Thursday, June 9, 2011

Make A Level Subfloor On A Mobile Home

Level mobile home subfloors just as you do other floors.


Any time that factory-installed flooring is replaced in a mobile home, you must prep and level the subfloor underneath before installing new flooring. Subfloors are typically made of plywood, or plywood-like material, and can become damaged when the old flooring is removed. Leveling the subfloor is a matter of filling all of the dips, dents and cracks so that you have a smooth, even surface for the new floor to adhere to. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


1. Place the end of an 8- to 10-foot board against one wall and position it width-wise across the room.


2. Kneel down so that you can examine the bottom of the board and look for any gaps underneath the length of the board. These gaps are areas of the subfloor that must be filled.


3. Place a level at all gaps and measure it to see if the dip in the floor is greater than 3/16 of an inch. Read the measurements located on the top of the level where the air bubble is to determine the depth of the dip. If the floor is lower than 3/16 of an inch, mark it with a marker. Continue until you have located all uneven areas of the floor.


4. Rent a hardwood floor edger at a home improvement store. Put on a dust mask and eye protection and then turn the edger on.


5. Position the sander at the location of each mark that indicates an unlevel floor. Sand down the high areas of the floor until they match the low areas of the floor. Check the floor frequently with the level so that you do not sand down the floor too much. Continue sanding until the floor is as level as possible.


6. Plug in a shop vac and vacuum the entire floor to remove all traces of wood dust.


7. Locate any dips that you couldn't' sand out by placing the level on the floor. Unroll roofing felt in the location and cut it using a utility knife until it levels out the dip. Place as many layers of the felt on top of each other as necessary to fill in the dip. Attach the roofing felt to the subfloor using a staple gun.

Tags: areas floor, roofing felt, than inch