Engineered Skirting For Manufactured Homes
Is DURASKIRT™ the only engineered skirting for manufactured homes?
Compare DURASKIRT™ engineered skirting with other mobile home skirting choices like, Hardie, Hardie Backer, Cement Board, DUROCK, Treated Plywood. Moreover, read about the differences, misconceptions, and notions about skirting products.
Intelligently Engineered Skirting for Manufactured Homes
DURASKIRT™ engineered skirting for manufactured homes, mobile homes, sheds, decks, park models and more.
Have you spent any time considering skirting products for manufactured homes or mobile homes? If you have, you will know that not all products will perform well outside of their original intended use.
For example, we have seen a few products fail miserably when using the as skirting. Indeed, plywood, Hardie siding, Hardie backer and DUROCK tile backer are some to name a few. More so, skirting is located where moisture, sun and extreme weather conditions are existing. Thus, you need a product designed specifically to handle these extremes.
Hardie or cement board skirting, when used as siding is a great product. Used as skirting exposed to under floor moisture, it begins to warp inward and eventually pulls from the nails and screws. Following the dry summers, it gets brittle then begins to fall away leaving the home vulnerable to rodents and the elements.
DUROCK, on the other hand, is a great product when used properly as an interior tile backer. But when DUROCK is used as mobile home skirting it eventually crumbles to pieces in a rather short period of time. The reason is simple, the netting is not UV resistant thus it rots away quickly. To add to its demise the cement used is not air en-trained for freezing and thawing weather conditions, so it crumbles.
Plywood is another material that is frequently used. Some refer to plywood skirting as “poison plywood.” Treated plywood is another material that was and is widely used as skirting and has proven to not last. In many cases we see rotten rim-joists that is caused by trapping moisture where it connects directly to the home. We also find the plywood eventually rots when back filled with soil.
Before you consider a skirting product please consider these questions:
- Is the intended use of this product meant for skirting?
- As a consumer what should I be looking for in a skirting material?
- Is the product engineered for manufactured homes or mobile home skirting? If engineered skirting, does it meet the HUD Permanent Foundation Code?
- Does this skirting product have a proven history for skirting manufactured homes or mobile homes?
- Is the product warranted for skirting use?
- What are my expectations from the skirting and does the skirting literature cover them?
Making An Informed Choice
Believe me when I say, “which skirting material you use can have detrimental effects.” For this reason, I am writing to inform consumers of problems we’re encountering. More so, for helping new customers quests for making a more informed skirting choice. Because their efforts and money they will be investing money into their homes future.
Since 2000 when I envisioned a concrete skirting for manufactured homes we were one of many thousands of contractors routinely grabbed products from the cheapest sources. Trained like rats we were constructing these materials to fit the manufactured home. Likewise, we routinely did this because it’s how everyone else did it. Nevertheless, this was acceptable to almost every building jurisdiction and thus sold by sales personnel at the dealerships.
Many home dealerships had a series of skirting products showcased for visual aides to offer their customers along with a set of fixed costs for each. Granted, these sales professionals generally had no clue of the products benefits or long-term use. Many of these products had skirting manuals or warranties. Furthermore, after offering DURASKIRT™ engineered skirting publicly we became aware of these other products that were failing and the reasons why.
Over the past thirteen plus years since the first DURASKIRT™ panels were making their way onto manufactured homes we have learned much about our industry and its needs. The product has improved but the purpose remains clear as the day we began. To bring an affordable durable manufactured home skirting product to last the life span of the home itself.
DURASKIRT™ is intelligently engineered unlike many other products.
What I mean by intelligently engineered becomes very apparent as you dissect the way it’s made. We start by using steel molds that are coated with a renewable resource, corn oil. We then use a galvanized welded wire that is set purposely to the back of each panel to take a frontal force. The panels are marked to indicate the back of the panels.
The concrete mix is designed for exterior adverse weather conditions with en-trained air, super plasticizes, and shrinkage reducer to prevent warping high cement ratio that is considered a waterproof concrete mix. The concrete mix also has fiber reinforcement added to prevent cracking.
Another addition and first is the use of Geo-tech fabric for holding the panels in place for back-filling. The use of a Hidden-Vent is also a breakthrough for manufactured home skirting. As you can see we have been hard at work developing a superior product for our industry.
What is also a first is a concrete skirting product that is packaged for the DIY consumer.
DURASKIRT™ panels weigh less than 65 lbs. each and can be installed by the average consumer. This saves tons of money. Whether your project is large or small DURASKIRT™ is suited to meet most home sets. The panels are 30” x 37” x ¾” and can be ordered with the fabric on either end. This allows DURASKIRT™ engineered skirting to be used on homes that is set an extra block high. Being ¾” thick the panels fit easily on homes that are not foundation ready. This saves money because some factories charge more for ordering your home foundation ready. One other added benefit is that non-foundation ready homes experience less drywall damage during shipping saving the dealership and home manufacturers repair costs.
DURASKIRT™ has an easy to follow manual and installation videos that make it the most popular DIY skirting in the industry. Our goal is to set the industry standard for excellence in manufactured home products.
How do I order DURASKIRT™?
DURASKIRT™ is priced by the height of skirting and lineal foot of the perimeter of the home. Measure your home and call for pricing. Use the Pre-Order form to make it clearer what you need. A customer service agent can help you fill out the sheet and either fax, mail or email us a copy. Phone numbers are listed on the website as are emails.
For more information about mobile home skirting products visit DURASKIRT™ home page.
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