before the pandemic, the manufactured Buying And Installing A New Manufactured Home (Part 2) - Finding The Right Location. He helps clients get their homes ready to sale, helps his buyers with after-purchase remodeling; often very substantial renovations including full kitchens and bathrooms. Hi Crystal, I'd keep the risers there even if they're loose. Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Is a raised kitchen framed up on an existing sub floor so it could be removed?? Of course, if you have any questions feel free to add them in the comments and Ill do my best to help. Several of them have recommended removing portions of the existing floor and replacing it with new plywood. Id love to see photos when you get it all finished! Plywood underlayment is the most common kind of underlayment because it is strong, durable, and you can sand it down to a smooth finish. Floors Walls and Ceilings Water and humidity in any home, site-built, modular, or manufactured can cause problems for any homeowner. I would like to strip out the kitchen and lower the floor so it would be the same level as the rest of the house for our retirement years. A wider shot with some perspective would be great. The cheaper particle board sub-floor that is so notorious in manufactured housing is not a good foundation for tile. Plywood is recommended and approved as an underlayment by almost all flooring manufacturers, including resilient flooring like vinyl ( source ). Then, you will lay new subflooring down and replace the floor covering. This article can give you some good ideas for help. Are you sure it only has particle board (and that it's actually particle board and not OSB)? hope you don't have any tall friends. Heres an article that explains the process better. We did the entire home (697 sq. If your in a bathroom or kitchen area hardybacker or cement board is the better choice. Overlay With Plywood If you have obvious problems with the particleboard such as swelling - very common if the particleboard has become wet - it's a good idea to overlay it with thin. It would help if you avoided plywood underlayment on tile and stone. 1 thing that Ive been noticing is that even though they put this vinyl plank flooring down, I dont think they did anything to the sub flooring cause it feels flexible in some spots. I also was going to have laminate hardwood installed today in my mobile home living room and was told the subfloor is too weak. I did not try to fight them, because they had already threatened legal action when I changed my mind and told them to keep my downpayment. You should have no problem just changing out the floor covering if your subfloor is healthy. Often, when repairing a bad subfloor, it is when you are going to install new flooring, whether tile, wood, or carpet. I appreciate you taking the time to comment kind words, it really means a lot. It is recommended that you have your heat ducts and vents checked annually. I do mean commercial-grade, without any fluff. Im not sure about luxury vinyl (Ive never been able to afford it). I was so tempted to leave it too but basically committed now. DO MOBILE HOME ROOF COATINGS REALLY WORK? Im not sure if thats true but Ive seen bleach and mold/mildew cleaner remove some dangerous-looking stuff. Its a double wide made into a triple wide, by Adding 12ft in the middle of the double wide. Manufactured Home Model Tours My distant and impaired brother-in-law in Boca Raton FL has been told that his mobile homes vapor barrier and sagging floors need replacement. I have spoken to many contractors and the most reliable (whom i cant afford; he builds and renovates homes on the florida keys) recommended a subfloor that looks like OSB but contains resins. Noted from the sub-area at three Having problems finding exact size replacement window 24 x 52 side by side making overall size of 48 x 52. Kitchens Plywood sheets are an engineered wood product made by binding thin layers of wood veneer together with resin under high pressure and heat and then rotating each layer 90 degrees in a technique known as cross-graining. Ive lived in my 79 mobile home (double wide) for 27 years. It doesnt matter if at the end, the cut out portion isnt a perfect square or rectangle. Remember the old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? You do want to make sure all the damaged/suspect PB is replaced. I do see a lot of rotting in several areas outside at top of sliding. It is stuff like this that is so frustrating when it comes to home buying (and it happens in site-built homes too). Our 1978 Hommette single wide has the exact same step-up kitchen! It has withstood 4 dogs, 3 humans, countless furniture moves and wet winters over the last 5 years. Im still really impressed with the cheapest laminated floating floor that we bought at Lowes. If using nails or screws, space them farther apart and ensure they are slightly below the top of the plywood. It is complex to replace subflooring in a mobile home but its a common project for homeowners of older mobile homes. While those are both true, that is only the beginning. If you have any questions please feel free to comment below and we will do our best to find your answer! If you are set on "waterproofing" the particleboard I would use a shower waterproofing product like redguard. Your site is very well done and very informative! To replace flooring in a mobile home you will need experience in construction. In the kitchen, mud room, and bathrooms moisture barriers are a must have! The standard particle board subfloor that is so common in mobile homes soaks up moisture. Remember to keep the saw set to the same thickness of the flooring to keep so you do not damage the joists. Underlayment is supposed to act as a moisture barrier to protect your floor covering from water damage. Mid 70s home with 3/4 particle board sub floor, need clarification, Good approach to preparing badly damaged wood floor for tiling. Isherwood most folks don't know the difference between particle board and OSB. Plywood's cross-grain texture also makes it rougher than a particle board. Chuck started investing in, buying, renovating, selling, and flipping manufactured homes both in parks and on their own fee-simple lots. If so, then relaying the carpet is an easy task. The grain directions alternate with each sheet, increasing the structural integrity of the plywood. Installation and Setup Wed like to put down something very sturdy. If you are installing a hardwood floor covering. Don't mop the floor, as it can absorb the water and damage the particleboard. Ive read that I should keep the insulation below the wiring and pipes. So far, its worked great. If your house has a concrete slab and no joists, then the slab is considered your subfloor. http://www.care.com/housekeeping-creating-a-toxin-free-home-p1017-q14637.html. 3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. AB Marine-Grade Plywood - The Home Depot Finally, the floor covering goes on top of all other layers and is what you walk on every day. It is a strong material but it soaks water up like a sponge. Ive done this job before in a mobile home and in a few stick frame houses due to pet damage (everywhere) and water damage in bathrooms. In that case, it's a good idea to lay plywood over the particleboard before laying carpet. When installing new plumbing in an old (1979) mobile home, can it be done from underneath the trailer, or does it need to be done by removing the flooring? Areas with minor pet damage can be sealed with Kilz primer to eliminate odors. There are some programs but they are hard to get into. Subfloors come in various materials, including plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), or planks. Ive read that its actually fairly rare for mold to be the actual highly toxic black mold. Linear Algebra - Linear transformation question, Trying to understand how to get this basic Fourier Series, How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. In case youre wondering, that is A LOT! This can lead to severe warping and deterioration of the particleboard panel if exposed to even small amounts of water. Carpet is usually successfully installed to particleboard as well. We put the flooring down and it was very obvious something was wrong. Repairing Damaged Subfloor In A Mobile Home Im searching for info on ceiling replacement. basically how much to replace a living room15x24. This means you will need to add a 2 x 4 between the original joists so you have a place to nail and glue down the plywood. We have a trailer house that is about 12 years old and now we have squeaky floors. Best of luck! The important thing about choosing the new material is to make absolutely sure that it is of the same thickness as the original subfloor. Will that .05" make a big difference? Its a job but it makes the whole home look completely different. Why does Mister Mxyzptlk need to have a weakness in the comics? Lay plywood over floorboards by leaving about 1/8 inch between the plywood and the wall. Cottage Chic Decor However, using the proper underlayment provides a smoother surface for top layer installation. We finally got to the kitchen floor that we knew had a problem and figured the only way to find out the problem was to take up the floor. Weve used beadboard paneling in a few mobile homes too. Chuck says that rehabbing homes is the most fun part of his real estate career. Stigma Angle your trowel so that you can spread the mud smoothly on the wall. If you can cut out an inch or so under the wall without damaging the wall you can slide the new sub-floor under the wall.