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What are the Best Tips for Remodeling a Mobile Home?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

The best tips for remodeling a mobile home include focusing on personalizing it in order to avoid exaggerating its factory made look. Doing repairs, such as sealing cracks and covering stains or cheap-looking materials, is also important when renovating a mobile home. Otherwise, these eyesores may detract from any upgrades added, such as wood flooring or new cabinets. A great tip for remodeling on a tight budget is to resurface rather than replace items such as cabinets, paneling and ceiling tiles whenever possible.

If the cupboard frames are still solid, resurfacing kitchen or bathroom cabinets by adding paint or another finish rather than removing and replacing them can save a lot of money. Adding a few cabinet doors with glass inserts can modernize a mobile home kitchen or bathroom as well as help bring a sense of airiness to the space. Even replacing cabinet and drawer hardware when remodeling a mobile home can make a big difference in creating a personal style statement.

The exterior of a mobile home's skirting can be repaired with caulking.
The exterior of a mobile home's skirting can be repaired with caulking.

Since many older mobile homes have dated wall paneling, painting or papering over it is usually a good idea. Not only can this type of paneling look dated and cheap, it's also often dark in color which can make small rooms appear even smaller. A primer coat plus at least two coats of good quality paint is often needed to satisfactorily cover the paneling. In some cases, if the paneling's texture is attractive, but the color isn't, the finish may be able to be removed before being refinished with a new shade of wood stain. To cover the wall paneling effectively, paintable wallpaper, which is typically much thicker than regular wallpapers, can be applied with coats of paint added afterward.

Mobile home remodeling may help personalize the structure and remove the factory made look.
Mobile home remodeling may help personalize the structure and remove the factory made look.

Energy efficient skirting can be an excellent upgrade when remodeling a mobile home. If buying new skirting isn't possible, tears or holes should be repaired both on the underside and on the outside. Duct tape can be applied from inside, while caulking and sanding can be done on the exterior of a mobile home's skirting. Water stains, which are common on interior ceilings of mobile homes, can usually be recovered with stain-resistant, quick-drying spray paint.

Repairing the exterior of a mobile home in important when renovating.
Repairing the exterior of a mobile home in important when renovating.

Collecting and displaying favorite art pieces can really help personalize a mobile home. Quality rather than quantity should be kept in mind when it comes to accessories to avoid a cluttered look. Refinishing all of the old light fixtures when remodeling a mobile home can showcase the homeowner's personality while adding style that doesn't have a factory look.

Discussion Comments

lighth0se33

My parents' mobile home remodeling consisted of replacing the ugly linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom with tile. It made a world of difference in the look of the whole place.

Everything in the living room and bedrooms looked good. The furniture was great. The linoleum was the only eyesore, and it was a big one.

It had started out cream colored with roses on it, but it had yellowed over the years. I was so happy when they ripped it up and put down faux marble tile!

It looks like a new mobile home to me now. I sometimes forget that I'm in a trailer when I look at the new floor.

seag47

@StarJo – It's sometimes hard or inefficient to remodel a really old mobile home. The home renovation costs will run too high, and it might be better for a person to look into getting a new mobile home.

StarJo

I think that adding glass panels to cupboards is a great kitchen remodeling idea for a mobile home. There is only so much you can do, because you don't want to stress the structure of the home by tearing things out of it.

It isn't as sturdy as a brick home, so you have to be careful. If you want to cut out rectangles in the wooden cupboards to insert glass, you won't be hurting anything, though.

Glass cabinets look classy. Also, it is easy for guests to tell what is inside them, so if someone is in the kitchen looking for a cup, they don't have to open every cupboard to search.

DylanB

Mobile home renovations do present a challenge. My uncle had to hire some professionals to remodel the interior of his home, because it was an older one that desperately needed help. He didn't want to just throw a couple of coats of paint on and hope for the best, so he invested in getting some help from experts.

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    • The exterior of a mobile home's skirting can be repaired with caulking.
      By: auremar
      The exterior of a mobile home's skirting can be repaired with caulking.
    • Mobile home remodeling may help personalize the structure and remove the factory made look.
      By: allbylouise
      Mobile home remodeling may help personalize the structure and remove the factory made look.
    • Repairing the exterior of a mobile home in important when renovating.
      By: Dennis Oblander
      Repairing the exterior of a mobile home in important when renovating.