The teenaged 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 (well, at least that’s the way 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 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 that 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.
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.
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.
Secondly, subflooring plays a huge factor in choosing the right flooring for your mobile home. Some of the older and lower end model 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, and it does not stand up against water well at all.
If you want to install tile in your master bath you will likely need to upgrade your subflooring. 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
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
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.
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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View Comments
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!
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!
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??
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
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.
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 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!
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
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!
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.
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 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!
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 4x8 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)
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!
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.
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 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!