Removing Carpeting in Mobilehome

[Ken Scharabok]

Unit is 20 years old and I am hard on carpeting. Living room and computer room need to be replaced.

Any tips on tearing up the old carpeting?

Replacing it with 3' x 3' squares of surplus office carpeting. Won't even be gluded down to floor. Free-floats. Paid $146 for 70 square yards. Nice stuff also. Will be taking back about 20 yards as I ordered too much.

[Sonshine]

I don't know about 20 years ago, but the newer models are not that hard to take up. We just removed most of the carpeting from ours and replaced it with laminate. It was only stapled around the edges and down the center, so it came up real easy.

[Ozarks Tom]

Some mobilehomes' carpet is laid before the walls are put up. In that case, a good utility knife with lots of blades is the answer. Take the baseboard off, then cut around the room. Cut the carpet into 3' strips & roll up & tie for easy handling. Pad is probably stapled to the subfloor, so that's a chore.

If you have tackless strip around the areas be careful. Pins are sharp, use gloves.

Tip: Carpet cuts a lot easier from the back.

[sisterpine]

LOL I read that the carpet is being replaced by 3 inch by 3 inch carpet squares that will not be glued down etc. Thought, my goodness that will be tough to vacuum LOL

[mnn2501]

When we lived in a mobile home a few years back it was very easy. There was a cat giving birth under our mobile home and my dog (in the trailer) did a real good job of digging up the carpet.

[Ken Scharabok]

I was in one office long enough to see this installed three time. First was over tile which had been busted loose. A couple of years later than move everyone out and replace it. It had bonded to the concrete floor to where they had to use a machine to get it up. About like a rototiller, but a blade on front to pop up the sections. Was told everytime it was steamed cleaned, it help bind the backing to the floor.

[HOTW]

BTDT, I used a pryer to get up the tack strips thta were around th eedges. Not hard at al just be cautious I got bit a lot by the strips!

[Ken Scharabok]

No strips. So far maybe 10,000 staples though. When I bought this unit used I was told it had plywood flooring. Not so.

Between two rooms have probably swept up a bucket of dirt under the carpet.

[fishhead]

If it's stapled I'd try a flat shovel with no sides or a sidewalk/dairy barn scraper. And definitely some thick leather gloves.

I've seen people use flat shovels to roll old shingles off a roof. That was after I spent 24 hours taking mine off with a heavy iron wrecking bar.

[poppy]

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

No strips. So far maybe 10,000 staples though. When I bought this unit used I was told it had plywood flooring. Not so.

Between two rooms have probably swept up a bucket of dirt under the carpet.

Don't you just love those staples? The company that supplies those must be in the Fortune 500. I just took the time to pull them out individually and it is a time consuming job. If you have to remove any drywall, you will find more staples, LOTS more staples.

[Ken Scharabok]

They make a shovel specifically for removing asphalt singles. Looks like a regular flat shovel but has teeth on the front to go under staples.

When I had to remove tile from a past house I took regular garden hoe and straighten it out in a blade. Worked quite well.

[Ken Scharabok]

Well, surprise, surprise. The walls in this unit aren't square. Thus, all outside pieces have to be cut to fit.

There are variations in color even within the same lot. Was able to blend them in by alternating squares so far.

I thought all of these were factory overruns, but some are obviously rejects. Those are going back.

[Ozarks Tom]

There should be arrows on the back of the carpet tiles. Turn them 90 degrees to help camoflage any shading differences.

[Ken Scharabok]

Job is finished. I'm glad I hired someone to do it as a lot of up and down. Doesn't look perfect, but certainly much better than what was there. If there is a spill that piece can be pulled up and washed.

I was told these 3' x 3' squares are manufacturing overruns. They make so many per run and when they get short they do another run, but it might be a tad different from last, so they sell the rest of anything left from the last run. Not so. Some clearly were rejects.

[Alice In TX/MO]

You discovered underneath the reason I hate carpet. Yuk.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by Ozarks Tom

Some mobilehomes' carpet is laid before the walls are put up.

I helped the inlaws take up their carpet back in the 80s, and it was like that. They build the base then lay the carpet and flooring before putting up the walls. It's such a pain.

[Ken Scharabok]

Lived for a couple of days with the bare floor. I still have trouble believing how much of a noise absorber carpening is.