| Decorating a mobile home or manufactured home can | | | | onto the walls at regular intervals. Now paint the |
| be a challenge. Paneled walls, vinyl wallpaper, odd | | | | "frames" the same color as the trim in the room. |
| angles and low ceilings are just a few of the | | | | Hang artwork inside the frames, and the molding |
| problems home decorators must overcome. Here are | | | | becomes a gallery, and the strips look a deliberate |
| some great ideas for decorating your mobile home | | | | part of the style scheme, separating each "frame" |
| with style and charm. | | | | from the next. |
| The most common complaint I hear in decorating a | | | | Another problem with mobile home decorating is the |
| mobile home is what to do about those paneled walls. | | | | question of architectural details. Mobile homes almost |
| Mobile homes tend to have strips of vertical "molding" | | | | always lack them! So add your own! Frame sunken |
| that cover the gap between each panel of wallboard. | | | | tubs with wallpaper border, stencil arches over |
| They scream "mobile home". There are ways to | | | | doorways, cut ¼ inch plywood into 4-6 inch |
| work around them. First of all, you can remove them | | | | wide strips, then add below the ceiling line, use wood |
| and use joint compound and a putty knife to fill the | | | | putty in the seams, and paint the trim color. |
| gaps. This works, however, as one of my readers | | | | Add charm to a mobile home kitchen by removing |
| pointed out recently when she tried this method, its | | | | the cupboard door below the sink, and add shirred |
| difficult to get the gaps as smooth as the wallboard. | | | | fabric on a rod for a softer look. Cut out the interior |
| Her solution was to apply joint compound to the | | | | of the upper cupboard doors, and replace with glass |
| whole wall, then texture and paint. Great idea! A lot | | | | or fabric. Paint your cabinets. The idea is to create a |
| of work! | | | | custom look, and get rid of the cookie cutter mobile |
| If you don't want to put the work into the joint | | | | home decor. |
| compound method, you have options. The first is to | | | | If your mobile home has paneling, the best thing you |
| simply choose one or two co-coordinating paint colors | | | | can do is to paint it. A good coat of primer and some |
| in a rich hue, then make the color of the walls the | | | | white semi gloss can take a whole home from blah |
| star. With a beautiful color as background, especially a | | | | to fresh and inviting. Removing the paneling is time |
| rich color, then strips will seem to fade away. How | | | | consuming, and can damage the walls underneath, so |
| about cranberry and mustard? Or a rich moss green | | | | consider this option carefully. |
| and a golden yellow? | | | | Mobile home decorating doesn't have to be a |
| Another option is to make the strips seem deliberate. | | | | problem, just keep in mind these tips, and use |
| Get some inexpensive molding the same approximate | | | | creativity to decorate your mobile or manufactured |
| size as the strips, and glue rectangular panel "frames" | | | | home in a warm and stylish way. |