Flooring over crawl space in Phoenix area

8 years ago

We are empty nesters living in a camper until our manufactured home is remodeled. We plan to live in this home for the long term. we have heard from many that wood floors work/don’t work in this climate. Also that engineered wood might work best. It’s also hard to find a reputable vendor with a product that won’t break the bank. Cheap stuff is very easy to find. Any suggestions for type of/brand of flooring and vendors in this area?

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jslazart

8 years ago

I had an original (oak) wood floors in a 1930s home in Phoenix with leaky original windows and no humidity control. It was gorgeous, and many of my neighbors similarly had 80+ year old wood floors (historic neighborhoods downtown). Wood does shrink in dry climates, but can be fine once acclimated. Our only issue was in one of the bedrooms, where some of the boards had apparently shrunk and a prior owner had the gaps filled in. You could only tell if you looked closely. We installed matching wood in an addition and had no issues in 3 years. If you go the wood route, I highly recommend Vinny at Royal Wood Flooring.

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Comments (7)

SJ McCarthy
8 years ago
When you say manufactured home, are you talking about a mobile home are are you talking at a "real" house (does NOT look like a trailer) that is manufacturer off-site and then installed "whole" over the pad/foundation?

As for hardwood in Arizona, there is only ONE THING you need to KNOW: your ABILITY TO CONTROL the HUMIDITY IN THE HOME.

First question: Do you have an EXCELLENT Home heating/cooling system (aka HVAC system) that has FINGER TIP control for the HUMIDITY (forget the temperature setting for a moment - simply think about the HUMIDITY control)?

If you cannot REMEMBER ever changing the humidity, then you do not have it. And if you do NOT have the humidity control (humidistat or whole home humidifier) then wood flooring is going to be a MASSIVE problem.

For wood flooring to remain "happy" - you MUST be able to MAINTAIN (24 hours per day/7 days per week/365 per year!!! including vacation time) 35% - 55% HUMIDITY. Regardless of temperature inside/outside. Regardless of humidity outside (or lack thereof).

DRY CLIMATES are worse than DAMP climates. Much much worse. So....answer the question about the humidistat and then decide if you can look at hardwood. This whole thing could be a moot point.
Growing area 7b thanked SJ McCarthy
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User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Mobile homes cannot structurally withstand the extra weight of flooring or other “improvements” outside the parameters of the original installation. Usually vinyl.
Growing area 7b thanked User
Growing area 7b
Original Author
8 years ago
We have a manufactured home- two pieces manufactured off site and then attached over a crawl space. The home is gutted right now and as far as HVAC, we are replacing the original equipment and we will be sure to have a whole house humidifier installed. Suggestions are welcomed
chiflipper
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
As a (former) resident of Phoenix for 20+ years I strongly suggest you choose a vinyl sheet floor for you particular circumstance. High quality sheet goods are to be had in slate / wood / tile looks. Any flooring used in the low desert will take a beating from the particulates (dust, sand) in the air. Tile works well but, a manufactured home is not constructed to support a tile floor.
Growing area 7b thanked chiflipper
mommyniki
8 years ago
I live outside of Phoenix and have my whole life. While I only had wood floors in our previous home for a year before we moved, my sister had them for at least 15 years. She never had a problem with it being too dry for wood and it shrinking. Her floors were gorgeous. She also didn’t have a humidity control on her a/c. I’ve never known anyone here that has that and I know a lot of people with wood floors. It’s just not something that comes with homes here. You definitely want to acclimate the wood before install though. I have no idea about it being a manufactured home. Can you ask the home’s builder about it? You might want to look into luxury vinyl plank instead. There are some really nice ones.
Growing area 7b thanked mommyniki
Growing area 7b
Original Author
8 years ago
My contractor recommended engineered wood. We are trying to age in place- we are not yet 60 but want to live in this house for many years. That is why we were avoiding tile.

Perhaps I should ask this question on the manufactured home page. Thank you to all! You were all helpful