The Manufactured Housing Forums

Hello Readers.
I have a 1970 single wide mobile home. The middle of the house has a small pitch/slope. I am noticing leak spots. What is the best thing to use to coat the top of the roof to prevent other leaks?
2) In the living room to the kitchen the inside is sloped like this ~ now if i want to repair the ceiling how would someone use drywall in a spot like that?
3) what is your suggestion for drywalling the ceiling in this older home/ what size drywall thickness?
4) What sort of thickness for walls in a older mobile home? I want to keep cut down on noise and help with heat in the winter?
5) If i coat the roof, what time of year is the best time to do this? is fall ok or late summer?
Thank you in advance for your time.
Anita
Leonard Michigan

Elastomeric Roof Coating is the best product that I have found for coating metal roofs. It is not the cheapest product on the market but it is the most effective. It forms a rubber like layer over the roof that protects the roof from the elements. The white color helps reflect the sun and can help to keep you home cooler in the summer.

This type of system works best when there has been no rust. If you have rusted areas you may need to replace some of the metal prior to coating it.

I paint the metal roofs on the homes I own every three years. We first coat the perimeter the seams and around the stacks and vents and let then dry. Then we roll the coating on working in one direction (example -from the hitch end of the home to the rear). After that dries we put a final coat on rolling in the opposite direction... (from the front door side to the back door side). This effectively gives you triple coating on the seams and perimeter where you are most likely to get leaks and double coating on the rest of the field. You can order five gallons for about $75 at the Mobile Home Parts Store Online

The best time of year for this job is in the heat of the summer when the seams are expanded the most so that you can get the maximum amount of coating into the seams.

Prior to painting you should pressure clean the roof. You want to apply the paint directly to the metal. If there is dirt between them the paint will not seal and could start to peal off.

This can be a very dangerous job, and should not be attempted by anyone not used to walking on a roof. On most homes you need to walk only on top of the rafters, not between them, to avoid, at worst, going through the roof or at best kinking the metal. If the rafters have already been damaged they may not be substantial enough to hold a persons weight.

Additionally once the roof is wet from cleaning or applying paint it becomes extremely slippery. It gets so bad that if you take just one step onto the wet surface you will likely find yourself heading to the ground instantly. Experience roofers work walking backwards from one end to the other to avoid stepping on the areas that are wet. So you must always be aware where you are about to step.

If you dont have much roofing experience you may just want to hire a local MH repair guy for this task.

It is difficult to tell, from here, what the problem with the ceiling is. Most homes built in the 70s used celutex (prefinished cardboard) ceiling boards. It is possible that it has been wet at some time, sagged from the weight of the water and dried in a deformed shape. You may need to find something lighter than sheetrock for replacement. Take a look at the free article Manufactured Home Ceilings - Repairing or Rebuilding by Mark Bower.

If your looking for a book that covers all facets of manufactured home repair check out The Manual for Manufactured Home Repair & Upgrade

As you would expect from the title, The repair and upgrade techniques described in this manual are specific to manufactured homes. This Book was compiled from the long time experience of contractor, Mark Bower, one of the best known hands on men in the manufactured housing industry.

Available in print version and now also in e-book version for instant download.