DIY Network

Manufactured Housing and Furniture From "Talk2DIY Home Improvement" episode TTD-406F

Figure A

Hosts Brad Staggs and Lynda Lyday get right into the questions --

Creating Eaves on a Manufactured Home

Problem: I need some advice for creating an eave for a manufactured home?

Solution:

• Attaching anything to the existing roof would cause damage from weight and would add to the possibility of uplift.

• If a covering is desired, build a structure (figure A) that fits over the mobile home, but is not connected to the home. Be sure to dig holes for the supports and use concrete for strength.

Tips:

• Manufactured homes need to have a roof that extends beyond the sides of the house. This overhang helps prevent rainwater from entering the walls and causing damage. If your budget allows, you should upgrade to an adequately ventilated, shingled roof with a substantial overhang.

• If you have an older manufactured home and the roof leaks, consider building a free-standing roof over the entire home. Be sure to secure the posts in concrete.

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Figure B

Falling Floors in a Mobile Home

Problem: The floors in my mobile home are falling. How can I repair them?

Solution:

• You'll need to remove the damaged subfloor. In mobile homes, the OSB is attached with nails and glue. Use a pry bar to pull it up from the glued areas.

• Use a circular saw (figure B) to saw around the damaged area, but set the blade so it goes over the floor joists without cutting through.

Figure C

Maintaining the Underpinning

Problem: How do I prevent the underpinning of my mobile home from blowing out?

Solution:

• To steady the underpinning, screw it into the support brackets for added stability.

• You could also add a knee wall behind the skirting. Use pressure treated lumber and attach an aluminum underpinning to the frame (figure C).

• Another option would be to install a cinder block underpinning dry stack with a surface bond coating. Make sure the finish grade is sloped away from your home.

• Be sure to add vents to an additional underpinning.

Cleaning Walls of Manufactured Home

Problem: Do you have advice for cleaning the walls of a manufactured home?

Solution:

• Determine if it's a vinyl, paper or paneling-covered sheet rock.

• Make sure you use a mild cleaner for interior.

• The outside could be made of a metal, vinyl or wood siding. Read your homeowners manual for specific instructions on how to clean your walls.

• A mild detergent and a garden house could do the trick. A pressure washer made for softer surfaces would be helpful too -- make sure you don't dent the exterior.

Figure D

Mobile Home Roofing

Problem: What is the best roofing for a mobile home?

Solution:

• Inspect and recoat your roof every year.

• Check the area for peeling paint or rust. Sand down with sanding paper, steel wool or steel brush (figure D).
  
  
• Clean off all debris and add rust-preventative primer.

• Apply asphalt-based coating that's designed to seal the cracks in the roof and reflect heat. Make sure you coat the roof well.

Figure E

Furniture Finish

Problem: I need some help with finishing furniture. How can I make the finish not come out too dark?

Solution:

• The quicker you remove the stain, the lighter it will be.

• The older the wood you have, the more porous it will be and will soak up more stain than a newer piece of wood (figure E).

• Add a sanding sealer so you can have a little bit of stain color -- easier to control. Be sure to apply it against the grain to provide a better protection. Let it set for 30 minutes before you apply your stain.

• If you use a lacquer stain, you'll need a lacquer sealer. If you use an oil-based stain, you'll need a varnish sealer.

• Mixing mineral spirits into an oil-based stain will also dilute the color.

Furniture Wood Joints

Problem: What's the best method to use when joining wood together for furniture?

Solution:

• If you're working on face frames for cabinets or a door for a cupboard, use pocket holes because they are hidden behind the face frame. Use a pocket hole jig to create the holes.

• If you're doing box work for drawers, a finger joint -- or also called a dove-tailed joint -- would be great to prevent racking.

• A lap joint provides more surface for gluing, creating a steady hold.

• If you're connecting two pieces of wood along the edge, a biscuit joint would be the best.

• Think about how much glue area you'll need for the kind of stress the joint will be under.

Figure F

Painting Furniture

Problem: How do paint furniture that has a veneer surface?

Solution:

• Use a surface prep appropriate for your surface.

• Prime the area after it's cleaned and prepped.

• If the veneer is in good shape, treat it as wood. If not, repair water stains, cracks, etc. so it won't bleed through the new paint.

• For French Provencal, try a crackle finish (figure F) where the base and top coats are combined to create a rustic finish. Make sure you're applying the paint in the correct environment.

• Lime wash would also be a good look for French Provencal. Try practicing first before applying to your furniture piece.

Figure G

Removing Furniture Veneer

Problem: I need to know how to remove furniture veneer so I can refinish the piece. Can you help?

Solution:

• If it's a dresser top, remove the top panel. Screws will be located inside and underneath.

• Removing veneer isn't always a good idea. If it was built in the last 50 years and the glue used was white or yellow, it will be hard to get off because those glues are not resistant to heat. If it's an antique piece, it's probably been bonded with hyde glue, which is very strong, but has little resistance to heat, so you can use a heat gun and putty knife to remove. The wood underneath could be particle board (figure G), but you don't know what's hiding under the veneer, so it's a good idea to plan for what's underneath.

• If you just want to repair and refinish, clean the veneer well and sand off any rough areas.

• Re-stain the veneer.

Figure H

Whitewashing Furniture

Problem: Do you have any tips for whitewashing furniture?

Solution:

• Whitewash pickling stains are available. Use a light white pigment that still shows the grain underneath (figure H).

• Apply with the grain using a foam or bristle brush. Let it soak in or wipe away if you want a lighter finish.

• Pickling is applied against the grain.

Tips:

• If you plan to apply a new veneer to a piece of furniture, you'll need some special tools which include veneer roller, smoothing blade, veneer saw, edge band iron and edge trimmer.

• Here's an easy way to strip a piece of furniture -- liberally apply a gel paint remover to the piece and cover the coated area with waxed paper. Let it sit overnight. Peel away the waxed paper and the paint will peel away with it. Any remaining paint can easily be removed with a putty knife.

Figure I

Wildcard Question: Swimming Pools

Problem: I need help with replacing tiles in my swimming pool?

Solution:

• Make sure the replacement tiles (figure I) are a frost-proof version. Any area that gets below 32 degrees needs to have frost-proof tiles.

• Adhesives and grouts would be the same no matter what tile you use. Use a pour able cement-based adhesive, use a pour able cement-based grout with and added aggregate like silica sand.

RESOURCES :

Minwax® Company
Minwax Company (full name: The Thompson Minwax Company)
Website: www.minwax.com

Hitachi Drill
Website: www.hitachipowertools.com

Quikrete Quickwall
Toll-free: 800-282-5828
Website: www.quikrete.com

OxiClean
Toll-free: 800-781-7529
Website: www.oxiclean.com

Karcher Inc., USA
2170 Satellite Blvd, Suite 350
Duluth, GA 30097
Toll-free: 800-537-4129
Website: www.karcher.com

Mobile Home Doctor
Paul D. Krause
Website: www.mobilehomedoctor.com

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Kreg Tool Co.
201 Campus Dr.
Huxley, IA 50124
Toll-free: 800-447-8638
Phone: 515-597-2234
Fax 515-597-2354
Website: www.kregtool.com

Lamello Biscuit Joiner
Colonial Saw Inc.
122 Pembroke St.
PO Box A
Kingston, MA 02364
Phone: 781-585-4364
Fax: 781-585-9375
E-mail: info@csaw.com
Website: www.csaw.com

Daltile
1714 B Louisville Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37921
Phone: 865-588-2155
Website: www.daltile.com

GUESTS :

Vicki Payne
Stained Glass Artist / Glass Crafter / Motivational Speaker
Cutters Productions Inc.
Charlotte, NC
Phone: 704-522-9900
Toll-free: 800-332-8427
Website: www.glasswithvickipayne.com

Bo Bogardus
Clayton Homes, Inc.
5000 Clayton Rd.
Maryville, TN 37804
Phone: 865-380-3000
E-mail: chrism@clayton.net
Website: www.clayton.com

Charlie Martin
Heritage Pool Co.
113 East Emory Rd.
Powell, TN 37849
Phone: 865-947-7840
Website: www.poolsbyheritage.com