The typical cost to repair a mobile home floor is between $300 and $5,000, although more substantial repair work can cost $20,000 or more
Even the best laid mobile home floors might need some help now and then. Whether it’s due to water infiltration from a storm or a broken pipe, gradual wear and tear, or some other cause, your mobile home floors may need either repair or a full replacement. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $5,000 to repair a mobile home floor.
To get a better idea of how much you’ll need to spend to repair or replace your mobile home’s floor, assess the extent and cause of the damage first.
How Much Does It Cost to Fix Mobile Home Floors per Square Foot?
On average, repairing your mobile home flooring will cost anywhere between $7 and $30 per square foot. Like other house floors, mobile home floors are built by installing joists, placing a sturdy subfloor on top of the joists, then installing the visible flooring on top of the subfloor. This layered approach creates a more stable structure that should withstand normal wear and tear, reducing the need for repair.
The cost to repair the underlying subfloor averages between $2 and $10 per square foot, largely because the materials involved aren’t as expensive. Joist repair costs on average between $10 and $60 per square foot because it’s underneath the upper two layers and is so critical for floor system stability.
The exact cost depends on the cause and extent of the damage and the type of flooring. For example, you can relatively inexpensively replace stained carpets and take on the cost of water-damaged laminate, but damage to hardwood surface flooring will come with a steeper price tag. Vinyl typically costs anywhere from $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot, where hardwood flooring is much more expensive, ranging from $3 to $11 per square foot.
How Much Does It Cost to Repair Mobile Home Floors Near You?
Specific costs for mobile home floor repair projects may vary from one part of the country to another. Depending on the type of flooring you’re repairing, you can expect to pay an average of $1 to $30 per unit for surface floor coverings. Therefore, for a room that measures 120 square feet, you can expect to spend between $120 and $3,600 total. Labor costs run from $25 to $40 per hour, depending on your location.
While costs vary by geographical location, vinyl tile will be your most affordable option across the country. Tile prices start at under a dollar per square foot, while plywood sheething can reach almost $40 per four-by-eight-foot board.
| Location | Average Price Range |
|---|---|
| Washington | $0.50 – $23 |
| Texas | $0.40 – $30 |
| Colorado | $0.40 – $21 |
| Minnesota | $0.50 – $30 |
| Illinois | $0.40 – $38 |
| North Carolina | $0.50 – $27 |
| New York | $0.40 – $27 |
| Vermont | $0.50 – $32 |
How Much Does It Cost to Repair Mobile Home Floors Yourself?
Tackling your mobile home repair work will definitely save you labor costs, assuming you don’t need to retain the services of an assistant or subcontractor (or bribe your friend with pizza). Labor for this type of repair and construction work averages between $25 and $40 per hour nationally. You can expect to spend anywhere from two to four hours for small patches and much longer for more substantial repairs or replacements.
However, it’s also true that even skilled DIYers will probably require more time to complete a floor or subfloor repair than an experienced contractor team. Depending on how extensive your damage is, it can take at least a full weekend to complete. That’s time you could spend in the hammock or on vacation, so for this and other reasons, it’s usually best to hire a professional for this job.
What Factors Influence the Cost to Repair Mobile Home Floors?
In addition to the size of the damaged area and your local market and conditions, your cost to repair a mobile home floor will depend on several major factors. The most significant impact on the cost is usually the extent of the damaged layers of your mobile home’s flooring and the kinds of material you use.
Floor Layer
Your mobile home flooring most likely consists of three layers: the joists that provide the underlying support, the subfloor, and the covering floor. That visible layer of flooring may be somewhat easier to swap out and can cost less, while damage to joists is more complex and often expensive to repair.
Repair of the floor covering ranges from $200–$800, while replacement costs anywhere from $800–$7,000.
Repair of the subfloor costs between $500–$700 on average, while replacing the subfloor will cost between $1,800–$3,000.
Repair of the underlying joists will cost on average $1,000–$10,000 each, while replacement will cost anywhere from $5,000–$20,000.
Type of Surface or Subflooring Material
When you end up replacing an entire room’s flooring to repair the existing damage, you may question which type of flooring material you should use.
The same is true of subflooring. While newer mobile homes use sturdier subfloor materials like plywood or OSB, older homes are often different. Many use particle boards, which can cause major problems by frequently developing soft spots that may impact the joists. It’s important if you’re working with moisture-damaged subflooring to simultaneously find and repair the source of the moisture, then replace the damaged area of the subfloor.
Size of the Repair Area
Mobile home floor repairs that only affect a few square feet will typically cost less than a much larger section you need to repair. Additionally, if the damage extends to the subflooring or even to the joists, you’ll typically spend more to get that repair done correctly and thoroughly.
FAQs
What are signs my floor needs repair?
Heavy foot (and paw) traffic will wear down your floors faster than normal. If your floors have large scratches or marks, you may need to consider repair. Obvious water damage can lead to soft areas and peeling. If your floor begins to sag, consult a pro for the best way to tackle these repairs.
Cracked tiles or breaks in the grout indicate potential subfloor damage. If the floor moves while you walk on it, it’s time to start budgeting for a fix.
Should I fix my mobile home’s floor myself?
As you can tell, the process of repairing your mobile flooring, subfloor, or joists can be quite complex and requires a lot of skill and precision. DIY repairs to small areas are more accessible for skilled homeowners than replacement projects. However, even a small repair can be challenging and may require an experienced hand to complete skillfully.
Because of this, it’s probably best to leave this one to the experts. Hire a local mobile home remodeler or contractor in your area to address needed floor or subfloor repairs, or hire a local flooring company or laminate floor installer to replace the flooring in your mobile home.
How do I know if my mobile home floor needs to be replaced or repaired?
It can be difficult to tell if your mobile home flooring or subfloor simply needs to be repaired or if it instead needs a full replacement. This factor is another reason why it might be better to leave this job to the professionals.
Consider replacement if your flooring has been submerged in water for an extended period or if water has completely soaked through your laminate or carpet surface flooring, which can degrade the subfloor beneath it. If your flooring experienced moisture conditions that dried quickly, or if the water was in a small area, you might be able to repair the impacted portion only.
What other projects should I complete at the same time?
Depending on whether you’re replacing the entire floor or merely repairing a small portion of it, you might want to let your flooring contractor complete the work before tackling any other remodeling or improvement projects in your mobile home.
However, you can probably safely begin small jobs such as painting or installing new appliances or cabinets in other rooms. Just make sure anyone you hire to work on those other projects won’t need to walk through or over the part of the flooring repaired or replaced.
