Dana by Design

Many mobile homes contain colorful vinyl paneling. To keep it bright and beautiful, wipe it off every couple of weeks with mild detergent and water. It doesn’t take long.
Sometime, you may wish to redecorate your kitchen or bath. You can paint the vinyl panels or cover them with new self-adhesive vinyl wall coverings. You can even combine the two methods by covering the old panels and painting the mouldings some coordinated color.
Consider a whole remodeling job on your kitchen or bath. With today’s easy-to-use home improvement products, you can do most of it yourself—with the occasional help of a friend. Let your needs and imagination be your guide. You can replace cabinets, linoleum, wall coverings, sinks, counters, faucets, and shower walls. If you plan to keep the same kitchen appliances, build your new color scheme around them.
The toilet dominates bathroom remodeling. If you want a dramatic change, begin by calling in a plumber to install one of those new ultrasilent pushbutton toilets. Consider a new wall behind the tub (page 120). From there, think of light fixtures, new ceilings, and so on. Other pages in this book show how to tackle other jobs quickly and efficiently yourself.

Many mobile homes contain colorful vinyl paneling. To keep it bright and beautiful, wipe it off every couple of weeks with mild detergent and water. It doesn’t take long.
Sometime, you may wish to redecorate your kitchen or bath. You can paint the vinyl panels or cover them with new self-adhesive vinyl wall coverings. You can even combine the two methods by covering the old panels and painting the mouldings some coordinated color.
Consider a whole remodeling job on your kitchen or bath. With today’s easy-to-use home improvement products, you can do most of it yourself—with the occasional help of a friend. Let your needs and imagination be your guide. You can replace cabinets, linoleum, wall coverings, sinks, counters, faucets, and shower walls. If you plan to keep the same kitchen appliances, build your new color scheme around them.

The toilet dominates bathroom remodeling. If you want a dramatic change, begin by calling in a plumber to install one of those new ultrasilent pushbutton toilets. Consider a new wall behind the tub (page 120). From there, think of light fixtures, new ceilings, and so on. Other pages in this book show how to tackle other jobs quickly and efficiently yourself.

With everyone working together, lift the replacement gypsum panel to the ceiling. Be cautious, as these panels break easily. Buckle it slightly to slip the end in over the tops of the walls. With four people holding the panel up, a fifth person staples the panel to the joists with the staple gun.

Once the panel is stapled in place, further secure the ceiling panel to the joists with rosettes. To do this accurately, line up rosettes on the new panel with those in the old ceiling panels that remain. Rosettes actually support the ceiling only when they penetrate solid material such as a joist. Replace the next panel by the same procedure.

On panels where light fixtures hang, turn off the power to the fixture and remove it (page 39). Run an extension cord from another circuit for lights and tools. Cut a hole in the new panel to accommodate the fixture. Measure carefully; an off-position hole ruins the piece of board. Follow the described procedure thereafter, to mount the board. Install the light fixture.

When you have all the panels in place and anchored by rosettes, cover the seams with mouldings. Then give your crew some refresment; they’ve earned it

Keep electrical equipment on the outside of your home in good repair too. Cover receptacles when they’re not in use. Lubricate the cover hinges periodically to prevent rusting. Exterior light fixtures take a great deal of battering and weathering. Always keep bulbs in the outside fixtures, so corrosion can’t form as rapidly in sockets. At least cover an unused fixture with a plastic bag to prevent rain from rusting the socket. Homes vacant on a dealer’s lot may have rusted light sockets. Ask that they be replaced before you buy. You can replace a damaged fixture yourself. It doesn’t require an electrician or a lot of time. But turn off the circuit. One thing to look for when purchasing a new outside fixture: drain holes to allow rain, snow, or sand to dribble out the bottom. Then replacement instructions on the preceding page apply easily to outside fixtures. When electrical problems develop which are not covered in this chapter, do not attempt the repair yourself. These require the attention of a qualified electrician.

Carry it even further. Visit local home-supply stores. You might find a distinctive new panel style or something attractive on sale. Panel the entire room, just one wall, or alternate panels. A mural or mirrors offer decorating possibilities.
In selecting a new wall, consider its thickness. Quarter-inch paneling costs more than eighth-inch. Yet the thicker wood insulates your home better and takes more abuse. Study dimensions before you buy. Panels come in 4×8-foot sections. Count present panels; measure their height carefully. If you don’t have an electric saw, ask the salesperson to have new panels cut to size for you.
The work goes the same, whether you replace one panel or an. entire wall. You can lift old panels from the wall easily once you pull all the nails free at the seams and center studs. Nail the new panels to the wall studs with 1 1/2..inch finishing nails. Countersink each nail and cover with wood filler. Color the filler with crayon or stain. your new panels to help preserve their fresh look.

Give beautiful panel walls the care they deserve. Dust them every month. Cigarette smoke and cooking oils put a dulling film on your walls. So clean and wax them at least three times a year. Fill gouges and dents with plastic wood. When the filler has dried, sand it carefully. Select a paint or stain that matches or blends, and color the patch.
Camouflage scratches immediately. A thin scratch doesn’t devalue your home, but it can gnaw at your peace of mind. You plan to repair it someday anyway; why not now? Brush dust and dirt from 1 the scratch. If you wax your walls, remove the wax with a mild detergent and rinse with clear water. After the wall dries, apply wood stain, iodine, almond stick, or some other convenient touchup product. The repair takes less time than worrying about it, you’ll find.
The same goes for popped-out paneling and loose window mould- ings. For mouldings, mash down the old staples and hammer the strips to window studs with finishing nails. Use finishing nails to reattach loose panels. A chronic pop-out problem suggests bad blocking.
A badly damaged wall calls for new panels. Finding a matching panel may be hard, not because wood panels are difficult to find but because the color varies slightly with each new factory run. Even a new panel from the same job lot wouldn’t match yours, because sunlight that filters into your home discolors wood finishes rather quickly. The answer: repanel that whole wall. One whole side of a room doesn’t look so bad if it doesn’t match the others perfectly.