Painting interior walls of mobile home

[twinboysmom]

Hi all!
We just purchased a FEMA mobile home to put on some land we have to use as a hunting camp. We got really lucky as this unit is in great shape but it could use some new paint on the walls. They are the type that are shiny and I just don't think I can slap a coat of paint on it like traditional walls. I have read on the Internet to sand, not to sand, to prime, not to prime. Any help would be great from those who know. I really don't want to spend time painting the walls and have the paint come off. Thanks to all!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Usually Any "shiny" paint has to be sanded first for the next layer of paint to adhere. Perhaps you can ask at a paint store or even a Home Depot type store?? Good Luck and congrats on the new place.

 

[chabs]

Don't try to paint over shiny paint without doing something to it first! I would go ask at Home Depot or something before you paint. I painted a dresser that had shiny paint last summer and it is still "clammy" and never dried right. It feels like it is cold and greasy-weird I know, but I don't know how else to describe it. I didn't prime it or anything-it was just a dresser for a kids room, but I didn't realize my mistake until it was too late. We had to put that rubber type shelf protector on the top of the dresser so that my DD could use it.

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

first thing is you should try to find out weather it is oil based or latex based. If it is latex based then you can go right over it without priming. If it is oil based then you have to either use an oil based paint to cover(which I don't like because you are putting more voc chemicals into the home). Or you can prime with and oil based primer(KILZ brand interior is a good choice because it has noi odor, and it also it good for covering up stains)then once you have primer on you can cover that with a latex based topcoat.

Being a mobile home can I assume there is paneling in there and not drywall? If it is paneling I would definitely recommend sanding the shine off the panels before applying any paint. If it is drywall you could get away without sanding, but I would recommend that you wash the walls with TSP for either surface.
I would also go with something less shiny than semi-gloss. I prefer velvet finish. It is closer to matte finsih but still has a bit of shine.

If you are really unsure, to practice first try painting a closet or something that doesn't really matter before you paint the main walls everyone will see.

 

[twinboysmom]

You know, I am really not sure what the walls are. They're not painted at all. It is the standard wall for a mobile home, nothing upgraded. Feels like a vinyl or plastic surface. I do intend to start with the closets for certain. I am hoping to figure out what I need as the land is in a fairly remote location and going back and forth to the home depot is a bit of a drive. I have been to home depot and lowes and gotten nothing but different answers. The good thing is at least I don't live in it full time so if I mess it up well, it could be worse.

 

[stm61]

We live in a double-wide, though not from FEMA. I don't remember what dh called the stuff on our walls, I call it wall board or fake sheet rock. It does look kind of shiny. Dh removed the strips of paneling that covered the seams between each wall board, and spackled the seams. Then he primed the walls and painted. I know it took at least 2 coats of the final colors. Now it looks like sheet rock walls. Our house was built around 2000 if that helps.

 

[twinboysmom]

We live in a double-wide, though not from FEMA. I don't remember what dh called the stuff on our walls, I call it wall board or fake sheet rock. It does look kind of shiny. Dh removed the strips of paneling that covered the seams between each wall board, and spackled the seams. Then he primed the walls and painted. I know it took at least 2 coats of the final colors. Now it looks like sheet rock walls. Our house was built around 2000 if that helps.

It does, thank you. I am keeping the strips in as that would be too much work for a camp. I am sure with this being a FEMA it is the cheapest finish possible. It is reinforced for the high winds that can occur in a hurricane so that's good.

 

[tlbwriter]

You know, I am really not sure what the walls are. They're not painted at all. It is the standard wall for a mobile home, nothing upgraded. Feels like a vinyl or plastic surface. I do intend to start with the closets for certain. I am hoping to figure out what I need as the land is in a fairly remote location and going back and forth to the home depot is a bit of a drive. I have been to home depot and lowes and gotten nothing but different answers. The good thing is at least I don't live in it full time so if I mess it up well, it could be worse.

That sounds like my MIL's mobile home, and she just painted right over it. And the light switches, but that's another story.

 

[RNMOM]

I would go to a good paint store or decorating store that sells high end paints. They have a lot more experience and variety of products. I think you might get away with washing it well with a scrubbie or stiff bristle brush and some TSP (trisodium phosphate). Hardware stores sell it and so will the paint store. You need to rinse it and then when dry apply a good primer possibly KILZ. That stuff is heavy duty. You can then use any paint you choose. I had heard they don't sell oil based paint anymore but haven't bought any for a couple years so don't know this for sure. Honestly, Latex is just fine.

Before you apply anything make sure all the screws holding the wood strips are nice and tight. They usually require a specialized tip so have a good look at them.

As for the dresser that felt tacky on one of the above posts, I bet the surface of the paint dried but not all the way through. Did that once too and it was a mess.

Unless you are keeping the heat on I would wait till the weather is warmer and dryer to do this. Humidity and cool weather could mess things up. Read the labels for the primer and paint for ideal conditions.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

BEen there! done this. Regular latex paint will bubble and peel. We sanded the shiny parts off (the latex peeled most of it) and then painted which worked just fine.

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

OK, so the walls are prefinished vinyl panels. I would give them a real good washing and see how they look after that. I would think anything from normal wear and tear should wash off to leave an acceptable surface. After all if this is used only for camp, why spend alll the time and effort to paint to get a job that in the end may or may not look good. I am not saying it is a bad idea to paint over vinyl, but if you can get by just washing them well. Why not start there. Try it for a bit after it is washed and if the walls still bug you..then go through the steps or preparing for paint.

I would definitely not sand the vinyl before you paint.

 

[twinboysmom]

OK, so the walls are prefinished vinyl panels. I would give them a real good washing and see how they look after that. I would think anything from normal wear and tear should wash off to leave an acceptable surface. After all if this is used only for camp, why spend alll the time and effort to paint to get a job that in the end may or may not look good. I am not saying it is a bad idea to paint over vinyl, but if you can get by just washing them well. Why not start there. Try it for a bit after it is washed and if the walls still bug you..then go through the steps or preparing for paint.

I would definitely not sand the vinyl before you paint.

We would just leave it but there were holes in the walls and they have been repaired so the white patches look pretty rough. We figured paint is cheap so why not give it a bit of color. Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Snoopymom]

We got an amazing deal on a FEMA trailer, never lived in, said it is "hurricane proof" but really, I think it has extra beams and all metal supports and it definitely has good quality windows. We put it on our lake lot and LOVE it!

I painted all 980 sq feet with 3 coats of paint, but no sanding. I used Sherwin Williams, primer for the first coat and flat paint for the 2nd and 3rd coat. It has been 3 years and no bubbles or flaking. I also ran caulking around the entire ceiling because the gap made a dark shadow that you didn't notice with the ugly fake brown trim. I'll try to add pictures.

(I'm sure you're aware that you might have ad valorem depending on where you're located and then the "improvement" can make your property taxes go up

 

[jodifla]

There are some really great primers out there that will pretty much go over everything. I used some over my brown varnished wood cabinets -- no sanding. First you prime, then you paint over the primer.