As any Buyer or Seller of a Sarasota Florida mobile home knows, the structural components of a mobile home are quite a bit different than that of a single-family home.
One of the main differences between a single-family home and a mobile home is that of the flooring system.
Most mobile home flooring systems consist of two parts:
- The Over Flooring
- The Sub Flooring
The over-flooring can be laminate, carpet, tile, or wood.
Laminate
The laminated floor is one of the most affordable options in the market, as well as one of the easiest to clean. Drinks and spilled foods can be easily cleaned without leaving evidence. Most laminated floors are made to resemble wood with different designs and colors to choose from.
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Carpet
Quality carpets that are installed correctly can last more than 15 years before they need to be replaced, as long as you take the necessary care. You can find carpets from different fibers such as acrylic, wool, polyester, and nylon. You can also find both long and short carpet lengths to adapt to the needs of your room.
The carpet usually comes in a colored rainbow with a price range that varies from around $1 per square foot (0.09 m2) to more than $5 per square foot (0.09 m2). The carpets can be stained and the dirt can be put between the fibers, so passing the vacuum cleaner and the steam cleaners on a regular basis is necessary.
Tile
The tile is another easy-to-clean floor option ideal for mobile homes that see a large amount of traffic on foot. From flat tiles to elaborate designs and colors, there is always an adequate option for each room in the house. While it consumes a lot of time, they can easily be installed by a single person if necessary. You can expect to pay around $10 per square foot (0.09 m2).
Hardwood
Hardwood can withstand spills better than other options for floors such as carpets but is susceptible to scratches with intensive use. Most wood floors are dyed for the color chosen by the owner, but some people prefer to paint their wooden floors with colors that coincide with those in the room. Wood floors vary in price from $10 to more than US $20 per square foot (0.09 m2).
This is the portion of the flooring that one will see and be walking on as they live in their Sarasota Florida mobile home. All of this flooring can be used interchangeably between that a mobile home and a single-family home.
The subflooring is where a mobile home and a single-family home begin to differ quite a bit.
A subflooring system is what is between the over-flooring that one walks on and sees on a daily basis and the physical concrete pad that the home is built on.
In a single-family home, this is usually concrete or some type of material similar to this when the home is located within the Sarasota Florida area.
With a mobile in the Sarasota Florida area, this subflooring system is usually particle board or 3/4 inch plywood both of which will be nailed into either 2X8 or 2X6 boards that create the box the floor sits on.
Particle board is exactly what it sounds like, different wood particles that are glued together at a factory to make a solid wood composite style flooring. This type of subflooring is what normally comes from the factory in mobile homes as the base of the subfloor system.
Particle board has the tendency to break apart when it gets wet and will cause what is known as “soft spots” in a flooring system.
Soft spots are when the particle board begins to sag and, if not treated correctly, can lead to gaping holes in the flooring system that are dangerous to walk on and can lead to injury.
Most mobile home subfloors that are installed with particle board can last anywhere between 10-30 years depending on how wet the underbelly of the home gets and how well the floor of the home is maintained by the owner.
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Eventually, the subfloor of the home will either need to be patched in order to fix the soft spots provided by the particle board or completely replaced with the 3/4 inch thick plywood.
The plywood option is one that is much more expensive than particle board but will hold up much better over time than a particle board subfloor.
When a subflooring system needs to be replaced due to soft spots or other issues rarely do the supporting beams of the subflooring need to be replaced as well as the 2X8 or 2X6 are usually in good shape and can be reused if the subflooring is replaced.
Although replacing subflooring can be a more expensive repair it is always suggested that it be done before the subflooring of your Sarasota Florida mobile home is too far gone as if this repair is not tended to quickly it may lead to injury when falling through the flooring system of your mobile home!
You can install many of the floor coverings in a mobile home floor that you could put in an average fixed house. Some options for less flexible floors, such as ceramics, may require cement reinforcements in plywood and agglomerate wood soils before they can be installed, and in some cases, the carpet has to be cut away from the walls of a mobile home before it is installed on the floor with a simple adjustment. In case of doubt, it is best to contact a professional to know what needs to be done to prepare the area correctly for your new floor.
This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.
See Also:
- 3 Things You Need To Know About The Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Park Application Process!
- How Much Should You Budget For Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rent Increase?
- Why Is Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Park Application Taking So Long?!
- 3 Reasons Why Buying A Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Virtually Is A Good Idea
- 3 Questions A Sarasota Mobile Home Buyer Should Ask About Their Lot Rent!