Budget Decorating
(featured column)

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 don't want to put the work into the joint compound method, you have options. The first is to simply choose one or two co-coordinating paint colors in a rich hue, then make the color of the walls the star. With a beautiful color as background, especially a rich color, then strips will seem to fade away. How about cranberry and mustard? Or a rich moss green and a golden yellow?

Another option is to make the strips seem deliberate. Get some inexpensive molding the same approximate size as the strips, and glue rectangular panel "frames" onto the walls at regular intervals. Now paint the "frames" the same color as the trim in the room. Hang artwork inside the frames, and the molding becomes a gallery, and the strips look a deliberate part of the style scheme, separating each "frame" from the next.

Another problem with mobile home decorating is the question of architectural details. Mobile homes almost always lack them, so add your own! Frame sunken tubs with wallpaper border, stencil arches over doorways, cut 1/4 inch plywood into 4-6 inch wide strips, then add below the ceiling line, use wood putty in the seams, and paint the trim color.

Add charm to a mobile home kitchen by removing the cupboard door below the sink, and add shirred fabric on a rod for a softer look.  Cut out the interior of the upper cupboard doors, and replace with glass or fabric. Paint your cabinets. The idea is to create a custom look, and get rid of the cookie cutter mobile home decor.

If your mobile home has paneling, the best thing you can do is to paint it. A good coat of primer and some white semi-gloss can take a whole home from blah to fresh and inviting.

Mobile home decorating doesn't have to be a problem, just keep in mind these tips, and use creativity to decorate your mobile or manufactured home in a warm and stylish way.

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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!

"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.

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Copyright © 2008 by Kathleen Wilson.  All rights reserved.

Readers comments edited by Michelle Jones.

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