How to Replace the Bathroom Floor in a Mobile Home

Replacing a bathroom floor in a mobile home is a common repair because of a high incidence of water damage. Such damage in the bathroom floor feels like a soft, spongy spot, especially if the subflooring was originally constructed with particle board that becomes soft and weak when exposed to water. To replace the bathroom floor, remove the old floor covering and subflooring, reinforce the joists, install new insulation and construct new subflooring. If you can use a circular saw, drill, and a putty knife, you can handle this project.

Things You'll Need

• ¾-inch exterior-grade plywood
• Drill
• Circular saw
• Pry bar
• Pliers
• Putty knife
• 2-by-4-inch lumber
• Construction adhesive
• 2-inch galvanized screws
• Vinyl flooring
• Floor leveler product
• Mixing container
• Trowel
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Turn off the main water valve that brings water into the house. Remove the toilet. Remove the existing vinyl or carpet floor covering, door tracks, and floor registers to expose the subflooring.

2. Cut along the wall edge with a circular saw or reciprocating saw. Remove screws and nails from the subflooring to remove it. For easy removal of the old floor, cut between each floor joist with a circular saw, and remove the old floor in sections with a pry bar. Remove old nails, glue, and staples from the top of the joists. Scrape off old glue with a putty knife.

3. Add a joist using a length of 2-by-4-inch lumber and screw it to the existing joist, which may be slightly under the wall line, to make sure there will be enough support for the subflooring. Replace or upgrade the floor insulation. Add the joist only if there is no joist along the edge of the wall.

4. Measure and cut the plywood to size, making sure that any seams you cut are located far from the toilet. Apply a bead of construction adhesive to the tops of all the joists to help reduce floor squeaks.

5. Lay down the new pieces of plywood flooring and screw into place with 2-inch galvanized screws every 16 inches on the joists. Countersink the screws so the screw heads are just below the surface of the floor. Follow the directions on the floor leveler label for mixing, applying, drying, and sanding. Install the new vinyl floor covering, trim strip under the door, and baseboards.

6. Remount the toilet and turn the water supply back on.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to replace the wax bowl ring under the toilet before you remount the toilet. Keep a wax bowl ring handy just in case.

• Wear protective safety glasses and a painting mask when pulling up old floor coverings or mixing and using the floor leveler compound. Properly ventilate the bathroom when using the floor leveler compound.

References

• Mobile Home Doctor: Replacing the Floor
• "The Manual for Manufactured/Mobile Home Repair and Upgrade;" Mark N Bower; 2005
• YouTube: Trailer Floor Repair

Resources

• Hammerzone.com: Replacing a Wax Bowl Ring under the Toilet
• YouTube: Bathroom Mobile Home Repair