Author Topic: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?  (Read 1637 times)

Healthie

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RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« on: October 14, 2018, 10:10:42 AM »
I ripped up the horizontal subfloor in my bathroom to the studs; some of the boards were rotten from water damage but not all were. boards go under the walls. My questions:
1. Did I make a mistake? Should I reinforce the floor joists with sisters/boxes?
2. my pipes are copper; should I update these to plastic?
3. should I replace the drywall before I put in the new subfloor?

any other advice for this extreme of a bathroom reno appreciated.

Mrs.Piano

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2018, 09:09:50 PM »
Why do you think you might need to sister out the joists?

Also, why might you want to replace the copper pipes?

Finally, subfloor comes before drywall. They have to stand on the floor to put up the drywall safely. Well, not drywall, rather, cement board, but same.

Healthie

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2018, 09:37:31 AM »
I've been recommended swapping the copper piping while I'm doing the renos. There have been several small leaks amongst my two bathrooms. I want to tile in my bathroom and I've heard sister joists reinforce the flooring. Since I pulled up the diagonal subfloor I'm unsure if it needs something extra to be secure and not have a wobbily floor. If you have any advice for sistering/not, etc please let me know.

Thanks re:sub floors, I figured these came first.

Mrs.Piano

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2018, 06:10:48 PM »
If you are going to tile where there was no tile before, there must be some calculators for you to know whether the floor can handle it. If not, it is not just a sistering question and I would go talk to the City about their rules.  The only times I have had sistering is when a board is damaged or when engineers’ plans cqlled for it.

I am not a plumber but I would not swap functioning copper pipes, I would just repair leaks.  I am not saying if yours are okay or not, but, by me, there is no reason to take out good pipes without checking first.

Papa bear

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2018, 07:59:05 PM »
You’re going to want to use 3/4” plywood for your subfloor. Glue and screw it down to the floor joists. Where you are installing tile, I would recommend  1/2 concrete backer board, though there are other, new products that work well.

I would not replace any copper supply lines unless you are having issues.

What I do see here is a vent fan install that needs some work. That’s a pretty drastic 90 bend with flex line. That really inhibits the flow of air out. I would recommend trying to replace with your classic steel hard pipe.

You may also want to look at your toilet flange. I can’t tell from the picture - is that cast iron?  Are your waste lines cast iron or abs?  Cast iron is guaranteed to have problems at some point.  You may want to consider replacing. 




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Radagast

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2018, 08:20:46 PM »
Yikes! I just did something nearly identical in a very similar room, except I left the floor boards and whatever drywall I could, but I did punch through one floor board by accident. Not really a mistake, just clean'er up and look at what Papa bear said. Cast iron blows, and might as well be designed to fail as sewer pipe. After cutting mine three times to fix leaks, I finally had plumbers replace a lot with ABS, including my masticated flange. I left my copper. For one thing, it is ground for the handful of electrical outlets that have it. For the other, I am cheap and lazy and the copper works.

Healthie

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2018, 09:04:37 AM »
You’re going to want to use 3/4” plywood for your subfloor. Glue and screw it down to the floor joists. Where you are installing tile, I would recommend  1/2 concrete backer board, though there are other, new products that work well.

I would not replace any copper supply lines unless you are having issues.

What I do see here is a vent fan install that needs some work. That’s a pretty drastic 90 bend with flex line. That really inhibits the flow of air out. I would recommend trying to replace with your classic steel hard pipe.

You may also want to look at your toilet flange. I can’t tell from the picture - is that cast iron?  Are your waste lines cast iron or abs?  Cast iron is guaranteed to have problems at some point.  You may want to consider replacing. 




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This is fantastic, thank you! Some follow up questions:
The toilet flange is cast iron; What should I expect to pay to replace it?
Who would I hire to change the fan? (what are they called)

Dicey

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #7 on: October 16, 2018, 09:11:19 AM »
1. You Tube is your friend.
2. It's entirely possible to make serious mistakes that cost you far more than you save.
3. Doing demo without a clear plan + skills is a good way to cause #2 to happen.

Papa bear

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #8 on: October 16, 2018, 10:52:46 AM »
You would work with a plumber for that.  The fan is DIYable, even for a beginner.  You can do that all from above, where you have access now.

The cast iron? Without knowing the entire house, etc, they may just replace the toilet waste and use a full metal strapped fernco to attach back to the cast. 
You could probably plan on 1/2 to full day for a plumber to do all the work.


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Papa bear

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Re: RENO: ripped up horizontal floorboards in bathroom; mistake?
« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2018, 12:43:48 PM »
To clarify - most people will want to replace all of their cast iron plumbing and stack. When a plumber comes in, they may recommend that, or try and just piece out any broken or bad sections.  That always risks breaking something down the line, so to speak.

It could be an easy 1-2 hour job, or they may recommend replacing everything from the vents down. Until someone is there looking at it, it’s anyone’s guess.


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