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Bathroom remodel

Tom Baugues

Tom Baugues

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2,794
Location
Lafayette, Indiana
Hi guys, I could use some advise. We decided to repaint our bathroom however this repaint job has turned into a full gut job including laying new flooring. Tonight I pulled up the carpet and padding as I have new laminate floor planking to put down. The plywood subfloor is ok except a corner near the bub that has gotten wet at some point. It was not wet under the carpet so I really don't know when it got wet. Might have even been before we bought the house. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this (not so good plywood section). Like I said...it is dry but the wood has rotted a bit in this area.
Now....we had a new bathtub installed a few years back and it was about 2-3 inches narrower than the one that was removed so the subfloor does not go all the way over to the new tub. I had that area filled in with some scrap wood and pieces of tile on top of it. That's why there is that gap. Is it common for there to be two layers of subfloor? If so...I'm wondering if I can simply cut out this area that was wet and nail down a piece of plywood in its place and fit it all the way over to the new tub?
I hope this all makes sense.
 

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Yes, you should be able to cut out the damaged area and fill it.

Is the flooring outside of the room a hardwood or something. If so, my guess for two layers was to either build it up to match hardwood flooring outside the room or they originally planned to do tile in the bath and didn't, so built it up to fill the area that tile backer/concrete board and tile would have gone so the level matched that outside the bath.

How thick is the new laminate flooring? You can either remove all the floor and put in a thinner layer of plywood so the levels match, or just lay it and have a stepped threshold where the floor is a 1/4" to 3/8" thicker in the bath. Ok to do so, but if you anticipate needing to use a walker or it poses as a trip hazard down the road, may be worth it to level it now.
 
yes, cut out thee bad and include the space to the new tub and fill with new plywood. depending on the flooring you use 1/4 underlayment will help smooth out the transitioning of the old floor
 
Thank you guys for the quick replies. I sanded away the top of the area and actually it cleaned up fairly well. I was pretty surprised. The wood is stained...but it is solid. Not spongy at all. I did remove the thinner strip of plywood that was between it and the tub. It was indeed junk.
I'm wondering if previous owners had tile in there because the subfloor looks like it still has some kind of left over adhesive residue. It too sands off fairly easy. I'll have to think about this some more as to weather to go ahead with this or not. I really wasn't wanting to remove the whole floor if I don't have to.
 

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tom, like darren mentioned how does the existing floor match up to the other floor next to it? if its same level then you probably are good to go. but if its not then look at what you need to get there.. on the laying of the floor, that 3" strip added by tub will give you fits depending on what direction you run your flooring
 
Wow, I hadn't thought that the difference between the two was going to be this much. That extra thick carpet padding we had put down is coming back to bite me now. I might have to lay down a sheet of 1/4" underlayment after all. Here is a photo of my new flooring and where it meets the carpet leaving the bathroom. Can I get away with just removing a bit of the padding under the carpet where the transition happens?
 

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Tom Baugues said:
Wow, I hadn't thought that the difference between the two was going to be this much. That extra thick carpet padding we had put down is coming back to bite me now. I might have to lay down a sheet of 1/4" underlayment after all. ...Can I get away with just removing a bit of the padding under the carpet where the transition happens?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't remove the padding unless you can figure out how to taper it back about a foot or more to allow for a smooth transition.
From the photo, it looks like you'll need at least a half inch of underlayment to come close to matching the flooring heights.
 
Jim DeLaney said:
I wouldn't remove the padding unless you can figure out how to taper it back about a foot or more to allow for a smooth transition.
From the photo, it looks like you'll need at least a half inch of underlayment to come close to matching the flooring heights.
Click to expand...
I'll have to figure out a way to taper it then because I cant raise the new vanity I have to install. Boy...this project just keeps throwing me curve balls.
 
You should be able to use a transition that covers both, the edge of the carpet and the edge of the laminate, such as this, but without the smaller inserts underneath, just the track and T shaped piece: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pergo-H...th-Laminate-4-in-1-Molding-MG001281/300504632

You may need to attach the carpet using tacks or tack strip at the transition to hold it tight and not allow it to pull away from the transition.
 
Tom, I feel your pain. My bathroom remodel started out as a failed wax ring on the toilet and turned into a tear it all down and build it back up, lol.
 
Be careful sanding the old floor. It looks like there was a black mastic residue form an old tile floor. Depending on age of the house this mastic could contain asbestos, so minimize any sanding.
Depending on where you got your flooring you should be able to get a transition strip that looks like a "T" that will go over your laminate and carpet. You will also need a bull nose transition at the tub unless you plan to adhere quarter round to the tub. I would not recommend adhering the quarter round. Also you will need to pull your stool and maybe add a lift ring. New wax seal at a minimum. I would also recommend pulling the vanity. That way if you ever decide to change it there will be no issues with the new footprint.

If you need some help let me know, be more than glad to share what I know.
 
darren and steve have you coverd, as for the vanity what is keeping you from changing the height? dont fret the transition it will go fine with the pieces mentioned,
 
Thanks guys, I'm working on pulling the toilet now. I have purchased a transition strip to go between the carpet and new floor. It can be seen in last photo. I have pulled the vanity and have a new one to install. It is taller than the old one by about two inches. The old vanity countertop had a 4" splash guard on all three sides. I have an outlet mounted about 2 inches above that. I can use the new vanity without a splash guard and not have to relocate the outlet. So raising the floor would cause the vanity to be higher and therefore cause the electrical box for the outlet to be relocated which means running new wire. Seems like everything I need to do causes three more issues to address. I'm enjoying the process but this has turned into a much bigger job than originally planned.
 
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