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Manufactured Home Questions:

Manufactured Home Ceiling Patch:

Question:

I live in a manufactured home. When I moved in the ceiling was falling in the kitchen. The previous owner said it was because of a roof leak. They replaced the roof but now the ceiling is still drooping down and cracked. What is the easiest way to fix this?

Answer:

There is no real easy way to fix the problem, you have to tear out the damaged ceiling back to the undamaged part, cut the appropriate sized drywall patch (they make 1/4 - 3/8-1/2- and 5/8 inch thick) in 4x8 sheets or locate the manufacturer of the home and if available, purchase some of the ceiling tile .If you are lucky enough to locate some matching tiles then they can be replaced fairly easy by sliding out the joint strips, tearing out the damaged ones and then stapling the new ones in place. If you can’t find the tile then drywall may be used as mentioned earlier. Nail it up securely, get some drywall mud and tape for the joints and nails, sand, prime and paint. Make sure the structural members in the ceiling aren't rotten nearest the leak. Gordon

Manufactured Home Roof Repair:

Question:

In 2004 I purchased a 1996, Redman, double wide manufactured home in an established manufactured home community. The previous owner had a metal "roof-over" installed some time before 2004. This roof is in need of repair. Because the installer did a poor job of flashing to seal against vermin, etc we now have squirrels as seasonal squatters and occasional Blue Jays and Mocking Birds nesting in places not visible when inspecting at the roofs perimeter from a step ladder. These intruders have torn pieces of the foam insulation away and have left their feces between the original building roof and the "roof-over". The paint on the "roof-over" is in need of re-coating. I am tempted to have the "roof-over" removed and some new roofing system installed to insure a longer-lived roof with higher insulating values. I hesitate to proceed for fear that what may be revealed could result in far more costs than I'm willing and able to spend. What's a retiree to do? Your advise, please.

Answer:

Mobile Home Bathtub is Yellowed:

Question:

My home is a 1996 manufactured home, and over the years my tubs have yellowed . How do I reverse this or make it better to bring back the original color? I hope you have and answer for me thanks.

Answer:

Good Afternoon, Unfortunately the yellowing process is un avoidable, there a couple of products like Oxi-Clean that will help to clean the fiber glass but it probably won't be as white as you would like. Try Goggling "How to clean a fiber glass tub" and see if you can find any info that might help further, Hope this helps, Gordon

Removing tub enclosure:

Question:

We just purchased a later model mobile home, and, the bath tub enclosure does not have tiles but has something in sheets that has been glued to the wall. What is this, and, will it be a problem to remove? Thank you

Answer:

The "enclosure" a fiberglass or Gel-coat sheet, they are typically applied with copious amounts of construction adhesive applied to the drywall. If applied right you will have to re-do the drywall once you get it off, which you will want to do if you are planning to put tile on the walls. Green board, Water resistant dry wall should be placed on the walls prior to Hardi or Wonderboard as the base for your tile. Gordon

Replacing a sub floor around a bathtub:

Question:

I was just wondering what tools would be required to do the job of replacing a sub floor in a mobile home.

Answer:

A hammer, a circular saw for cutting out the bad floor and cutting the new flooring pieces. A straight edge, measuring tape, caulking gun for adhesive, a 6 inch stiff putty knife for patching any gaps, a cats paw for removing the old nails, some ring shank nails to re-attach the new boards. I think that about does it, I have a 14 x 6 trailer full of tools so everything is right there for me. Hope this helps, Gordon