Replace the Floor of a Mobile Home
Water damage is a common problem with mobile homes, especially in the kitchen and bathroom, because the sub-flooring is made of particle board. When particle board comes in contact with water, it weakens and breaks down. Water damage is easy to locate because if feels like a soft spot when you walk on the floor or carpet. Water-damaged particle board is not repairable and must be replaced. To replace the floor of a mobile home, remove the floor covering and replace the damaged particle board sub-floor. Upgrade your sub-floor with plywood that is more durable against water damage. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove the floor covering. Pull the carpet off the carpet strips and roll it up. Use a utility knife to cut around the perimeter of the linoleum and peel it off the sub-floor. Use a floor scraper to scrape off linoleum peel-and-stick tiles.
2. Remove all the screws from the sub-floor with a drill. Use a circular saw with the blade to cut around the wall line of the room. Set the blade of the circular saw to less than 1 inch so you won't cut into the joists and cause more damage.
3. Pry the particle board off the joists with a pry bar. Use a hammer to knock off the edges of the sub-floor around the wall line. Clean up any particle board debris.
4. Use a drill to remove any remaining screws from the top of the joists. Scrape off old glue and particle board debris from the top of the joist surface. Sweep up and thoroughly clean the area.
5. Most likely, the old joists are too far under the wall line, leaving no support joists for attaching the new sub-flooring. Measure any half-hidden wall line joists and cut 2 by 4 lumber to size. Use a drill and 2-inch galvanized screws to screw the new joists to the old ones at the wall line. If necessary, install two joists to bring the joists out far enough to support the new sub-floor at the wall line. Remove old, damaged insulation and lay strips of new insulation between the joists.
6. Apply a bead of construction adhesive to the top of the joists. Begin by laying full sheets of ¾-inch plywood at one end of the room. Place the side of the plywood with the most imperfections face down. Screw the plywood to the joists using a drill and 2-inch galvanized screws. When full sheets of plywood no longer fit, cut the plywood to size using a circular saw and patch work the floor together. Countersink the screws so they are set below the surface of the plywood. Use wood filler and a putty knife to fill all screw holes and cracks in the plywood. Let the wood filler dry and sand it smooth. Sweep up debris from the surface of the new sub-floor. Replace all floor covering along with carpet strips, baseboards, or threshold strips if necessary.
Tags: particle board, wall line, floor covering, 2-inch galvanized, 2-inch galvanized screws
