Let’s Repair the Bathroom Subfloor!

If you’ve been around my blog, you probably know that I am not one to tackle structural projects; I choose to leave those to professional Contractors. So, I was hesitant when my oldest son asked if I would help him repair or replace the subfloor in his downstairs bathroom, which was ‘soft’ around the toilet. However, I LOVE a good project…besides, it needed to be done and it would be harder for him to do it himself, so I agreed to help. My role would be assistant, consultant, and finishing touches (i.e. paint, trim, caulk, clean).

Before pictures of the bathroom

Step 1 – Clear the room

The first step was to clear out the bathroom. This meant that the toilet, sink, electric heater, door, and medicine cabinet needed to be removed. The house was built in the 40’s, so we didn’t really know what we would find under the linoleum.

Step 2 – Assess the damage

After the room was cleared, it was time to find out why the floor was soft around the base of the toilet. Once we knew that, we could decide how much of the subfloor would need to be repaired or replaced. My son first removed the vinyl baseboard then used a crowbar to pry up the board closest to the toilet drain. It came up easily. Now that we had a good look at the wood under the linoleum, it was obvious why the floor was soft – the wood had gotten wet and was disintegrating. We cleaned up the splintered wood and saw that the rest of the nearby wood looked in good shape.

Step 3 – Remove the paneling and subfloor

When we talked about the goal of this project, we initially thought we would leave the wall paneling. That was until we removed the toilet and saw that the large cut in the piece behind the toilet was worse than we thought. It made sense to replace it, so we removed it from the walls before tackling the subfloor.

Although we could have just replaced the rotted boards around the toilet & cleanout drains, it felt better to check the rest of the boards under the subfloor. So, after the paneling was removed, my son used his skill saw to cut the rest of the floor in sections. Each section was pried up with the crowbar and I carried them upstairs and into the yard.

Step 4 – Clean, dry, reinforce

Step 5 – Install new subfloor

We bought the plywood for the subfloor at Home Depot, and they cut it to the size we needed. When we got home, my son decided to cut it into two pieces to make it easier to install. He also cut holes for the toilet and sink drains. To make the clean out drain accessible, he created a trap door for it so the toilet and floor would not need to be removed to gain access to it. The drain is very close to where the toilet sits, so he set the toilet in place to shape the trap door in a way that it could be removed without removing the toilet.

Step 6 – Create a unique vanity

As you saw, this bathroom had a sink that was mounted to the wall so there was no place for my granddaughter to set her toiletries. To create some space for those and also add storage, we went shopping for a vanity. We found a small cabinet at Habitat, along with a cute sink, that would work well in the space. While my son was working on the subfloor, I started working on the vanity. I added support to the base of both sides of the cabinet by attaching trim. Using a 4″ foam roller and small paintbrush, I applied 2 coats of white latex paint.

When the paint was dry, we carried the vanity into the bathroom to verify we liked the look. We already did a dry-fit when we brought it home from Habitat but wanted to check again. While it ‘fit’, we thought it was a bit too big for the space. The back of the vanity was angled. If we just removed that section, it would take up less space in the bathroom. Using both a skill saw & jig saw, my son cut the angled section – about 5″ – off the top, shelf, and bottom of the cabinet. We then used the new paneling we bought to create a new back and attached it with finishing nails. Holes were cut for the plumbing.

My granddaughter wanted the top of the vanity to look like marble. My son, a vinyl installer, created and printed a pink marble design and then installed it on the top and both vanity shelves. Not only is it pretty, but it is also water resistant.

Step 7 – Install flange, paneling, toilet and flooring

While the flooring was being installed, the toilet had to be set back in place a 2nd time so more measurements could taken. My son wanted to cut the flooring the same size as the trap door so it could be easily removed to access the clean-out drain. The flooring was left over pieces from one of the bedrooms. It also had been bought at Habitat.

The old flange was rusted so my son put in a new one before installing the new toilet. After the flooring was done, we installed the paneling using finishing nails. Before putting up the trim, I applied 2 coats of white latex paint using a paint brush. The chair rail & baseboard trim were installed using finishing nails. I puttied the holes & caulked between the trim and wall before doing touch-up painting.

Step 8 – Clean grout and use grout pen

Another of my tasks was to clean the grout in the shower. I sprayed the grout with white vinegar, let it sit for 15-30 minutes, then scrubbed it with a grout brush. Once the grout was rinsed and dry, I used grout paint pens to make it nice and white. I hadn’t used a grout pen before and was pleased that it was easy and fairly quick to use. Isn’t that the cutest soap dish?!

Step 9 – Install vanity and finishing touches

When the vanity was in place, my son plumbed the sink. After he was finished, I caulked around the base of it. The faucet was also bought at Habitat. The doors are ajar in these pics because I did paint touch ups after the vanity was in place. My granddaughter and I shopped for the biggest mirror that would fit on the wall above the sink – I’d say we succeeded! The lighting was installed after I flew home so I don’t have an updated picture.

Thoughts on the project

While I was hesitant to jump into this project with my son, I’m so glad that I did! The whole process was enjoyable – a lot of work, yes, but we work well as a team. We each have our own skill set and experience and enjoy working together. The bathroom floor is nice and firm now! It is also fresh with new fixtures, floor and paint, has more storage AND, it’s pretty!

Bathroom Before, during, after

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