Water Damaged Subfloor Bathroom

The first step is to absorb any water lurking on the surface of the floor.

Water damaged subfloor bathroom. Remove the damaged floor material start by completely removing the damaged materials. Common sources are plumbing fixtures especially toilets and tubs with showers but also any areas with sinks or appliances that are likely to leak including bathrooms kitchens and laundry rooms. Remove baseboards around affected areas and pull back carpeting to the nearest wall. Your 8 step diy guide 1.

Use a pry bar to remove any protruding nails and vacuum up the demolition debris. Start exposing the floor to. Unless you re dealing with the aftermath of a flood water in the subfloor has a source. Plywood will start to rot when it s exposed to water too often.

Use a circular saw set to 1 depth to cut the subflooring back beyond the damaged areas until you reach solid structural framing. My floor had major damage but if yours is minor you can just use a putty like this to fix it. Heal your floor in the case of minor subfloor damage you can simply use a flooring putty to repair the damage. If flooding occurs and there is water leaking into the sub flooring it is crucial to dry out the subfloor as soon as possible.

Water can damage more than just the flooring in a bathroom when it gets in underneath of it. If the water damage was a one time thing say from a heavy spill a window left open during a storm or other accidents the current subfloor is most likely salvageable. Subfloor damage in the bathroom usually comes from a leaking toilet but it can also be the result of a persistent sink drain leak or even a drip behind the walls. Drying a water damaged subfloor a limited or short lived leak that s made it as far as the subfloor may not be a big problem provided you can stop the leak then dry out the subflooring and any neighboring elements framing floor and wall finishes etc completely.

Then place a dehumidifier at high settings to pull out any moisture that is still in the air. The putty will serve to re level your floor and strengthen the affected area. If you can catch the leak in. The subfloor that s placed beneath bathroom flooring is typically made out of plywood which is of course not waterproof.

I recommend donald durham s rockhard water putty. Drying out is necessary to prevent mold and rot. By far the most common cause of subfloor damage is moisture. Start by stopping the water.

If you feel sponginess or sagging you ll probably have.