Vinyl and Linoleum Flooring - HELP subfloor is particle board

We live in a manufactured home built in 2000; we just bought Armstrong sheet vinyl to replace carpet in the bathroom and after tearing up carpet found subfloor is particle board. I keep reading how bad this is as an underlayment b/c is swells and shrinks easily depending on seasons. this flooring is a pretty big investment so I want to make sure it lasts! Suggestions? Someone has suggested installing luon (sp?) as an underlayment and I've read that it helps to seal the particleboard with a primer.

I thought they outlawed particle board in manufactured homes years ago. I'm surprised a 2000 model has particle board. Particle board is just saw dust and glue. It's good for nothing and reportedly will not hold a nail or staple. It's o.k. under carpet, but that's about it.

If installing vinyl, you need a super smooth and clean surface beneath. 1/4" luan or plywood underlayment for vinyl floors is recommended. Many internet forum posts tend to recommend that they use ring shank nails, countersunk, and holes filled in luan over particle board.

If in doubt, contact customer service of the vinyl manufacturer for proper installation in order not to void warranties.

well, it definitely holds staples, as the rug pad was stapled and some of those were a ***** to get out. It seems to be in pretty good shape too; maybe it's a higher quality type of particle board?

As long as it doesn't get wet the particle board should be ok. The majority of MHs I've worked on had particle board. Moisture becomes a problem when there are plumbing leaks or around the perimeter of the MH if rain water finds it's way in. Normal humidity shouldn't be a problem.

You should be ok using luan for an underlayment.