What Can Cause the Floors in My Mobile Home to Sag by the Doorways?

Water Damage

• Water that seeps into your mobile home may be the cause of the sagging floors near the doorways. If your door is not properly sealed, it may be letting water in every time that it rains. You may also have a ceiling leak over the area near the door. If you notice staining on your ceiling or water getting in through the door, you need to fix the leak first before you repair the floors. Otherwise, you will continue to have sagging floors. Hire a contractor to inspect the roof and patch any holes. Reseal the door and add caulking around the door and nearby windows to form a secure seal near the doorway and then repair the floors.

Pests

• Wood-eating pests could be causing the sagging floors near your doorway. Termites and other pests may have eaten away at the floor joists, subfloor and wooden posts near the doorway. Call an exterminator if you suspect pests are the reason for the problem.

Vapor Barrier

• Your mobile home may have come equipped with a vapor barrier that was nailed to the floor joists. If it has become damaged, it is failing to protect your floors as intended. Moisture may be coming in contact with the floors, causing mold and decay in the floors near the doorway. Contact an insulation installer or general contractor to replace your vapor barrier.

Inadequate Flooring

• If you have an older mobile home with the original flooring, this flooring may be causing the sagging problem. Some older mobile homes were built by using particle board for the subfloor and then followed with vinyl or linoleum. The walls were then installed directly on top of the vinyl flooring. As a result, if the particle board got wet, it would become damaged and begin to fall apart. Another problem might be if laminate floors were installed over vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring that was installed in the factory was probably stapled in place around the perimeter, causing humps to form. Laminate flooring on top of vinyl floors of this type will have difficulty laying flat on an uneven surface, potentially causing the flooring to sag in certain areas, such as near the doorway.

Support Problems

• Sagging floors can be indicative of support issues. The support beams may be oversized or rotting. They may also be too spaced out to provide for support under the doorway area. You may need to replace the support beams or add sister joists to help support the load. Another option may be to raise the sagging floor with the use of a hydraulic jack.