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What are mobile dwelling wall strips and how to remove them?

If you ain a mobile dwelling house or are looking to buy one yous take probably noticed woods or plastic strips down the walls. What exactly are they?

Nosotros call these piffling eyesores, "wall strips" and they can be a real obstacle to anyone who wants to supercede the mobile home feel with a more traditional one. It is every owner and prospective buyer'southward dream to turn a mobile dwelling house into their own, so what practice you lot do when faced with these strips?

In this updated and revised version, nosotros will explicate what these strips are and requite insight on how you can remove/replace/integrate them into your new domicile design.

What are mobile home wall strips and why are they there?

As the name manufactured home suggests, these homes are assembled piece by piece in a factory. The walls can be made up of a multifariousness of materials. In the old days, it was bogus wood paneling. Nowadays homes are made of either gypsum boards (of which there are a few different types) or vinyl panels.

If yous want more info, read this article: Mobile home walls .

The walls of a mobile domicile are fabricated from these panels considering it is easier to transport and get together them, as compared to a huge panel for each wall. Unfortunately, seams are visible wherever the panels are joined.

This is where wall strips come into play! Not only do they hide the seams but they as well let some flexibility during transport. Mobile homes as well move slightly later associates in the air current or every bit the panels expand from heat and contract from cold.

Not all mobile homes have these strips. If your mobile home is fabricated of drywall or wood paneling information technology most likely volition have wall strips. In some vinyl walls, the layer of vinyl completely covers the seams.Your habitation walls might also be covered with forest paneling or ceramic tiles in which case y'all accept nothing to worry nearly.

A VOG (vinyl on gypsum) wall with crossbar strips:

Drywall dwelling house with wall strips:

Image credit: seven-live.com

These wall strips are usually made of some form of plastic or forest. It is rare to detect metal wall strips. They can be fastened to the wall with a multifariousness of methods, simply unremarkably, nails, staples or tacks are used.

And so every bit you can see they are not at that place because mobile home manufacturers have bad taste, they exercise serve a purpose!

Can I remove wall strips from my mobile home?

Aye! Many mobile home owners have already washed this as function of their interior design, especially when they want to remove the "mobile home feel". Fortunately, you don't demand to hire a professional. Information technology can be washed every bit an intermediate-level DIY project.

In the following guide, nosotros'll focus on gypsum (drywall) homes as these are the most common blazon. There are some alternate solutions for vinyl walls. If your walls aren't drywall or vinyl, then you might need to adjust your procedure a little, but it should exist fairly similar.

The typical process goes similar this:

1. Remove the wall strips.
2. Apply a drywall chemical compound or similar substance and wall repair record to hibernate the seam.
3. Do the same to all or other parts of the wall if needed.
4. Sand downwards the area to be consequent.
5. Prime the expanse and the wall in order to paint, wallpaper, texture, etc.

This seems like a lot of piece of work! Can I just comprehend the wall strips?

Of course! There are a few methods you can use to accomplish this. If you worry well-nigh removing the strips or you are not prepared to become through the whole removal process you can notwithstanding integrate them by planning carefully.

Here are a few solutions:

1. Paint over the wall and strips. Nighttime colors will make the strips less visible than bright colors, merely they volition however exist noticeable. If the strips are a different material than the wall, yous might need to prime it before you lot paint, due east.one thousand. metal on drywall or woods on vinyl. A better option might be to paint your wall one color and your wall strips a different one.
2. Wallpaper over the wall and strips. The effectiveness of this is besides very dependent on the type of strips. If the strips are rectangular and protrude a lot it will exist hard to apply the wallpaper and then that information technology sticks and doesn't bubble at the corners. Using wallpaper with vertical stripes or that is ornate can aid disguise the strips.
3. Get for a "board and crossbar" cease. Yous tin can integrate the wall strips in your pattern by fixing boards vertically betwixt them and using the strips equally a separation. This will make them announced part of the pattern. For this to piece of work you volition have to take very careful measurements of the boards' width and breadth and have them cutting to specification.
4. Completely comprehend the walls and strips. The easiest way to exercise this is to use corrugated steel plates or wooden boards/planks and cover the entire wall and strips with them. This volition crave a lot of hard piece of work, like drilling and fixing the covers permanently. If this sounds adept to you lot, look here to get started.

As you tin see, the first 2 solutions are very easy, but if you were hoping to completely rid yourself of the wall strips this won't be enough.

If you want to rid yourself of your wall strip issues permanently, keep reading the post-obit section.

How to get rid of mobile dwelling wall strips:

Every bit nosotros mentioned before the bodily shape and size of the wall strips might differ, but the steps to remove them will be like.

A couple of things before you become started:

• When removing the strips be careful that y'all don't damage the wall panels.
• Watch out for precipitous objects like nails or staples that might be lying effectually.

What y'all will need:

• • Flat head screwdriver (optional) – Y'all will apply the screwdriver to loosen the wall strips.
  • Putty/taping knife – This is for applying the solution to the wall. Yous can also employ the knife to loosen the strips.
  • Pliers/Hammer – You lot tin use any one of these to remove the nails/tacks or staples from your wall after removing the wall strip.
  • Wall repair tape or fiberglass mesh tape – Information technology's very important to support the compound with record. Without this, the compound volition inevitably crack over time every bit the panels bend. Here is a perfect example.
  • Drywall/joint compound or spackle – For this purpose either the compound or spackle should serve only fine. Y'all don't need tape for spackle, merely it is unremarkably much more expensive than drywall compound even if you add the cost of tape. Both come up in pre-mixed or powdered course and it's really upwards to you which one you choose.

Prototype credit: Dwelling house Depot

If you take a vinyl wall you can besides use acrylic caulk. You lot will have to utilise a primer before applying the caulk. Information technology is more effective at hiding the crack than drywall compound if you have a vinyl wall.

Paradigm credit: Home Depot

• A few 5L-10L containers – You tin can mix your chemical compound in here if you bought the powdered version.

• Some small containers – This is to keep the nails or staples from lying around where someone tin step on them.

• Plastic canvass (optional) – Spread this beneath your work area to keep your floor clean.

• Ladder – Use this if your walls are higher than you tin attain.

Medium and fine grit sandpaper – The sandpaper is used to smooth the area of the compound or spackle to be consistent.

Divergence betwixt vinyl and drywall

Don't worry, the process is mostly the same. When it'southward necessary, we include how the process differs for vinyl at each step.

Permit'southward go going!

If you lot have all the items on the list above, it's time to get started. Stay with us and shortly those wall strips volition be a thing of the past. Dream mobile home, here we come!

Preparation

Working smart is better than working hard. So follow these steps first to make the process much easier:

1. Spread your plastic sheet beneath the expanse you intend to work. You tin now bring in your compound or spackle and mix it inside without fear of spilling.
2. Mix only every bit much chemical compound as you can use in roughly 30min. After this the compound will start to dry a picayune and might form blobs.
3. Use the screwdriver/knife to work your mode between the strip and wall and try to wedge it off. See which one works best and stick to it.

Remove the wall strips

• Footstep 1 – Set up the ladder and start at the top. Try to wedge the screwdriver/knife in between the wall and strip. Pull the strip from the wall using a wedging action to loosen it. Endeavor from both sides until you succeed.
• Step 2 – Move your way downwards the wall strip, loosening it wherever it doesn't simply pull away from the wall right to the bottom.
• Stride iii – Carefully remove the wall strip. Accept care to notice any loose nails or staples so you can collect them earlier someone gets hurt.
• Step iv – Depending on the way it was attached, the nails or staples might be in the wall strip. Nigh likely they will still be in the wall.

There are a few ways you tin remove them:

• Staples:
  • Effort and wedge the screwdriver betwixt the staple and the wall. Loosen information technology a little and and then employ pliers to remove them completely.
• Nails:
  • Use the back side of the hammer. Slide the prongs on either side of the boom's head and utilise the head of the hammer as leverage to pull them out.

Y'all tin utilize whatever combination of techniques (with the correct tools) to remove the fasteners if they are stubborn.

• Step v – Once all the nails/staples are removed it's time to make clean the surface area using a fabric and some water. This doesn't have to exist thorough, simply remove the loose clay. If you lot have vinyl walls yous can also apply the medium grit sandpaper to roughen the expanse before applying compound.

The seam should wait something similar this:

If you have a vinyl wall and bought the acrylic caulk, skip steps half dozen – 8.

• • Step six – If you did non buy pre-mixed and have not washed so yet, it's time to mix the compound. Y'all have to use it all shortly after mixing so be sure to only make enough for i wall strip at a time. Scrape some up with the taping knife and apply information technology to the seam and holes using nearly a brushing move. You tin can employ generously and roughly at commencement and then go over a second fourth dimension to smooth it out.
  • Stride 7 – Take the record and climb up the ladder. Starting at the top tape over the drywall correct on top of the seam in a straight line. Then use the knife to flatten out the tape in the same brushing movements.
  • Step 8 – If yous are very worried well-nigh cracks or yous are a perfectionist, so echo step 6 and 7 until yous are happy. 3-5 times should exist plenty.

* Acrylic caulk – Squeeze a drop of acrylic caulk in between the seam or crack. Work it in with a small taping knife or a wet finger. Repeat the procedure for the unabridged seam. You can apply an old credit card or putty knife subsequently to scrape away excess caulk and smooth it out.

• • • Step 9 – Wait for your compound to dry out. Spackle should dry in a few hours whereas drywall compound could take 24 hours. After this, sand down the spackle using the medium grit and then the fine grit sandpaper. Try and get it as shut your wall equally possible without exposing the tape.
    • Step 10 – This step is optional if y'all are not happy with the results. Some people just apply the compound to the whole wall and sand information technology down together. This is a lot of effort and might take a long fourth dimension, but is probably the only fashion to reach perfection.

And there y'all accept it! You have but taken care of your wall strip infestation and are well on your way to redesigning your walls any way you see fit.

Going forward

Doubtless, y'all will at present want to paint, wallpaper or texture your "new" walls! You lot definitely don't want to leave your walls blank and the compound visible. Lucky for y'all the chemical compound shouldn't take any bug belongings paint or gum. If y'all accept vinyl walls, just brand sure y'all prime it before you paint. Read this article on our blog to assistance you paint your walls: Painting Mobile Home Walls Mobile Home Caulking is a complete guide to caulking on our web log.

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Source: https://www.mobilehomesell.com/mobile-home-wall-strips/

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