We are in the process of rehabbing several units which will be rented out. I have read in this forum about people using laminate flooring in some of their mobile homes. I am not nor ever will be a handyman but from what I have gathered the pieces of flooring interlock together. When i inquired at the flooring store about surface preparation they stated that the subfloor needed to be level. Is that possible in units that are several years old? Even in new units, dont the floors usually settle a little off kilter. Thanks for any input.
As long as you don’t run into a significant change in height from one piece of flooring to the next, you should be fine.
The problem I most often run into is a floor that has been repaired various times over the years but different people using different widths of plywood, OSB or particle board. When this occurs I go out and buy enough 7/16th OSB (the kind used on exterior walls) and cover the entire floor again. This sounds like a lot but its not. 4x8 sheets cover small mobile home rooms quick and these boards run about $5 - $7 a sheet (keep going up like everything else).
From there I use roofing fel as the barrier but you use whatever you feel comfortable with. I have not had problems with this but your mileage may vary.
Once in a while I find a small dip in the floor that I need to bring up and I usually do so by sliding an equal sized piece of luan (looks like one thin sheet of plywood) into the dip to level. You can use self leveling compounds etc. if you like.
“Good enough for trailers” is my motto. Safe, clean, landlord friendly and looks good.
Enjoy!
Tony
Post Edited (07-23-08 14:25)