The teenage flooring guy at Home Depot once told me I could never use tile in a manufactured home because they ‘couldn’t handle the weight.’ I restrained from going into a 5-minute speech about the various flooring options for mobile homes and why he was so very wrong. I could’ve pulled up images and spreadsheets to prove just how wrong he was, too (at least, that’s how I played it out in my head later that night). Instead of being the superhero mobile homes needed that day, I just replied that I was pretty sure he was providing misleading information and that he may want to double check that before repeating it, not that I knew anything about mobile homes or anything.
Hopefully, this little article will help you sift through all the flooring options for mobile homes and clear up any wrong information that you read on that DIY forum full of angry people who have never been around a mobile home but know everything about them because their second cousin’s boss’s uncle stayed in an RV for one night, in 1974.
The Real Truth about Mobile Homes and Flooring
Flooring is the foundation of good interior design and protection from water and weather. It’s also one of the quickest ways to update your home (though not the cheapest or easiest). And while you absolutely can install tile in a mobile or manufactured home, there are a few things you need to know when it comes to choosing flooring options for mobile homes.
Don’t be Squared
First, your mobile home is probably not going to be perfectly square. To be fair, you’re not going to find too many square walls or floors in an older site built home, either. Manufactured homes usually need to be re-leveled every few years (at least checked to make sure it’s not unlevel), but many homeowners don’t know about that. Settling usually occurs the first year or two after installation and if it’s not fixed, there will be stress on the home’s structure.
Subflooring
Secondly, subflooring plays a huge factor in choosing the right flooring for your mobile home. Some of the older and lower-end mobile homes have subflooring made from sponges (not really, but they may as well be). They often used a product made from sawdust and glue, which does not stand up against water well.
If you want to install tile in your master bath, you will likely need to upgrade your subflooring. The same goes for real wood flooring.
Read these articles about subflooring:
How to replace subflooring in a mobile home
Four common questions about mobile home subflooring
Tile
Yes, you can add tile to a mobile home.
Tile can go anywhere in the home. However, you should not have tile crossing the marriage line in a double-wide or space without proper subflooring (as mentioned above).
Tile is especially great for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.
You will need to remove the old flooring, check the subfloor for any damage and repair if necessary, lay down the backer board and secure it, lay the tile, then finally grout it. It is definitely a process! However, the result will be a beautiful room that is easy to care for.
What You Need to Know about Weight and Tile
The weight of tile flooring is only an issue if you want to to use the heavier tiles on the market. Stone tile is fairly heavy but synthetic tile made to look like stone is much lighter.
Ceramic Tile
You may not know this but, ceramic tile contains feldspar and clay. The color is achieved from the glaze used on the surface during firing. There is also natural clay tiles, also known as Terra-cotta. I happen to know that natural unglazed terra-cotta absorbs water so it must be the glaze applied that makes it water resistant. The reddish orange color comes from the clay itself. There is also a white clay that is used in tile making. Ceramic is available in several finishes: high gloss, glass, and matte.
Porcelain Tile
Another kind of ceramic tile is porcelain. Porcelain contains a mineral called kaolin. Kaolin makes the tile very dense and strong. It would be an excellent choice for any high-traffic area in your home.
Stone Tile
Stone tile is usually made from travertine, limestone, slate, sandstone, marble, and granite. Natural stone options are not perfect, but that’s what makes them so beautiful in my opinion.When buying stone tiles, it is smart to buy all that you are going to need at one time. By purchasing in lots at the same time, you have a better chance that they all came from the same seam and at the same depth of the cut. Don’t forget to include a 10% overage allowance in case of breakage and installation mistakes.
Carpet
Of course, carpet is the most popular flooring options for mobile homes.
It turns out there is much more to know about carpet other than what color to choose. Quality and durability are both factors when selecting the type of carpet you want. It is definitely a ‘get what you pay for’ product. When pricing carpets make sure you include the padding into the final price. I highly recommend professional installation for carpet, too. Make sure to comparison shop to get the best deal! Many suppliers offer free installation with a minimum purchase.
Carpet quality is determined by the kind of fiber used, the density of those fibers, and the way it is twisted on the backing. Thickness is misleading when looking at the carpet.
The durability of the carpet refers to how it withstands high traffic and how fast it begins matting down. You will want to be sure to buy the most durable carpet for high traffic areas such as hallways or anywhere that there is high foot traffic. Also, you may want to consider medium or darker colors as well as textured carpet to help hide dirt in those high traffic areas. You couldn’t want white, cream or tan plush carpet in an area that the kids track in and out of all day long!
A sign of a good quality carpet is to pull the fibers apart and see how close together they are attached to the backing of the rug. This will show you how dense the carpet is and will be a sign as to how fast it will look worn or start matting down. The closer together, the denser the carpet, the better quality.
Carpet tile is another popular option for flooring. The quality has improved a lot since they first came out. If you have to DIY your flooring, you should look at carpet tile. It’s a lot cheaper to ruin one tile than a whole room of carpet.
Also, carpet can range from $1 a square foot to more than $15.
Upgrades that Will Reduce Mobile Home Heating Costs
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring has come a long way in the past few years. No longer are you stuck with limited choices of colors or designs.
Laminate, aka floating floors in my area, is one of the least expensive types of flooring you can use. It’s easy cleanup, too, which makes it great for a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room.
Be sure to check the thickness of any laminate flooring, and you want to be sure it isn’t going to tear easily. Laminate can cost anywhere between $2 to $10 a square foot.
Ask an Expert Questions about Replacing Floors in Mobile Homes
Wood Flooring
Wood flooring has to be one of my favorite choices for a manufactured home floor. There are so many types of wood to choose from.
Real wood flooring is not an inexpensive choice for flooring though, depending on the size of the room. However, it is fairly easy to keep clean and is very durable.
Wood flooring cost can range anywhere from $10-$20 per square foot. It isn’t cheap, but it sure is pretty.
Vinyl Tiles or Linoleum Flooring
Vinyl tiles or linoleum flooring are probably one of the least expensive types of flooring to use.
Linoleum usually comes in a roll, and all you do is unroll it, stretch it out, cut what you need and glue it down. The perimeter cuts are not easy, however. You will need to be extra careful, so you don’t mess up. Personally, I’d hire an experienced installer just to ensure a bad cut doesn’t ruin my investment.
Vinyl tiles are also a very inexpensive choice for flooring. Usually, these come in tile-like squares or rectangles that you simply peel and stick or use an adhesive. Installing vinyl tiles isn’t as difficult – if you make a wrong cut you’ve got plenty more tiles to work with.
Both of these options come in a variety of designs and colors. Also, they are both water resistant which makes them perfect for bathrooms or kitchens through the seams are troublesome.
Cost of vinyl and linoleum flooring usually range from less than $1/square foot to around $2-$3 square foot for linoleum flooring.
Installing Flooring in a Mobile Home
While going through all your flooring options for mobile homes, you should keep in mind whether you want to make this a DIY project or hire a professional. Here are a few helpful tidbits regarding DIY and professional installations:
Hiring Professional Flooring Installers
You can save a lot of time and headache by hiring a professional installer, especially for carpet and vinyl or linoleum. I’ve seen commercials offering free installation if you spend a minimum amount or if you buy floor covering for so many rooms.
Carpet installation requires special tools. Without them, you cannot get the rug stretched adequately across the surface area.
Vinyl and linoleum (on rolls) installation are way more difficult to cut than you think (I learned that the hard way but when you’re poor you do what you have to do sometimes).
Tiling installation in a bathroom, especially if you are tiling a shower or tub surround, should only be done by a pro. Having to replace your subflooring, walls, and studs because you didn’t install tile correctly costs more than just hiring a professional from the get-go.
I’m a huge advocate for DIY, but water and wiring are my two no-goes.
DIY Flooring Options for Mobile Homes
If you are on a tight budget, you may want to consider laminate flooring or floating floor. It’s not too difficult to install, and you can do it with relatively basic tools. You can find it at most outlet stores now for $19.99 for 21 square feet. Just be sure to buy it all at once, including a 10% overage, so you’ll have a better chance of getting a good match.
Vinyl tiles are another decent DIY flooring choice. The prep work will be most important and of course getting the lines squared as much as possible.
Summary: Flooring Options for Mobile Homes
With all the flooring options for mobile homes, It’s a wonder anyone ever narrows their choices down. If you are anything like me, you’re going to change your mind several times, especially if one of my choices goes on sale.
Flooring isn’t cheap. Spending a few hundred to a few thousand on your home is an investment. But, it’s smart to do all the research you can. Don’t stop here, go to Lowe’s and Home Depot and your local flooring stores to see what’s available.
Do you have a favorite flooring? Want to share a flooring installation success story? We’d love to add it!
As always, thanks for reading Mobile Home Living!
(Updated October 12, 2017)
All images from Home Depot.
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As long as you aren’t planning to move the home later, there really isn’t any issues with this type of flooring. It’s a great way to give the look of more expensive flooring without breaking the bank.
What is the advantage and disadvantage of using grip strip flooring in a mobile home?
Will laying vinyl plank flooring lengthwise across the marriage line better than parallel to marriage line?
I have lived in my mobile home for 20+ years. The carpet is old, stained AND (most importantly) I am now using a wheelchair 50% of the time. What kind of flooring is going to be economical, easy to clean and easy for me to get around on?
Many types of flooring will crack on the marriage line in a double wide. VCT will crack/split. You need to include info on that bothersome marriage line.
We are under contract to purchase a double wide. We want to take up the wall to wall carpeting. Are the spaces between the waterproof laminate planks waterproof? In other words, if my dog has an accident, will the urine seep in between the cracks and under the planks? Maybe I should go with ceramic tile? Do they make a waterproof grout?
I know it might cost a little more and will most likely be a special order, but the last time I looked into it there were manufacturers out there that offered linoleum in 14 foot widths. Back when I installed floors professionally, we had a small handful of homes where the homeowner custom ordered both linoleum and carpet in 14 foot widths to accommodate their rooms that were over 12’ wide.
I was wondering what folks do about laying down linoleum in a single wide mobile home ( or house trailer as we can it here on the Canadian Prairies ) . Ours is a 14 wide & all the Lino seems to come 12 wide . Any help would be appreciated . As a side note – we do all ( & I mean all work ourselves ) . We moved our trailer out of its’ former home 30 miles from our farm – Hubby did the electric hook up , water , septic , all repairs & remodelling . I’m just cheap & don’t want to have to purchase such a large amount of extra flooring to accommodate those last 2 feet of width . Thank you for your time & all that you do to promote trailer living as a viable , wonderful way for anyone to live !!
We put a floating laminate floor over our ‘sawdust’ wood subflooring. Over the winter the subfloor buckled in two places. We are not sure if this was a coincidence or related to the laminate. Though we replaced the warped sections of subfloor with plywood, we are hesitant to put the floating floor back down. Thoughts?
Hi Larry,
Our section on Buying is very helpful. There are dozens of articles that can help here: https://mobilehomeliving.org/buying-selling-manufactured-home/
Best of luck!
I am retired and buying my first mobile home. It is a 1996 Palm Harbor 3bed 2 bath 1861 square ft. What should I know about this home and to look out for. Either the good and the bad
Hi Steven,
Other than the typical carpet/flooring transition strips I can’t think of anything else that would have a low enough profile. You can find those transition strips in all kinds of styles now though. Metal, wood, and the plastic ones of every color. Here is one at Home Depot: Tile to Laminate Hardwood Transition .
Question about options for transition between the 2 halves of a double wide where vinyl flooring was installed at the factory…..options for transitional or marrying strips for the seam as it runs about 18ft down the seam between the living and dining /kitchen rooms?
Hi Jill,
I would say they are just protecting themselves from liability simply because so many manufactured homes are installed incorrectly (which does interfere with their ability to handle load). My father put a 6 many hot tub in the master bedroom of his 1986 double wide after I moved out and never had a bit of trouble but I know every home is different.
You may be able to get away with a composite material that is lighter. Of course, you could just hire another installer. The flooring could still be handled by Lowe’s or Home Depot and then buy the granite from another company that will install in manufactured homes. You could always reinforce the home under the kitchen and bath to ensure it can handle the weight.
It’s so frustrating that the Lowe’s in West Virginia will install any material you want in an 80-year-old coal camp house with a single page of newspaper as insulation, a foundation that is crumbling, and a floor that is so unlevel a ball will roll to the corner but they won’t install the same material in a brand new manufactured home. It just goes to show you how ingrained the prejudice is against factory-built homes.
Best of luck to you!
Hi, I just bought a new Clayton home double wide Tru repo. It is large and the price was cheap! We have to use a metal strap down method for foundation. I went to Lowe’s and designed a whole new kitchen with granite countertops, new bathroom with granite and tile and Pergo waterproof laminate lock flooring. Very excited however, the installer came out to get the correct measurements for a start date and said they absolutely can’t install any of it in a mobile home because it’s too heavy and the structure would be compromised. Is this true? Can we correct this? I am heartbroken!
Hi Christine,
We have over 600 articles here that will surely help! Start by clicking on the installation and setup (or just use the search icon in the top left to search for what you need). We have at least 1 article for everything you mentioned!
Please take lots of images so we can add you to our featured homes!
I’m getting geared up to remodel my mobile, inside and out . I would like any suggestions I can get. I would like to start with making sure that the floor is level, then replacing outside walls and checking out insulation. Give me some advice on this so I can get started. I’m very excited so please hurry
Thanks,
Christine Ross
Hi Amy!
I think this may be a case of product confusion between you and your salesperson. Each part of the country tends to use different words for products.
In my neck of the woods, floating laminated floor is an interlocking system that is installed over a thin foam pad that leaves around half an inch around the perimeter of the room to allow flexing and shifting. It can have real or engineered wood and can even be installed over thin carpet. As long as it’s a true ‘floating’ floor you should be just fine. Just follow the directions exactly so once the planks are joined the unit (as one piece of flooring) can move and flex as needed.
This would be far better choice over adhesive-backed planks glued to the subfloor.
Hope that helps!
Hello, we are going to be moving in to a brand new Kitwest doublewide manufactured home. Our home will be placed on a permanent foundation. We ordered the home to come with the standard linoleum flooring. Our plan was to live in it for a year, let it settle, then install a floating engineered hardwood floor. When we mentioned this to our salesperson, she said we could not do hardwood and that we needed to go with some type of flooring that would be able to flex as the house shifted. Since then we have been looking into the LVP flooring which now comes as a “rigid” floating product or a flexible product.
Our home has an open living/kitchen area and it was our goal to have a continuous floor throughout. Is it ok to install a floating engineered hardwood or luxury vinyl plank over the marriage line?
Thank you for your website. It’s amazing what little information there is on mf home living on the internet.
Hi Erin,
I am not familiar with skimstone. I always like laminate in the older homes because they have so much give and can handle the odd angles you sometimes have in mobile homes.
Hi Jill,
Thanks for the great info! A personal recommendation helps a lot more than the ‘reviews’ you read on the product sites. I’ve read most are paid reviews anyway.
Appreciate you taking the time to comment and if y’all do move and tackle the mobile homes please take lots of pics and notes – I’d love to feature them!
Thank you!
Just found your site and it is fabulous! I’m currently living in a new stick built house but there is the possibility that I might be moving to a property that has two mobile homes already there – one double wide and one single wide. My daughter and her husband would live in the double wide and I would be in the single wide. The double wide needs a lot of work and the single wide needs more of a cosmetic re-do, so your site is very helpful. In my current home (open plan with living, dining and kitchen in one large space with a laundry room/pantry, master bedroom, walk in closet and bath) I wanted a waterproof floor that looked like hardwood that could be used everywhere. I chose FirmFit brand luxury vinyl plank flooring (the Topaz line in the color Laredo) with attached cork backing. It comes in a 6″ x 48″ plank with microbeveled edges on all sides. It is a floating floor with a click and tap locking system, waterproof and has a lifetime warranty for residential use and can also can be used in commercial settings. The planks do not shift, bow or buckle in extreme heat or cold as the planks are rigid and heavy weight with a core that is 75% limestone dust. The surface is textured with a raised woodgrain and the wood patterns are extremely realistic. It comes in a number of wood types and colors and everyone that sees it thinks it is real wood (unless you tell them otherwise). It is easy upkeep, just sweep, dust mop or vacum and use a damp micro fiber mop when needed. Professional installation is recommended. The cost in moderate, about $1.85 per square foot plus installation (the same cost as laminate). Being waterproof it can be safely used in places like kitchens, baths and laundry rooms where laminate is not practical or recommended. It is pet urine proof/scratch proof and quiet underfoot and not cold feeling like tile. It is the best flooring I’ve seen in years – giving a realistic wood look with the practicality of vinyl. Perfect for open plans and large areas (it can be installed continuously in up to 6500 square feet with no transition strips). If we do this move we will definitely use this flooring – I recommend it highly!
I just bought a 1977 doublewide and am updating the essentials before I move in. First order is the floors (original green shag carpet with 40 years of cat pee). The subflooring is in surprisingly good condition though I am replacing some sections. The walls are all different shades of faux wood paneling and I am struggling to find a floor that matches. Someone suggested Skimstone, and I am wondering if anyone has used this in a manufactured home before??
Thanks for the information, Debbie. Did you contact them? I’m not affiliated with them at all but I would imagine they wouldn’t like the media attention if you posted it on their social media accounts.
We had a terrible experience with Allure flooring. Put it all through the double wide. White lines everywhere. Like maybe the photograph of ‘wood’ grain wore off. It happened very early on, after installation
Hi Beverly,
Floating floors are my absolute favorite! They are just so dang easy to install. We’ve had ours for 5+ years and never had a problem. I think you’ll be very pleased!
Hey folks! I’m having “floating” flooring installed in my 1988 mobile home tomorrow, in the kitchen and living room. The company doing it works on mobile homes in my area all the time and come highly recommended. So if anyone has heard negative things about floating flooring in mobile homes, ill post pictures as to put your mind at ease. It’s a wonderful investment!
Hi Alina,
To be honest, I’d get the most expensive you can afford. I say this because flooring is one of those ‘get what you pay for’ products. The quality and material difference is obvious against the cheaper brands.
We bought the cheapest flooring we could find, the .79 cent per square foot floating laminate in oak from Lowe’s, and it has held up remarkably well but I wish I would have waited and saved a little more so we could get the better brands. You can see the difference – my friend paid $2.50 per square foot for her flooring and it is absolutely gorgeous.
Like you say, there are a ton of brands and I can’t vouch for any of them personally but the bigger name brands seem to offer better warranties.
Best of luck, let me know what you choose!
Hi, I have a 2016 Clayton homes mobile home, so I wanted to take off the carpet that’s in the 3 rooms and living room and replace it with engineered
vinyl flooring, preferably the water proof, I heard it’s the most recomendable and the most easiest to installed on mobile homes.
My question is which brand or what’s a recomendable vinyl flooring out there that I can choose for my home? As there are so many out there with different thickness size, it kind of confuses me and it leaves me with no idea on which one to get . Thank you
PORCELAIN TILE has a lower moisture absorption rate than other tile materials. Sample boards often show a tile’s absorption rating. This becomes a real advantage when there is a possibility that it may freeze, making porcelain tile suitable for many outdoor applications, as well. When a tile floor is exposed to freezing temperatures the moisture it has absorbed wants to contract, and the opposite happens as it warms back up. Especially after tile is installed, it can’t move to accommodate this, causing cracks or even broken tile. Porcelain tile is much more stable. It is also harder, taking a bit longer to cut, but less likely to break.
Hi Rita,
He wants to attach a ledger board to the bottom of your home with lag bolts and rest the weight of the deck on 2 posts and the ledger. This is standard construction for site built homes (though I’ve seen it a lot in WV where there are no codes enforced or inspections). You are absolutely right that the deck should be a completely separate structure from the home. Instead of using the ledger system there should be 4 posts holding all the weight of the deck.
Good call!
I am going to have a deck put on our double wide. It is Set up permanent and will never be moved. I have heard you should not fasten the deck to the trailer because of the expansion of the freezing in the winter. We live in the northern part of IL so it gets pretty cold. I had a contractor come look at putting a deck on and he plans on fastening it to the trailer. I told him I didn’t think you were suppose to do that. I would think it would cause trouble with the marriage line plaster cracking during the freezing, with the deck posts in the ground and not moveable, what is your opinion on this.
Hi Caroline,
You absolutely could use marine grade plywood. It would definitely add an additional layer of protection. However, if it were me, I’d put the money toward a plumbing system upgrade (insulated PEX for all water lines, upgrade the waste lines, etc) so the freezing and leaks don’t occur again and go with regular ole high-grade plywood. If money isn’t a problem absolutely go for the marine grade (I don’t think composite decking would be a good idea at all because you will feel the seams unless you tile and that would be a whole new factor of issues you’d need to consider).
As far as the window, a pro really needs to look at that before making a decision but I’d bet rebuilding the frame would be the better choice. If you reinforce it from the exterior you’ll still have a chance of having rotting wood and leaks that you cannot detect. I’d tear it out and start anew.
Best of luck to you! Take some photos if you don’t mind. I’m always looking for photos of homes being updated and repaired for articles.
Thanks!
We have a ’78 Marshfield mobile home, and just before everything froze for winter we had a fitting for our bathtub break and flood our bathroom… Now that everything is thawing for spring, our bathroom floor has started to sink and we are suspecting mold in subfloor which has gone completely soft under the linoleum (I’m in the north so referring to the stuff on a roll). We are trying decide the best way to go in replacing the subfloor, a friend suggested getting marine grade plywood and my dad suggested plastic decking(like the plastic wood)… We would like to find the cheapest yet most effective route possible (also we are figuring about 2 sheets of 4×8 would be what it would take to get the whole floor that’s been damaged as well as some over hang into daughter’s room where some water went but there’s currently been no softening her floor)
Also wondering best option for reinforcing a sagging shelf bay window, would it be better to lift and reinforce from outside the trailer and cover the supports with decorative trim/skirting or essentially rebuild the whole window section (the owner before our family had plants in that window n must’ve frequently over watered and let the drained water just sit in the window shelf as you can see the staining and the peeling wood veneer)
In replacing my sub floors I added R13 to the existing insulation and ran it under existing wiring and plumbing after I repaired all sub part mfg ductwork.
Hi Paul,
Vinyl and carpet are used often across marriage line. Floating floor works well, too. Tile isn’t recommended because of the potential for the grout to crack and the mess it creates should the home ever need to be moved.
(PS Where I come from, we call vinyl flooring the stuff that comes on a big roll. ‘Wood’ can be real wood planks or the engineered wood that connects to each other and ‘floats’ with no true attachment to anything. Just want to make sure I’m not confusing you. I’ve noticed different parts of the country call it differently.)
Best of luck!
I have a 2008 Fleetwood doublewide I bought new. It is sitting on my property in central Texas and I don’t plan on moving it… ever. Can you run vinyl wood flooring across the marriage line on the floor? I have an open kitchen that goes into living room. Currently there is carpet in living room and cheap linoleum in the kitchen.
Thanks.
Hi Dana,
Shifting is an issue but there are still a lot of good choices. As above, floating floor is a favorite of mine. It allows plenty of shifting and settling. Carpet and vinyl are good choices too. Tile can be a decent choice if it’s just small spaces that don’t cross the marriage line and the right setup and grout is used.
Pretty much any of the choices mentioned above will be OK for you.
Best of luck!
Hi Becky!
So sorry you’ve had to deal with such a mess! Hopefully, this is one of those accidents that end up being beneficial in the long run because you get to update your home.
I’m a HUGE fan of the laminate floating floor (I’ve noticed different parts of the country call it different things). It’s easy to install and comes in all price ranges. We installed the .79 sq foot kind from Lowe’s and it has stood up to 4 years of abuse. I can only imagine how well the expensive choices could hold up.
With that said, I do not like to install any kind of wood or laminate in kitchens or baths unless you put the waterproof barrier down firs. The possibility of water damage to your subfloor is too great for my comfort. If it were me, I would go with quality vinyl (it’s thicker) or tile. The Transition from laminate to tile looks a little better than vinyl because of the similar thickness.
Hope that helps! If possible, lay the good plywood down (not the particle board or OSB). Best of luck!
I had a pipe break under my kitchen sink. Can we say “flood.” The flooring has to be replaced; kitchen, dining, and main living room and hallway. I want to use the same flooring all the way through. Home is 1997 in AZ. Getting bids now but still confused which direction to go. I picked up samples from Lowes that are vinyl. Going between this and laminate. My son said to go with engineered wood. What do you recommend? Help, please!
Hi there Crystal,
My mom has a 1976 Royal Oak and we want to replace the existing flooring. She has linoleum in kitchen/dining room and carpet through out the rest. I have heard that a mobile home this old (which I imagine still has the axles under the skirting) it is not a good idea to put in anything other than linoleum or carpet in due to the shifting the mobile home will do through out the year. We live in South East Washington state and it is very flat and very windy (it is not uncommon to get wind storms with gusts from 60 mph to on occasion 90+mph) usually in the spring. Can you give us some suggestions as to the best flooring options she would have. Side note, she has 4 small dogs so it would need to with stand the occasional accident. She really would like it to look like slate or wood flooring. Oh also, on a budget as she is retired! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you,
Dana S.
Hi Chris,
Usually only your exterior/perimeter walls are ‘load bearing’ in single wides so you should be fine.
Hi Chris,
I’m no architect but it is my understanding that the only load bearing walls in a single wide is the perimeter, or exterior, walls. They are constructed so that their structural integrity is derived from the roof and the exterior walls so interior walls are not load-bearing. Of course, every home is different so it’s important you have a professional check the structure out before you knock any walls out.
Best of luck and thanks so much for reading MHL!
We bought a single wide mobile home almost 6 years ago and at the time It was 10 year’s old. I want to remove the wall between living room and so called dining room. The wall is approximately 5 feet in length. My husband said it can’t be done. Can someone please tell me if it can or cannot be removed? Thanks
Thanks so much!
Superb, what a website it is! This blog provides helpful information to us,
keep it up.
Hi David!
I’d probably recommend new backer board simply because that compound is really hard to get off. Backer board nowadays isn’t as expensive as they used to be and the time you save will probably be well worth the added cost.
PS I’d also make sure your home is level. All manufactured homes have to be re-leveled every 3-5 years. You can buy a water level for $25 online or just hire a pro – it’s not as expensive or hard a job as you’d think.
Best of luck!
Absolutely Barb! You can install just about anything you want. I’ve seen plywood stained and used as a floor covering, tile, vinyl, even slate. There’s no hard rules, only suggestions. Tile is a great choice for bathrooms and kitchens though I don’t recommend you cross the marriage line (it can still be done but if the home has to be moved in the future it will be a mess). Weight should be considered too. If it can be done in a site-built home it can be done in a manufactured home – you may just have to tweak it a bit.
You will likely have to cut the carpet out as the builders usually installs the floor covering first and then the walls. You can always install the laminated floating floor over the carpet though. That helps add a layer of insulation too.
Best of luck!
I have a 1993 manufactured home doublewide, full basement. Isnt there anything that works beside a floating floor in these homes.? Trying to remove old carpet, which is partly gone since we already removed a fireplace and closet.
We have a 1999 Schultz double wide. In 2011, we installed 18″ porcelain tile. We installed the backer board over the subflooring for stability. For the last two years, the grout lines are coming up. We have tried to re-grout but the same areas are still coming up. We want to replace the tile with the floating laminate flooring. Can we keep the backer board (after cleaning the compound off)? Or do we need a new backer board? Thank you
Absolutely Thomas! We LOVE our laminate flooring – it’s so much easier to clean! You won’t even have to remove the carpet, just install the floating floor over the carpet. It helps add insulating value to the floor and provides the new flooring with a nice padding. Just be sure to leave the space around the perimeter walls so the new floor can shift and flex properly. It’s a win-win!
We bought the cheapest floating laminate flooring at Lowe’s for around .70 per square foot (roughly $20 per box) and it’s held up wonderfully for 4 years now. I’m very pleased with the product.
Best of luck!
I just purchased a 1989 single wide mobile home. I would like to take out the carpet in the two bedrooms and living room and replace with floating laminate flooring. Is this recommended? If not, what would you recommend?
Hi Heather,
I always recommend laminate flooring (aka floating). I’m not a big fan of crossing a marriage line but if installed properly you shouldn’t have any issues. Just make sure you give the recommended space on the perimeter. It comes in all wood styles and all price ranges (from .79 sq ft and up).
Best of luck!
Hello,
I am wanting to up date my 1992 manufacture home, starting wit the floors. This home is on a foundation, it has been from the beginning. I would like to put in wood flooring in the main rooms of this home; I am not sure which will work best. I live in Northern NV and not sure where to start. I how you can give me some Ideas and point me in a good direction.
Thanks Heather
Hi Brenda!
The word laminate throws me off sometimes cause it is used to describe a few different types of flooring. In WV, I’ve heard laminate used to describe both vinyl and floating flooring. Luckily, you can remove any type of flooring. If it’s a vinyl like material (which I assume it is cause they didn’t really have floating flooring as we know it in 1983) then you may be able to just install floating flooring right over it. That way you won’t have to remove anything and you’ll get a new floor. Unless an old floor is 100% wood, old flooring isn’t really worth trying to repair – either rip it up and install new or install the modern floating floor right over it.
Lowe’s has floating floor for around .80 cents per sq ft. and it is simple to install. Best of luck!
We have laminate in our 1983 mobile and now it’s separating in places and it looks horrible. We have it through most of the home except bathroom. Does anyone know if it’s fixable, and if not, what would be the best flooring to lay down?
Hi Janelle!
I do have a few words of advice when it comes to tile.
Most importantly, I believe tile should only be used in homes that will never be moved again. If there’s a chance the home will have to be moved I’d go with vinyl.
I recommend tile only be used in small rooms or spaces such as bathrooms, small kitchens, and entry ways and I never like to see tile being used over the marriage line – shifting, moving, and settling can cause a lot of headaches. I’ve noticed that manufactured homes that have been sitting for a few years have the least amount of issue. Adding tile to a newly installed home is kinda asking for trouble in my humble opinion.
If you’re using tile near water you should always spend the extra money to buy the best backer board, waterproof membrane, and/or grout that you can afford. There’s been a lot of advancement in tile technology in the last 10 years so you’ll be able to find specialized products for just about any installation.
If you have kids (or messy adults) you may want to pass on smaller tiles and go for the larger sized tiles around the tub and shower. It’s probably best to leave the small tile for accents.
That’s about it. Tile is a great material. Heck, it’s been used in home building for thousands of years. Most people don’t like tile in manufactured homes because of the movement and settling but it’s 2014 and thankfully the tile industry has came up with some remarkable products that remedy most of the old issues. I’ve even seen specialized tile for RV’s and travel trailers!
Good luck!
I have heard conflicting reports of tile in manufactured homes… some say ‘no way,’ others say, it’s just fine. Do you have any feedback on this? I have a 2005 manufactured home that is level with good subflooring…
We have a 1979 something or other moble home. When we first bought it we actually couldn't use the larger of the 2 bedrooms, because the floor was rotted. We in a hurry put burber carpet in the 10'x10' bdrm and our queen size bed barely fit, with the built in closet and dresser. We tuffed it out till spring and replaced the floor, sub floor and all in the larger bedroom. We used a laminate, "lock n seal" advanced flooring in a brazialan cherry. I quite like its color, price and ease of use. The only problem I have with it is, it rained unexpectedly one day and I had the windows open, one spot on the edge of the flooring bubbled a little. Not bad damage for what it is, it now just makes me a little over cautious. I would love to share pics as our remodel comes along.
We turned our smaller bedroom into an office that we are kinda proud of. We will be working on our kitchen in April.