how do i paint the walls in my modular home?

Question

The walls in my home are pre-fab and have small strips every few feet (where the walls are pieced together). I want to paint over the "wallpaper" but unsure how to start. What will cover the paper and hold up nicely?

Answer 1

The 'wallpaper' is actually a layer of vinyl print over the sheetrock.. not really 'paper' at all... so adhesion can be a problem. MOST manufacturers will not cover any warranty work on this type of wall that has been painted, so keep that in mind, if you still have a warranty in effect.

Ive done quite a bit of repair work in mobile and modular homes, and Ive seen a lot paint that has been slapped on these types of walls... what appears to work the best, is when a very high quality primer has been used, AFTER scuffing the walls just a bit, with a sander.

The batten strips quite often cover gaps between the sheets, so be prepared to fill them, if you want to remove the strips. You will probably also need to hammer in some staples, before mudding the joint.

So... if you want to have walls without the trim strips, you need to remove all those first, pound in any protruding staples, mud the joints (use web tape), lightly sand/scuff the wall vinyl, then put a good primer over it. Kilz is a good brand of primer to use.

Something to consider before doing all of this.... one reason manufactured homes use the batten strips, is of course its cheaper than actually mudding a wall... but another reason is because these homes flex... so standard drywall often develops cracks in it. If your home needs to be re-leveled do that BEFORE you go to the trouble and expense of all this paint prep, hehehehe.

Have Fun

Answer 2

Modular Home Walls

Answer 3

i always use a primer first like kiltz that one has an oder but primer 1 2 3 is just as good and doesnt have a bad oder also i have tried mixing a spoon of vanilla in my paint and it kills the new paint smell

Answer 4

Ifyou want a really finished look, remove the batten strips, mud, tape and sand the seams, prime with a high adhesion paint, and paint any color you want.

Answer 5

any water soluble paint will do the trick