how to remove Novodeck subfloor

[kaejaecee]

I have a 2005 Patriot modular home. My subfloor is the much despised 5/8" Novodeck. I want to remove the Novodeck that is glued and stapled to the joists. How much damage should I expect will be done to the joists in removal of the decking? How much work/ what kind of work will have to be done since I don't anticipate the decking will come up with a prybar? Should I sister new joists to the existing joists if they are damaged? I plan on replacing the floor with 3/4" play rated for subflooring.

[rmurray]

Is this floor damaged...or is this a preventative measure....Visit the book store here for a great manual on maintenence and repairs...I think there is a good section on floor replacement

[kaejaecee]

I bought the e-book. I was wondering if there was other information I need to know beyond what the book states. With the exception of a dip in one room that I hope to level with some kind of floor leveling compound, my flooring is fine, it is a preventative measure. I have removed my carpet and will soon remove my sheet vinyl and will be replacing my entire floor with laminate or ceramic tile (neighbors with similar houses have replaced their floors with ceramic or Saltillo with success). I don't want to take a chance of the Novodeck giving way---I have read nothing good about it---after spending $$ on the new flooring. I contacted GP today and they no longer have any information about it. I contacted the company they suggested I contact, Blue Link (Links, Linx??) and that company no longer stocks it and the man I talked to had to go find some old time employees who knew about it. My house is set up with poly on the ground, belly board, R12 insulation then the Novo so it is likely fine, I just don't want to take any chances with my new floor.

[mannymanbo2]

You need to understand that the floor decking in a manufactured home keep the walls erect during wind storm. The technical term is a Horizontal Shear Diamphragm.
The very most you should consider is overlaying the Novadeck with 1/4 plywood. that way you can stiffen the floor without adding much to the dead load and not messing with the structural integrity of the home.
I can assure you, you will have more problems then if you would have just left the Novadeck in place.

[admin]

I agree with manny -

I have renovated hundreds of manufactured homes and have replaced sections of bad floor, but never considered totally removing all the floor boards. The flooring is a structural component. We have overlaid Nova and particle board floors with quarter or half inch plywood with a lot of success. (if you go with half inch you may need to adjust door sizes thru out the house

You may want to consider sealing the existing floors against moisture from the inside with a good oil based paint or even a marine paint (used to paint boats) prior to overlaying them. This will require you to be sure the house is well ventilated for some time in order to eliminate the fumes and for the paint to dry.

To protect the bottom of the floors you would want to be sure that your bottom vapor barrier and ALL your plumbing fittings are in top condition.

[chamberjac]

I don not recommend overlaying the novadeck or particle board floors. We have been in the mobile home business for over 30 yrs. If you overlay you will still have all the potential problems of the original floor. I do not know much about Novadeck, but know alot about particular board. This material disintrates over time with moisture and humidity. if you have any leaks at all, it will deteriorate very quickly. I can't tell you how much of this material we have had to replace over the years with plywood. We have never had any problem structurally with replaceing sections or whole rooms. The problem is that you can not replace it underneath the existing walls.
All you need to do is glue and screw or staple the new plywood to the floor joists and you should be good to go. Do not forget to overlay the plywood with backer board in the areas that you are intending to lay ceramic tile.
As for removing the existing sub floors. Yes, this is a time consuming chore but you should be able to accomplish this with a reciprical saw and prybars. Pull up the existing staples from the floors joists as you go. You may chip away at some of the wood floor joists but this should not be significant enough to cause a problem laying your new plywood. Don't forget to stagger your plywood. If you are doing a kitchen or bathrooms, you should remove the cabinets and go all the way to the wall. This is opening a whole nother can of worms, but if you are going to do this, you may as well do it right or don't do it at all. I would suggest you do a small room first like a bathroom, then decide if yo are really willing to go the the time consuming chore of doing the whole house. another suggestion would be to sell your existing home and buy another new or used home that already has plywood floors.

[rmurray]

Novadeck is a brand name for particle board distributed by Georgia Pacific Lumber Co.....

This is the same stuff you have been replacing for a lifetime..

[kaejaecee]

Very good to know and much appreciated advice. What is the likelihood of the Novodeck giving way like the dustboard floors in my very old, yet still standing, "trailer" on my farm?

[kaejaecee]

My house was inspected last spring by an inspector from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Manufactured Housing Division and there were no plumbing problems found. I also hired a private inspector before closing on this house in February 2005 and the one leak was repaired then. The poly vapor barrier was placed after the posts were erected so there is a chance that moisture could wick up around the gaps between the barrier and the posts. I know I do have adequate ventilation at my stucco skirting because the openings were increased in size per direction of the private inspector and they passed with the state. I guess I am being overly cautious and hyper-concerned because I have an old trailer on land in the country and it has dustboard/fiberboard decking that has given way in places and I fear that happening here.

[trmimo]

Also, the substrate material for most laminate floors is particleboard so you are wasting your time and money removing the particleboard if you are going to install laminate floors that are made of particleboard.