rotten floor

northwindman · Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:55 pm

Hi I am new here. I was just wondering if anyone could please tell me if there is a place to find some structural drawings, for a 1976 Baron Mobile 16 x 70. I had a request to fix a kitchen floor it is in the front of the trailer, someone has already put a another floor over the existing floor, which has become wet and soft. Don't they all have joists 2' on center? This site seems to packed with a lot of good info that will come in handy.

DigitalDreams · Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:36 pm

Mine is 1973 and yes most i've lived in had joists
2 foot on center and mine had 3/4 particle or osb don't remember but replaced all bad spots with
pressure treated plywood,especially bad spots that were under windows near doors or under sinks.

Brenda (OH) · Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:37 pm

if the floor is soft enough, you can use a hammer or a mallet to create a hole in the area you are going to be repairing, and poke a coat hanger in to see if you can hit the joists. I most often find the joists on 18 inches, but sometimes on 24 inch. The one I am still learning to wrap my mind around is which direction the joists will be running in lol

Brenda (OH)

northwindman · Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:52 pm

Thank you for your response, it is definitely helpful. The job that was done before was definitely a cobbled nightmare, all they did is lay OSB over existing floor so it sits 3/4" above the adjacent floor. Anyway thanks again very helpful.

Greg · Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:58 pm

Northman, the odds of finding ANY type of drawings are stacked WAY against you. Your home is pre HUD, when HUD got involved many manufacturers closed their doors and any records ended up in the dumpster.

Even post HUD homes are bad, after 10 -15 years most builders do the same thing.

Your best bet would be to open up the floor and get a look at what you have to work with. you can always add some cross bracing if needed. You need to at least get down to the joists and rebuild from there. Use PLYWOOD or at the very least OSB.

Mark, The site owner has written a book that covers about any repair your home may need. It's in the "Books & Parts" section of the site. Greg