I rent a mobile home. I painted and stenciled one bathroom. It looks pretty good. For bigger rooms, what do you do with the spaces/panels? Do they spackel well? Wallpaper is not in my budget. Thanks in advance.
For Tanya Stone & others. Here's several places you can order mobile home repair stuff from. Just describe what you need & they'll be glad to help. I live in Washington State so I buy from these guys in Washington State:
VJ's Mobile Home Parts & Supply
1 (800) 600-6903
1 (360) 273-6903
But if you Google "Mobile home parts" then add your state like "Mobile Home Parts Florida" for example, you'll get a listing of places close to you.
FOR BUYING ONLINE:
Magic Mobile Home Parts:
www.mhparts.com/
OR: MOBILE HOME REPAIR .COM (click on "books & parts" at the top of the page) You can also buy down loadable books with detailed directions for DIY projects about most anything "Mobile Home". http://www.mobilehomerepair.com
These guys also have a forum where you can read & ask questions about mobiles, plus a decorating section in the forum area: www.mobilehomerepair.com/
As far as "TEXTURE" goes, I'm going to do one of the Brow Bag Wall Treatments (there are many) Just Google "brown bag walls", but before you begin the brown bag wall treatment in a mobile home, first tape all the cracks (or lines) in the paneling with WHITE duct tape. I like the brown bag (or paper bag) technique because it covers a multitude of sins (& wall grooves). If you find the pictures here to dark for your decor (like I do) then you can go back over the walls with either a plain paint, a water base stain, or you can do what I'm going to do: Add one part white Acrilyc or Latex paint (I'm using an Ivory color) to 4 or 5 parts Glaze, (this will make a transparent paint that works like a stain) then with a clean rag or large sponge, wipe this mixture onto the walls in a circular motion.
When it dries, If it's not the color you like, then go back over it again with another coat. Another option: While it's wet, you can also wipe off the top-most areas, this way the color will only be in the cracks (you'll want to wrinkle-up your paper bags first).
You can also buy one of the many textured wallpapers that are made for painting. They even have one that looks like stucco. They have MANY patterns. The trick is, to pre-duck tape you walls with white duct tape, & buy the Thickest wallpaper you can, so it'll cover those wall grooves in the paneling. Buying a textured wallpaper is the easiest & least messy of the ways you can texture your mobile home's walls.
If you do decide to use real plaster or drywall mud, then be sure to only put on VERY thin coats. A little at a time, PLUS, you'll need to rough-up your walls first. The absolute best product to use is Flexall. (it's called something else in the Eastern US). Google " Flexall Joint compound"
HERE'S A PICTURE OF FLEXALL:
doitbest.com/
Christopher Lowell (the famous Designer) swears by Flexall. It sticks to anything & doesn't shrink like most joint compounds do, plus it's flexible. You can also sand it after it gets hard. But let me forewarn you, if you DO decide to fill in the paneling cracks, be prepared for a very long, hard, VERY mess job!. You'll have plaster dust EVERYWHERE. Buy some plastic for your rug AND to cover ALL your furniture! I myself WAS going to fill in all my trailer's wall-cracks, but decided this was just to big a job! Plaster or Flexall can also be PRE-tinted. OR they can be stained after you've put them up. (For more info post me a note on ThriftyFun, as I'm a Decorative Painter by trade)
Also, Reading back to the very beginning of the posts: For nicotine coverage, use a "High adhesive primer" like Zinsser 1-2-3 or Gripper BEFORE you paint, you can tint these (don't use Kills!) otherwise you'll have to put AT LEAST 4 coats of paint on, as the nicotine will continue to bleed through Been there, done that mistake!
As far as getting a sheen with Kills or another tinted primer. Paint over the top of the primer with a clear gloss or semi-gloss GLAZE, OR, you can buy "Artists Medium" this is basically clear paint, or paint without the tint. It comes in all sheens, but it's much more costly than glaze. You can also use a clear glossy water base Varathine. Any of these can be tinted with acrylic artist paint.
There is a lot of cool things you can do with these homes. We purchased a 2100 sq.' manufactured home for 55,000 that needed some updating. Our budget was limited but I feel that we got a lot for our money. First, we removed the tack strips. We filled the seams with a flexible caulk then joint compound.
After we lightly sanded the walls we painted. I used a 1/2" roller for the walls. I did leave the strips on some of the corners for protection. My home did not have much wood work so I did purchase and add some from a store. We did change all of the moldings to white including the kitchen cabinets and fire place. The results were incredible.
We also took apart those fake brass ceiling fans and sprayed on a faux finish ( white, dark brown). I did not do much with the ceiling. I just painted it white and added some fixtures. We got rid of those plastic bathroom sinks. We replaced them with new sinks and faucets for about 70.00 each. I also added ceramic tile back splashes to each counter in the house and new cabinet hardware. I did all of this work myself and the materials ran me around 800 bucks.
I wish I could post the before and after pics for you to see. The house is transformed and it looks like a residential "stick built" home. My friends and family can't believe the results. I do not feel like I am in a manufactured home. It is worth the investment! I would tell everyone to buy a manufactured home. It makes good economic sense in these harder times.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Has anyone painted leaving the wall strips on in a mobile home? They are ugly, but I was wondering if I just painted them the same color as the walls what it would look like. Please post pictures if you have them.
By Bonita M.
Yes you can! Our mobile home's walls have all been painted and we left the strips in place. In our former mobile home we took the strips off and filled and sanded the cracks with automotive 'Bondo'...looked great! Since we are older now we don't have the energy to do this again so we left the strips in place this go-round and you really don't notice them, especially since we have lot's of pics and art on our walls.
I'm sorry I can't send a pic but I am on a terribly slow dialup and unable to upload pics in a reasonable amount of time. :-(
We just did the same thing last year. We took down all the strips, spackled and taped the seams and bought a special "bonding" base at Sherwin Williams and then painted 2 coats over that. It looks beautiful. We did it in every room. No one can believe its not sheetrock. p.s. Be sure your home is good and level so that the seams don't crack if you have to re-level. Some of ours cracked but wasn't a big deal. We just re-spackled and painted the seams.
I want to paint the ceiling in our mobile home, but my husband is insisting it can't be done, as it is not dry wall. I would like it white and not the cream it is now. I believe it is vinyl. What prep and paint can I use?
By Diana
Many of the ceilings that I have seen in mobile homes are a vinyl hardboard that I do not think one can paint. You could inquire at a quality paint store where the staff actually know about paint, but I think that you will find that your husband is correct. If it is a vinyl coated board, I think you are just asking for a mess if you try to paint it.
I am remodeling my mobile home. I read the answers to painting walls in a mobile home. You said to prime them first. Can you use a paint with the primer already in it to repaint the walls? These walls are not vinyl.
Thanks a bunch.
God bless.
Wash walls down first and let dry. Use two coats of Kilz primer paint and then paint whatever color you like. No original colors will bleed through. This is the way to go and I spoke to someone recently who used this how to method and it turned out great. I have an outdated printed vinyl coating on our walls and this is how I am going to do ours, so it's more updated looking and gives me more color options for a change.
I have a mobile home with pre-printed drywall. The previous owner painted over it and now it's flaking. I can't remove it with a scraper without destroying the wall what is my best option for removal without destroying the wall?
By Dustin
Scrap or sand off any lose paint then prime with some kliz primer then repaint with any latex paint, flat or gloss.
How can I paint over vinyl mobile home walls?
By Grace
There is nothing to fear. You just need good paint and rollers. It's no different than painting over paneling. Make sure they are clean, using some TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) and you can also find help here.
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
In taking off the panel spacers, I found that the gaps are about 1/4 inch. The existing panels have beveled edges. So I have to put a lot of putty/float in the gaps. Is there something else I can do? Help!
By Curly from Freer, TX
I had the same problem. Filling it with Spackle will not work sadly, Even when it looks level and smooth when you go to paint u will see where the gap was. There will be an indent. I would use a filler such as a flexible caulk to fill it in most of the way then spackle over it. Depending on how wide your gaps are it may be beneficial to cut a strip of wood for a filler then spackle over it. Just make sure you wait for 48 hrs for your compound to dry and harden. Its recommended for 24 but with the amount of compound you will need you will need to wait longer.
I have textured mobile home walls. I want to take the strips down and mud the gaps. How do I do this with the light texture on the walls? Has anyone ever done this before? Please let me know.
By jennifer from KY
I've painted mobile home walls. The finish on these walls are usually made of vinyl, therefore need to be primed.(Ask your local paint store what kind to use.) The strips have to stay there inasmuch as they are covering the panel ends. You will probably have to replace the mud strips with new as they will more than likely break if you try to remove them. Mine couldn't be painted over because they have a paper coating on them. Good Luck
What is best method to use when painting walls of moble home? I'm using a semi gloss with kilts primer. Should I use paint roller, brushes or a spray gun?
By D. Sangster from Dallas, TX
We went thru this last year and this is what worked for us. If you have the prefab walls, the problem is the gloss and pattern in the walls shines through. Using a roller, apply 1 coat of Kilz vertically and let dry. Apply a 2nd coat of Kilz horizontally and let dry (we used a roller for this as well). Then paint as normal. for some reason the horizontal really covered the shine and pattern of the prefab wall. Good Luck!
What type of paint do you use to paint over prepasted mobile home wall board?
By Naomi
I've done it by first thoroughly wiping every square inch of the wallboard with TSP or straight vinegar. Doing so roughs the surface enough for new paint to adhere.
Then I used a top quality primer like Kilz - two coats if the pattern shows through is enough to cover the old pattern and finish preparing the surface for the decorator colour.
(If done properly, your primer adheres to the original surface so the decorator colour can adhere to the primer so you get a lovely, even, long-lasting coverage)
And then I applied the decorator colour. Looked great and lasted years:) Be sure to read the labelled instructions on everything you use on the walls for best results.
Can you paint modular home walls where the paper has been torn off? What is the process?
So we did this in our home, the previous owners did a shoty job of wallpaper which started to come off the wall, tearing the walls. We just sanded around the ripped parts really well then did a light skim of putty. Then primer and paint. You can hardly tell where the patch is, I can because I know where it is.
