laying new floor

What do you want to know about manufactured homes? The worlds greatest collection of expert advice on buying, installing, maintaining and repairing manufactured homes.



Post Reply
dondi
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 3:14 pm

laying new floor

Post by dondi » Sun May 08, 2011 10:17 pm

what thickness plywood should i use i am laying it over old floor someone told me 3/4 is to thick thanks

David Oxhandler
Posts: 1459
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am

Re: laying new floor

Post by David Oxhandler » Mon May 09, 2011 8:25 am

You need to use the same thickness that was used originally. The new floor top needs to match where the old one was. If you use a thicker floor board than originative you will have high spots in the floor and could cause a trip hazard or problems for doors closing.

Download The Manual for Manufactured Home Repair & Upgrade, for the best instructions
David Oxhandler
[email protected]

dondi
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 3:14 pm

Re: laying new floor

Post by dondi » Mon May 09, 2011 4:51 pm

thanks dave i am laying kitchen floor only, over old floor, to big job to rip up old one.not even removeing old tiles just scew it on over top. just wanted your opinion on plywood size .you guys are great i value your opinions, keep up the good work need all the help i can get

David Oxhandler
Posts: 1459
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:37 am

Re: laying new floor

Post by David Oxhandler » Mon May 09, 2011 6:12 pm

If the old floor is not water damaged overlaying for a smooth finish for new tile or vinyl is not unusual. I had 40 rentals at one time and we would put a new vinyl floor in the kitchen and bath, almost every time we got a new tenant.

In the early days we would remove the old flooring cover, sand the floors and use a gooey leveler material. This turned out to be time consuming, expensive and messy.

When I started overlaying we used 1/8 inch plywood. The 1/8 inch proved to be too thin. Over time we had problems with the fasteners pulling thru the plywood and the floor "popping up" under the finish.

I switched to 1/4 inch exterior grade OSB several years ago. The exterior grade is as impervious to water as plywood, a bit less expensive and you start with a perfectly flat, smooth sub-floor.

If you are thinking about installing ceramic tiles there is a product specifically made to go between a wood floor and tile. Commonly referred to as green board Quarter inch is used most of the time. I like to use half inch in my manufactured homes for tiling over an existing floor.

When we tile over the center line of a doublewide we remove the original floor decking and turn them to bridge across the center line. Be sure that the sections of the home are bolted or lagged firmly together and that the home is level. This eliminates a shear point in the floor where your tiles will almost always, otherwise crack.
David Oxhandler
[email protected]

dondi
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 3:14 pm

Re: laying new floor

Post by dondi » Mon May 09, 2011 7:57 pm

thanks good advice as usual

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests