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Budget Decorating
Decorating Ideas for Mobile Homes by Kathy Wilson
Decorating a
mobile home or manufactured home can be a challenge. Paneled walls, vinyl
wallpaper, odd angles and low ceilings are just a few of the problems home
decorators must overcome. Here are some great ideas for decorating your mobile
home with style and charm. More...
The most common complaint I hear
in decorating a mobile home is what to do about those paneled walls. Mobile
homes tend to have strips of vertical "molding" that cover the gap
between each panel of wallboard. They scream "mobile home". There are
ways to work around them. First of all, you can remove them and use joint
compound and a putty knife to fill the gaps. This works, however, as one of my
readers pointed out recently when she tried this method, its difficult to get
the gaps as smooth as the wallboard. Her solution was to apply joint compound to
the whole wall, then texture and paint. Great idea! A lot of work!
* * *
If you have more ideas for
decorating mobile homes that you'd like to share with our readers please write
to us at editor@betterbudgeting.com,
we'd love to hear from you!
Readers' Comments:
"Many years ago, I lived in a mobile home and I also had decorating problems. I now live in an older home but had paneling in one room so I decided to do something different. I went to the Dollar Store and bought a couple packs of tissue paper that you use to stuff in gift bags to conceal a gift. I also, bought a bottle of liquid starch. I took the tissue paper out of the wrapping and took each sheet out and crumpled it as if I were throwing it away and then poured the starch in a paint tray. I took a paint roller and dipped it into the starch and then rolled it on a small section of the wall. I then took sheets of the crumpled tissue paper over the wet part of the wall and just slapped the tissue to it. You can overlap it, bunch it up, or smooth it out a bit to whatever you like. I left the tissue paper more crumpled up rather than smoothing it out since it left a thicker texture and covered the paneling up better. I let the tissue dry for a day and then went back and I painted over the tissue. (I used left over paint I had or you can go to the recycling place or paint store where they have used paint, or paint people didn't like the color for little or no money). You have to be careful not to get too much paint on at first since it could wet down the tissue paper too much and it could start to tear. If it does tear, you can just put another crumpled piece of tissue paper over that spot and just paint over it-it just gives it a more textured look. I let it dry and then did a second coat. This project is one where you can't make a mistake. Of course, I let it dry another day before adding pictures, etc. (A person could also use thinner pieces of plastic, ripped up old plain cloth pieces or restaurant paper towels to use under the paint. When I have people come over, I always receive positive comments on the walls. It took a little time but it was very cheap." - Mary G.
"What I did with my walls in my mobile home, which were
paneled in a dark, photo-finish, cheap paneling product, was to paint them a
semi-gloss or satin white, with a BRUSH. The old fashioned way, stroke
at a time, with several coats of paint so it has a richness to it. While
I hate the look of flat paint rolled on paneled walls, the brush makes it look
like the whole thing is wood, plus you can fill in the indentations in the
paneling with more paint without it being obvious. Rather than try
to hide the fact that it's paneling (which was the advice I got and never
really works), working WITH it is a lot more effective. It looks very
cool, and I get lots of compliments on it. I also bought different
styles in varying sizes of wood molding at home improvement stores, added that
for architectural detail, and painted it too. It now has the look of a
beach cottage with walls, molding, all painted white. The natural
light makes the shading of the all-white (or off-white), semi-gloss paint
stand out on the architectural details, and it looks very nice, if I do say so
myself! I was told years ago that I could not possibly paint paneling,
this by a so-called good friend (at the time....lol) who supposedly "knew
everything" about home decorating (just ask her, she'd tell you that),
who worked for a home improvement store. It is NOT true! So if
someone tells you that you can't paint paneling, just do it anyway. Mine
came out great and I've never been sorry. It's way more interesting than
the plain knockdown finish that you find over most plasterboard (in regular
homes, not just mobile homes). And the possibilities to add other things
than I have done are endless. Have fun! I also painted my ceilings
a glossy white, which increases the light bounce in the room and by optical
illusion makes the ceilings appear to be much higher. This idea was
given to me by an art major friend, and he was right. So go for it!
I love paint; it's cheap and easy to re-do." - Sally
* * *
Copyright © 2008 by Kathleen Wilson. All rights reserved. Readers comments edited by Michelle Jones. Budget Decorating Article Index Want more money-saving tips? Get a FREE Subscription to our monthly newsletter!
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