How to Replace Skirting

If you have a mobile home, you probably have skirting around the outside. Skirting is a vital part of mobile homes. Not only does it make your home look nicer, but it prevents rodents, trash and people from going under your house. In cold climates, skirting also helps prevent the water pipes from freezing. Sometimes, a panel becomes damaged and needs replacing. The average homeowner can easily replace the skirting on his own.

• 1

  Put on a pair of work gloves and goggles to protect yourself from accidents.

• 2

  Remove the damaged section of the skirting, or all the old skirting, from around the mobile home. Slide the skirting panel upwards then disengage the ends from the adjacent panels. When the panel it is out of the bottom channel, continue to pull and slide the panel until it is completely out.

• 3

  Place the old panel on the new one. Trace along the outside edges with a carpenter's pencil. If the panel was too damaged to use as a pattern, then measure the height between the U-channel and the J-channel every two feet. The U channel is the bottom section that the skirting fits inside on the ground. The J-channel is the top section that holds the top of the skirting panel in place. Write the numbers down so you will know how to mark the pattern. If your home is on level ground, the skirt height will remain constant, but if your house is on a slope, then the skirt height will vary from one end to the other. Only cut the excess off from the bottom of the panel if the edge needs altering. The top must always be kept straight and uncut.

• 4

  Cut along the pencil mark with a pair of tin snips.

• 5

  Install the new skirting panel in the opening left by the old panel. Overlap and latch the pieces together. If you are replacing more than one panel, start at one corner and install skirting panels one at a time.