Finally someone that knows how to fix a floor proper, been through a lot of videos, some ignoring the problem and just spray painting, some cutting and replacing with no added support, this guy gets it, he doesn’t want to have to fix it again.
Thanks for this video, it really helped me. I had to make this repair and I admit it took me most of the day between removing the damage, installing the box, picking up material and laying the plywood. I'm pretty handy but certainly not a pro. I would rate this degree of difficulty a 7 out of 10.
About to rip up old carpet and padding and do exactly what you are doing in this video to repair floor damage, appreciate the step by step information. I'm dreading the job but hopefully this will make things a little easier.
Good job and great demonstration. I have a soft spot in kitchen and this really showed me what to expect and gave me hope that it's not as bad of a situation as i was thinking. Thank you.
This was VERY helpful because I have an almost identical situation. A single question, if you please, is this: 1a) The decking under the 2x4 wall studs obviously has to remain in place, even though it has suffered at least some rotting. Is there something it can be sprayed with or treated with to possibly prevent additional deterioration/rotting? My obvious #1 concern is that you have a new wonderful solid floor but your wall studs are compromised at best and 1b) In my case, the 2x6 on cant which supports the 2x4 wall studs is also badly damaged. I would want to spray or treat it with something as well to stop the rot from progressing. Thank you for ANY response you're able to give and many thanks for sharing such wonderful information.
When assessing your damage you will need to decide if your wall is adequately supported as it is or not. I can not do that from here. Typically you will find that the structural members are not rotted and retain their integrity. If however you find that your structural members are also rotted then my advice would be to also replace those as well. There is no magic spray that can be substituted for structural lumber. Sorry.
That is all truly beautiful. It requires lots of tools and some years' practice in knowing how to use them correctly. Your floor looks like my trailer. I had full sheets of plywood installed to replace a damaged subfloor and the installers cut vent holes in them for the non-functional 1990 furnace. I didn't want vents. No one listens... I wanted to be able to reinstall the woodstove according to code but now I have plywood with holes covered in loose-laid vinyl with holes and need a custom-made hearth pad to cover the vent hole (and of course still have a horrid hole in the floor six feet away with a register in it to fall over.) It seems the easiest repair is "just" putting in two new sheets of plywood rather than cutting patches and making joins...but not listening to women from the beginning is, I suspect, more fun for the contractor...
Nice job. I just bought a large manufactured home with some compromised particle board subflooring from lack of a vapor barrier in a humid climate. Your video is very helpful and I will be making some boxes! I'll only replace what is needed, then install a vapor barrier and crawlspace fan.
What a great how- to video! Thanks for making it. I had my husband watch this. We have both been putting off such a repair job as that in our home. We bought a home not realizing the damage under the floor covering in front of the kitchen sink. With your video we have a little more confidence going into the unknown. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Excellent job!
Thank you for posting this vid. Whoever decided my manufactured home needed a furnace vent in the middle of the kitchen floor didn't cook much (it's a crumb catcher). I was worried about edge support for the patch, and your 'box' idea is brilliant. I may put rosin paper between the flooring and patch to ensure they don't squeak.
You guys are awesome 👌 👏 😎 after watching your videos 📹 it makes me feel more confident about doing it. I have a bad floor in my bedroom. It's a 1970s single wide trailer. I been needing it done for awhile 😩 now! But I've never layed flooring before. But I feel now I can do it myself!
Thank you! The guys who I thought of hiring were only going to replace the plywood, which seemed wrong to me. so glad I saw this video. I'll just do it myself
I'm 15 and we are going the cheap route on repairing my great grandparents 1974 mobile home so far I've done a lot of the work watching videos like this and doing it like 99.9% right next I'm going to be doing the bathroom under the toilet and bath tub need replacing and dont rly want to do it until I know how to do it right any tips?
Thank you. I am replacing carpet and found plywood edges not connected to the floor joists. NOW I know to build a set of boxes for them. Thank you, also, for showing that mistakes happen. ;)
cortson1 be ready to cuss....a lot.. lol. I am doing one now. They glue the crap out of the subfloor to the joist. It wont just pry up as it did in this video.
Looks like great craftsman, I can see a lot of skill. That will definitely fix and support nicely. I'm looking to support my subfloor so will be bracing only with 2x4 going across, but the way you demonstrated in the video is the ideal way and very efficient.
IMO this is the easiest method for a homeowner to patch holes in the floor. Home Depot will rip the subfloor panels if you know your measurements. Patch the floor with the same material depth. It can vary in mobile homes. Take a piece or measure the floor at the heating grate. You can also use deck screws if you don't have a nail gun. Good video and you almost have a million views! Only 88k views to go!
WOW great job im getting ready to do the same thing but directly inside the front door of my single wide i recently purchased, you gave me the purfect video thanks 👍
Just bought a termite eaten mobile home. The termites are gone, but the floor needs to come up and the walls off. I want everything new. This video made it easy....going to buy two other homes: one in Costa Rica, one in Rep. de Panama. My termite eaten home was so cheap, I can live there for free and have two other places to live.
Awesome idea. Thank you very much, this will help me out tomorrow. But I have a question. Should I use some kind of glue in between the board and the studs and in between boards? On the old board that I removed it looks like it had glue.
i woulda personally changed the cruddy insulation or vacuumed out the old rotted bits of flooring for peace of mind, but hey maybe they where on a tight budget.. anyways legit job
Thank you for sharing this video, I gained the knowledge I needed in order to not be so intimidated by the repairs I need to do on my recent home purchase.... Thank you very much...
Got a pretty big project coming up shortly. I will be redoing a ton of floors. Sounds like I might get pretty good at making boxes again. What can ya do when it is free AND in a nice community. That nail gun made it look a hell of a lot easier than the old hammer and nail... might have to buy me some new tools.
A nail gun and a compressor can help alot. You can shoot a nail where you can hammer one. I have 3 compressors. a small $50 one for doing just molding. I will use it for one piece of molding. I have a pancake and hotdog compressor too.
9:42 - 9:43 that was so satisfying to watch lol. Anyway, I have to do this exact thing. Problem is, one side of the plywood is buried underneath the wall 2x. So I'm just going to cut it like you did and build those boxes. Appreciate the vid!
This is very helpful to me and I'm glad I ran across this and it is going to help with the work that I have to have done so thank you very much for posting this
Blocked in just as you did. Needed a car jack to force level from foundation to subfloor: some walls were originally built over open subfloor with no joists to directly support them. Those walls, simply, dipped under the weight.
great video, very detailed and good job. I hate those particle board floors they are just absolute rubbish. I have a job like this coming up of about 450 sq ft of the stuff to replace.
Nice job on the video I personally replace all of the particleboard when I run into a situation like that just in case the floor gets wet again I don’t have to go out there and tear up my new floor just to repair that particleboard again
Seems like a reasonable strategy but even plywood is destroyed by water. I think there may be an issue with ones confidence to successfully repair leaks. I had the trailer park for 15 years and my floors all stood the test of time.
awesome! i have been looking on a lot of resources but couldn't find one about how to support the joists. I'm in a mobile home as well and I am in the process of replacing my bathroom subfloor and because of damage had to go to the next joists on both sides in the adjacent rooms.
wow wish i could work with you a few times i would learn alot i have a weak spot around my toilet i love what you did making the boxes gave it a solid finish job.
Nice repair but there is no way I ever go back with particle board as that was the problem in the first place and I want my repair to last. I always use 3/4 thick plywood as you can easily shim it to make it perfect match and depending on the repair you don't even have to do that most of time only on patches like you did would that be needed. I like your boxing in idea, I usually just toe in the supports but this is great idea...
Wow, thanks from KC too. I have an issue in the kitchen. Removed the vinyl tile and have some problems around the cabinet sink. Looks like some sub-floor was replaced but it is still spongy (they did not use the boxes so we might have a support issue. Now I know what must be done, Great video.
Thank you for posting this ! my DIY project is to repair the repairs...all the flooring is of different levels and cant see whats really going on till I pull up the carpet and crappy linoleum the bathroom is almost 2 inches higher than the rest of the flooring so we will see what I find.
Like the video and the work was great. Noticed the same thing on your first box that an additional 2X4 would be helpful for support. Thanks for the help.
I own a house built in 1956 it has original hardwood floors currently covered by ugly carpet but my subfloor has uneven parts to it the floor joists are good I'm thinking or replacing the entire floor and using this method where the walls are at
Thanks for posting. Now I know what I did wrong cutting corners. Boxing inside between the joists! Then again, my joists were MUCH closer together and I think the plywood I used is much more solid. Anyway, now I know!
Thank you for this! I have to do exactly what you did here after some subfloor was rotted from moisture. It looks like water might've been leaking in from the track of a sliding glass door. Would we just caulk the inside of the ends to prevent water from leaking? How is water normally supposed to drain out of a sliding door track?
+meedily Typically there are small drain holes on the outside edge. Best practice is to use flashing under the door to turn the water away. I caution you that water can also get in along the top and sides of the door and then run down to the flooring so check that too. Be absolutely sure you have fixed your leak or your new subfloor will quickly deteriorate.
Thank you for the video. Very helpful. What about the water damaged subfloor under the exterior wall? Does that need to be replaced as well? And if so, how would you go about doing that? Thanks again.
Ruben Rojas It is definitely a consideration and a decision you will have to make. In most cases I will leave it as shown in the video but in one extreme case I actually removed a 20 foot section of exterior wall while propping up the roof with 2x4s. Then replaced the floor, then built a new wall complete with window, door, electrical, exterior siding, sheet rock, paint. It is a major job but thankfully it usually is not necessary. You have to make that call. Good luck.
The toilet and the sink in my house have both has a leak for a while. I changed the washer on the sink and that stop leaking the toilet has proved a little more difficult to remove. Now the subfloor is ruined so I have no choice other than to remove as it would be useless to try and dry out. I will post something to let everyone know how I got on. Wish me luck as I am going to tile, redign and install a new bathroom suite. That should be interesting and a new area for me .
Beautiful work! I'm about to tackle my half bathroom floor w water damage. According to contractor (offering a $2,000 bid for a 3' by 5' floor replacement), the partcle board under the laminate flooring is rotten. There s stains on the underneath of the flooring (looking from the crawl space), not sure whether the wood is rotten or not till opening everything up. Do you have any suggestions on the material to use and vapor barrier use? This is right around the toilet. Thanks in advance!
I am tackling this same thing right now. If it's around the toilet, 99% chance it's the wax ring and/or flange. That should be all the water protection needed if it's done right
If the insulation is wet too do you replace it? I have a toilet that broke at the seal between the tank and bowl. I shut off the toilet and drained it but I have about a 6 inch diameter hole around where the water line comes in that’s rotted. The insulation underneath is wet. The toilet has now been removed and the drain capped until I can get in there and fix it.
Some people have mentioned triangular bracing to work against shifting of the house and another person mentioned using a hack saw and screw driver to dig out the particle board remaining between the bottom of the wall itself and joist the actual wall sits on. What do you think about those ideas?
Only in extreme cases do I remove the material under the wall and in those cases I also rebuild said wall. If you dig that out, that wall will settle into the void. I have found that the material under the wall is under compression and in most cases will provide the support you need. You will have to make that call. In response to triangular bracing. In this type of construction the floor sheeting provides the diagonal resistance and therefore triangular bracing is not necessary. However look at your existing construction and match that.
I'm actually looking at doing floor repair on my mobile home in about three spots. One was ant damage and the two are water. I just haven't gotten round to seeking bids. I also need to replace a sliding glass door that is next to one leak and the front door too. I'll see about having a package deal done. Thank you for showing what it takes, if I weren't physically unable to do that sort of thing I'd do it myself but I'm a physically disabled veteran.
Thank you. I had a recommended guy come out and he quoted me about $250.00 for each repair. He suggested instead of just replacing the spot under the washing machine to replace the entire floor in the laundry cubby hole.
I used to think this dont worry but thing is bleach encourages mold to grow back and as long as the mold is deactivated its fine if sand off though for looks
The insulation holds water and so over time it will cause mold on the bottom of the sheeting. I would have replaced it on that manufactured home. The rodent barrier holds the water, did you cut it to allow it to drain?
I'm getting to start repairs on my '71 Weste which has a press board sub floor. My plan is to replace it with 21/32" plywood since 5/8" can't be had anymore. Did you use plywood or some other type of material?
I'm surprised that you used press/particle board as once water hits it, it disintegrates. I think that the only thing that could prevent water damage to press/particle board would be some kind of sealer.
Fix the leak sir. No wood product will stand up to water. The sub-floor should not be getting wet. If it is you have a bigger problem to address before you fix the floor.
Nice. At first I was thinking, "why put all that lumber in the hole when all you need is a cripple between"? Then after you had it all in I could see how much stronger your way is than just toe-nailing the cripples. Thanks
Thanks for video. I noticed you said your subfloor was 1 inch thick. Mine is too but I can't seem to find 1 inch think plywood or osb subflooring. last floor repair i had to use 3/4 inch and another 1/4 inch board under it to bring it up even with the original floor. where did you find 1 inch subflooring?
dandee68 I found mine at my local hardwood wholesale dealer. They carry all species of wood and a more extensive selection of sheet goods than the home stores.
Any "framing" nailer should work. There are lots of variables, go with a name brand you are comfortable with. Mine is Porter Cable. Get something your local supplier carries nails for. Your nails should be @ 2 1/2" long. 2x4's are 1 1/2" inches thick so 2 1/2" will sink into the second one an 1"
A section of my kitchen subfloor feels soft but I haven't go in the crawl space yet to check if is rotten because I don't know what to look for. Should i just replace that section of the subfloor or you recommend i go in the crawl space first? And what is specific would i be looking for?
thank you, this was REALLY helpful. i was trying to contract this job out - uneven floor and water damage and getting absolute Bullsh*t responses and quotes (like tear out ENTIRE subfloor and shim with roofing tiles.)
Nice repair . . . . was the water source the window? . . . it looks new. Did a similar repair in front of my 2 boys' bed . . . . constant jumping off the bed softened up the composite chip board plywood . .. . crappy stuff.
+John Bean Been there, done that. That is why I do it this way now. Toe nailing is awkward, imprecise and not as strong. Do it right the first time and you will be happy you did.
Great repair. I'm going to use this on some repairs I'm doing right now. But won't mold grow on that nasty gunk you left on top of the insulation? Was the subfloor actually particle board? Is that even code?
The debris left behind is dry and made of the same stuff as the rest of the home so it is all good. Remember fix the leak first. The subfloors in mobile homes are commonly particle board, what you see being pulled up is factory original so yeah, it's code.
I'm repairing a buddy of mines subfloor. His toilet stopped up so he cut a hole in the floor and took his dukes in the hole and let it smack down onto the insulation. Would I remove his poop when I'm working under the floor or should I smash it in under the joists to provide more insulation. It would be a great insulator because he takes great big healthy hog jowl and tater beefsteak poops and they can be easily worked and formed into flashing
+niterbum This is a common misconception. The floor you see in this video is in a mobile home and unless your state has a law against mobile homes, this one could be moved to your state or any other.
I am replacing a heated floor in my office above the garage. We have decided that the easiest thing to do was to just install a heated matt system over the existing burned out floor (which already has a thin coat of levelling cement to conceal the cable system we installed the first time around). Upon removing the laminate flooring, I have discovered a 24" x 24" area that has been rotted out from a leak in the roof years ago. I noticed it when I put some pressure on the concrete in that area when I noticed some water stain marks. I gave way pretty easily. My question: Can I use the circular saw to cut through the cement (1/8" thick) and subfloor at the same time? If not, how can I cut through the cement separately without damaging the cement that is not part of the water damage? Thanks in advance.
+oldasa It is definitely a consideration and a decision you will have to make. In most cases I will leave it as shown in the video but in one extreme case I actually removed a 20 foot section of exterior wall while propping up the roof with 2x4s. Then replaced the floor, then built a new wall complete with window, door, electrical, exterior siding, sheet rock, paint. It is a major job but thankfully it usually is not necessary. You have to make that call. Good luck.
+Alexander Dyer (STRONGBOLT) Wow!!!!!! That sounds like the wet problem had moved up and damaged the wall too. Is that correct? Man that must have been a real head ache. Check my thinking on this; My water damage was my failt because I failed to cover the plywood subfloor end grain when nailing my exterior siding on top of rather than over lapping and covering the end grain of the sub floor plywood . Everyone knows that end grain ply (no matter how well sealed) loves to suck dripping rain water into the enterior of my shop. Well it took 23 years for it to finally undermind and rot certain stress points on the exterior floor joist that has been always well painted and is exposed to weather. Also additionally I'm going to have to add support to all the interior and exterior joists because Because I never really put enough support blocks or piers in the first place. When I'm finished I will still have the end grain of the sub floor exposed to the weather. Can you suggest some sort of flashing or protected apron to cover my sin of exposed end grain? Im going to start my taking sections of the flooring up and repairing just as you did here. But I'm going to add the extra support to the interior joist when specific sections of the sub floor are removed. ONce this extra pier support is added to the interior I will then cut and rip out the damaged sections of the exterior joist. Plus adding better pier support for the exteriors joists to.
Sounds quite involved. Flashing is very effective but not always the most attractive. The main thing to keep in mind is to sneek the top edge of the flashing under the bottom edge and behind the existing siding. This will turn the water out as it rolls off the bottom of your siding with no need for any sort of sealer.
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Finally someone that knows how to fix a floor proper, been through a lot of videos, some ignoring the problem and just spray painting, some cutting and replacing with no added support, this guy gets it, he doesn’t want to have to fix it again.
Thanks for this video, it really helped me. I had to make this repair and I admit it took me most of the day between removing the damage, installing the box, picking up material and laying the plywood. I'm pretty handy but certainly not a pro. I would rate this degree of difficulty a 7 out of 10.
About to rip up old carpet and padding and do exactly what you are doing in this video to repair floor damage, appreciate the step by step information. I'm dreading the job but hopefully this will make things a little easier.
Good job and great demonstration. I have a soft spot in kitchen and this really showed me what to expect and gave me hope that it's not as bad of a situation as i was thinking. Thank you.
+ruby gravley Thanks for the nice words. It makes me happy to think that I have helped give hope and perhaps the encouragement to move forward.
The box idea is great. I would have added blocking but this is easier and adds structure to the repair.
This was VERY helpful because I have an almost identical situation. A single question, if you please, is this: 1a) The decking under the 2x4 wall studs obviously has to remain in place, even though it has suffered at least some rotting. Is there something it can be sprayed with or treated with to possibly prevent additional deterioration/rotting? My obvious #1 concern is that you have a new wonderful solid floor but your wall studs are compromised at best and 1b) In my case, the 2x6 on cant which supports the 2x4 wall studs is also badly damaged. I would want to spray or treat it with something as well to stop the rot from progressing. Thank you for ANY response you're able to give and many thanks for sharing such wonderful information.
When assessing your damage you will need to decide if your wall is adequately supported as it is or not. I can not do that from here. Typically you will find that the structural members are not rotted and retain their integrity. If however you find that your structural members are also rotted then my advice would be to also replace those as well. There is no magic spray that can be substituted for structural lumber. Sorry.
With my thanks for taking the time to assist me in addressing this problem!
That is all truly beautiful. It requires lots of tools and some years' practice in knowing how to use them correctly. Your floor looks like my trailer. I had full sheets of plywood installed to replace a damaged subfloor and the installers cut vent holes in them for the non-functional 1990 furnace. I didn't want vents. No one listens... I wanted to be able to reinstall the woodstove according to code but now I have plywood with holes covered in loose-laid vinyl with holes and need a custom-made hearth pad to cover the vent hole (and of course still have a horrid hole in the floor six feet away with a register in it to fall over.) It seems the easiest repair is "just" putting in two new sheets of plywood rather than cutting patches and making joins...but not listening to women from the beginning is, I suspect, more fun for the contractor...
Nice job. I just bought a large manufactured home with some compromised particle board subflooring from lack of a vapor barrier in a humid climate. Your video is very helpful and I will be making some boxes! I'll only replace what is needed, then install a vapor barrier and crawlspace fan.
That is now the strongest part of that mobile home! Good repair.
What a great how- to video! Thanks for making it. I had my husband watch this. We have both been putting off such a repair job as that in our home. We bought a home not realizing the damage under the floor covering in front of the kitchen sink. With your video we have a little more confidence going into the unknown. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Excellent job!
Thank you for posting this vid. Whoever decided my manufactured home needed a furnace vent in the middle of the kitchen floor didn't cook much (it's a crumb catcher). I was worried about edge support for the patch, and your 'box' idea is brilliant. I may put rosin paper between the flooring and patch to ensure they don't squeak.
You guys are awesome 👌 👏 😎 after watching your videos 📹 it makes me feel more confident about doing it. I have a bad floor in my bedroom. It's a 1970s single wide trailer. I been needing it done for awhile 😩 now! But I've never layed flooring before. But I feel now I can do it myself!
That is awesome!
Have you finished it yet?
Thank you! The guys who I thought of hiring were only going to replace the plywood, which seemed wrong to me. so glad I saw this video. I'll just do it myself
eileen lajeunesse
I know you can do it!
Thanks for the video! I have to repair the floors in the mobile we just inherited. I hadn't thought about boxes!
Very clever and practical problem solving, Alexander. Thanks very much for making this video - it helped me A LOT!
This video helped me tremendously! First project on my own, restoring a Layton 1964. Thank you for ur help!!
I'm 15 and we are going the cheap route on repairing my great grandparents 1974 mobile home so far I've done a lot of the work watching videos like this and doing it like 99.9% right next
I'm going to be doing the bathroom under the toilet and bath tub need replacing and dont rly want to do it until I know how to do it right any tips?
Measure twice, cut once.
Thank you. I am replacing carpet and found plywood edges not connected to the floor joists. NOW I know to build a set of boxes for them. Thank you, also, for showing that mistakes happen. ;)
I'm purchasing an 80's 2 bdr mobile home and am going to use this method to fix up a few spots in the floor. Hope mine is as easy as you made it look!
cortson1 be ready to cuss....a lot.. lol. I am doing one now. They glue the crap out of the subfloor to the joist. It wont just pry up as it did in this video.
Looks like great craftsman, I can see a lot of skill. That will definitely fix and support nicely. I'm looking to support my subfloor so will be bracing only with 2x4 going across, but the way you demonstrated in the video is the ideal way and very efficient.
IMO this is the easiest method for a homeowner to patch holes in the floor. Home Depot will rip the subfloor panels if you know your measurements. Patch the floor with the same material depth. It can vary in mobile homes. Take a piece or measure the floor at the heating grate. You can also use deck screws if you don't have a nail gun. Good video and you almost have a million views! Only 88k views to go!
Isn’t it better to use screws in the long run?
WOW great job im getting ready to do the same thing but directly inside the front door of my single wide i recently purchased, you gave me the purfect video thanks 👍
Fix that leak! Fix that Floor. Profit$
Just bought a termite eaten mobile home. The termites are gone, but the floor needs to come up and the walls off. I want everything new. This video made it easy....going to buy two other homes: one in Costa Rica, one in Rep. de Panama. My termite eaten home was so cheap, I can live there for free and have two other places to live.
nice work! I like the box idea, its a strong fix and provides plenty of support for the new floor. will do this on my next project floor.
Awesome idea. Thank you very much, this will help me out tomorrow. But I have a question. Should I use some kind of glue in between the board and the studs and in between boards? On the old board that I removed it looks like it had glue.
Glue is not necessary however it is not uncommon to place construction adhesive between the floor joists and the decking to prevent squeaks.
Ok now I'm feeling A LOT more confident!
Great!
i woulda personally changed the cruddy insulation or vacuumed out the old rotted bits of flooring for peace of mind, but hey maybe they where on a tight budget.. anyways legit job
Thank you for sharing this video, I gained the knowledge I needed in order to not be so intimidated by the repairs I need to do on my recent home purchase.... Thank you very much...
Great video. I am a newbie home improver and followed your video step by step, even starting and stopping it as I worked. Thank you so much!!!!!
Got a pretty big project coming up shortly. I will be redoing a ton of floors. Sounds like I might get pretty good at making boxes again. What can ya do when it is free AND in a nice community.
That nail gun made it look a hell of a lot easier than the old hammer and nail... might have to buy me some new tools.
A nail gun and a compressor can help alot. You can shoot a nail where you can hammer one. I have 3 compressors. a small $50 one for doing just molding. I will use it for one piece of molding. I have a pancake and hotdog compressor too.
Thank you for this Video, It helped me so much when fixing my subfloor repairs.
Happy to hear that.
9:42 - 9:43 that was so satisfying to watch lol. Anyway, I have to do this exact thing. Problem is, one side of the plywood is buried underneath the wall 2x. So I'm just going to cut it like you did and build those boxes. Appreciate the vid!
This is very helpful to me and I'm glad I ran across this and it is going to help with the work that I have to have done so thank you very much for posting this
Blocked in just as you did. Needed a car jack to force level from foundation to subfloor: some walls were originally built over open subfloor with no joists to directly support them. Those walls, simply, dipped under the weight.
great video, very detailed and good job. I hate those particle board floors they are just absolute rubbish. I have a job like this coming up of about 450 sq ft of the stuff to replace.
i have a 4 by 4 foot area to replace for carpet install and you really clarified a great deal for me again, thanks
Nice job on the video I personally replace all of the particleboard when I run into a situation like that just in case the floor gets wet again I don’t have to go out there and tear up my new floor just to repair that particleboard again
Seems like a reasonable strategy but even plywood is destroyed by water. I think there may be an issue with ones confidence to successfully repair leaks. I had the trailer park for 15 years and my floors all stood the test of time.
Just wondering why you didn’t replace the insulation? It looked nasty and probably was wet at some point?
awesome! i have been looking on a lot of resources but couldn't find one about how to support the joists. I'm in a mobile home as well and I am in the process of replacing my bathroom subfloor and because of damage had to go to the next joists on both sides in the adjacent rooms.
Very nice, particularly the boxes. Thanks
wow wish i could work with you a few times i would learn alot i have a weak spot around my toilet i love what you did making the boxes gave it a solid finish job.
Excellent video! Thanks so much. Now I feel very confident that I can do this type of repair myself.
You can do it!
Nice repair but there is no way I ever go back with particle board as that was the problem in the first place and I want my repair to last. I always use 3/4 thick plywood as you can easily shim it to make it perfect match and depending on the repair you don't even have to do that most of time only on patches like you did would that be needed. I like your boxing in idea, I usually just toe in the supports but this is great idea...
Wow, thanks from KC too. I have an issue in the kitchen. Removed the vinyl tile and have some problems around the cabinet sink. Looks like some sub-floor was replaced but it is still spongy (they did not use the boxes so we might have a support issue. Now I know what must be done, Great video.
Thank you for posting this ! my DIY project is to repair the repairs...all the flooring is of different levels and cant see whats really going on till I pull up the carpet and crappy linoleum the bathroom is almost 2 inches higher than the rest of the flooring so we will see what I find.
Your boxing method is perfect for my situation. Well done video thank you :)
Like the video and the work was great. Noticed the same thing on your first box that an additional 2X4 would be helpful for support. Thanks for the help.
Awesome love the box its much easier to build back the floor that way. Thank you
🙏💪🙏
Excellent video, I have just came across this problem and now I will use your solution. keep up the good work!
nice work mate. I really had a hard time nailing corners once. thanks for sharing
Thanks, getting all the corners and edges supported makes all the difference.
Excellent video! Congratulations! Now I have good idea how fix my sub-floor. Same damage. Blessings!
Thank you so much for sharing this video . Im going to be working on my floors and you made it look simple again thank you
Outstanding video, the best I've seen so far!!
Thanks!
I own a house built in 1956 it has original hardwood floors currently covered by ugly carpet but my subfloor has uneven parts to it the floor joists are good I'm thinking or replacing the entire floor and using this method where the walls are at
Thanks for posting. Now I know what I did wrong cutting corners. Boxing inside between the joists! Then again, my joists were MUCH closer together and I think the plywood I used is much more solid. Anyway, now I know!
Thank you for this! I have to do exactly what you did here after some subfloor was rotted from moisture. It looks like water might've been leaking in from the track of a sliding glass door. Would we just caulk the inside of the ends to prevent water from leaking? How is water normally supposed to drain out of a sliding door track?
+meedily Typically there are small drain holes on the outside edge. Best practice is to use flashing under the door to turn the water away. I caution you that water can also get in along the top and sides of the door and then run down to the flooring so check that too. Be absolutely sure you have fixed your leak or your new subfloor will quickly deteriorate.
Great clean work. I could do the same thing and it look like a 4 year old did it. Nice work!
Thanks 👍
Nice.
These videos stay around long-time.
Thank you.
Sweet work! Thanks for sharing your informative video! very helpful!
Thank you for the video. Very helpful. What about the water damaged subfloor under the exterior wall? Does that need to be replaced as well? And if so, how would you go about doing that? Thanks again.
Ruben Rojas It is definitely a consideration and a decision you will have to make. In most cases I will leave it as shown in the video but in one extreme case I actually removed a 20 foot section of exterior wall while propping up the roof with 2x4s. Then replaced the floor, then built a new wall complete with window, door, electrical, exterior siding, sheet rock, paint. It is a major job but thankfully it usually is not necessary. You have to make that call. Good luck.
Excellent and straight forward explanation and instruction! Thank You ✌🏼️🐞
Sure.
The toilet and the sink in my house have both has a leak for a while. I changed the washer on the sink and that stop leaking the toilet has proved a little more difficult to remove. Now the subfloor is ruined so I have no choice other than to remove as it would be useless to try and dry out. I will post something to let everyone know how I got on.
Wish me luck as I am going to tile, redign and install a new bathroom suite. That should be interesting and a new area for me .
How did it go?
Loved the idea of the boxes, I will be using them, thank you for sharing
That is cool, I think you will like it.
Excellent job! I would love to learn how to do this for my own RV. Looks fantastic.
Give it a try.
Great video!!! I'm glad you didn't stop ...
I went and got me a new Kia after watching this..
Lol I literally heard the commercial AFTER seeing this comment😂😂😂 and I skipped the beginning to the 5 minute mark. 😂😂
Great video Alex. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Beautiful work! I'm about to tackle my half bathroom floor w water damage. According to contractor (offering a $2,000 bid for a 3' by 5' floor replacement), the partcle board under the laminate flooring is rotten. There s stains on the underneath of the flooring (looking from the crawl space), not sure whether the wood is rotten or not till opening everything up. Do you have any suggestions on the material to use and vapor barrier use? This is right around the toilet. Thanks in advance!
I am tackling this same thing right now. If it's around the toilet, 99% chance it's the wax ring and/or flange. That should be all the water protection needed if it's done right
Use pressure treated
Did bathrooms (kids &tubs) and in process of a hall and gaming room. Mostly pet damage over 35 years.
Thanx!
thanks for the info, based on the comments of other videos on the same subject, this seems to be the right way...
If the insulation is wet too do you replace it? I have a toilet that broke at the seal between the tank and bowl. I shut off the toilet and drained it but I have about a 6 inch diameter hole around where the water line comes in that’s rotted. The insulation underneath is wet. The toilet has now been removed and the drain capped until I can get in there and fix it.
Yes replace anything that is wet. Insulation is not too expensive and not worth it creating mold when you can get it out of the way now.
Some people have mentioned triangular bracing to work against shifting of the house and another person mentioned using a hack saw and screw driver to dig out the particle board remaining between the bottom of the wall itself and joist the actual wall sits on. What do you think about those ideas?
Only in extreme cases do I remove the material under the wall and in those cases I also rebuild said wall. If you dig that out, that wall will settle into the void. I have found that the material under the wall is under compression and in most cases will provide the support you need. You will have to make that call.
In response to triangular bracing. In this type of construction the floor sheeting provides the diagonal resistance and therefore triangular bracing is not necessary. However look at your existing construction and match that.
That is really smart. I have never seen it done that way.
good work. nice cuts and good tools.
I'm actually looking at doing floor repair on my mobile home in about three spots. One was ant damage and the two are water. I just haven't gotten round to seeking bids. I also need to replace a sliding glass door that is next to one leak and the front door too. I'll see about having a package deal done. Thank you for showing what it takes, if I weren't physically unable to do that sort of thing I'd do it myself but I'm a physically disabled veteran.
Thank you for your service.
Thank you. I had a recommended guy come out and he quoted me about $250.00 for each repair. He suggested instead of just replacing the spot under the washing machine to replace the entire floor in the laundry cubby hole.
Shouldn't you replace the insulation and or clean mold with bleach?
I used to think this dont worry but thing is bleach encourages mold to grow back and as long as the mold is deactivated its fine if sand off though for looks
The insulation holds water and so over time it will cause mold on the bottom of the sheeting. I would have replaced it on that manufactured home. The rodent barrier holds the water, did you cut it to allow it to drain?
I'm getting to start repairs on my '71 Weste which has a press board sub floor. My plan is to replace it with 21/32" plywood since 5/8" can't be had anymore. Did you use plywood or some other type of material?
I used 1" thick particle board to match the existing floor. I have to get it from a lumber wholesaler.
I'm surprised that you used press/particle board as once water hits it, it disintegrates. I think that the only thing that could prevent water damage to press/particle board would be some kind of sealer.
Fix the leak sir. No wood product will stand up to water. The sub-floor should not be getting wet. If it is you have a bigger problem to address before you fix the floor.
Nice. At first I was thinking, "why put all that lumber in the hole when all you need is a cripple between"? Then after you had it all in I could see how much stronger your way is than just toe-nailing the cripples. Thanks
Thanks for video. I noticed you said your subfloor was 1 inch thick. Mine is too but I can't seem to find 1 inch think plywood or osb subflooring. last floor repair i had to use 3/4 inch and another 1/4 inch board under it to bring it up even with the original floor. where did you find 1 inch subflooring?
dandee68 I found mine at my local hardwood wholesale dealer. They carry all species of wood and a more extensive selection of sheet goods than the home stores.
Can you give me specifics on which nail gun you used? Make / Model and the nail size would be helpful. Thanks!
Any "framing" nailer should work. There are lots of variables, go with a name brand you are comfortable with. Mine is Porter Cable. Get something your local supplier carries nails for. Your nails should be @ 2 1/2" long. 2x4's are 1 1/2" inches thick so 2 1/2" will sink into the second one an 1"
A section of my kitchen subfloor feels soft but I haven't go in the crawl space yet to check if is rotten because I don't know what to look for. Should i just replace that section of the subfloor or you recommend i go in the crawl space first? And what is specific would i be looking for?
thank you, this was REALLY helpful. i was trying to contract this job out - uneven floor and water damage and getting absolute Bullsh*t responses and quotes (like tear out ENTIRE subfloor and shim with roofing tiles.)
Nice repair . . . . was the water source the window? . . . it looks new.
Did a similar repair in front of my 2 boys' bed . . . . constant jumping off the bed softened up the composite chip board plywood . .. . crappy stuff.
New Siding took care of it.
You're amazing!!! Great tips seen other vids, but no one so smart. God bless!
What are your thoughts of just toenailing in the cross members to the original joists, splitting the joint between the old and new subflooring?
+John Bean Been there, done that. That is why I do it this way now. Toe nailing is awkward, imprecise and not as strong. Do it right the first time and you will be happy you did.
Thanks so much, very informative, easy to follow video.
Great repair. I'm going to use this on some repairs I'm doing right now. But won't mold grow on that nasty gunk you left on top of the insulation? Was the subfloor actually particle board? Is that even code?
The debris left behind is dry and made of the same stuff as the rest of the home so it is all good. Remember fix the leak first. The subfloors in mobile homes are commonly particle board, what you see being pulled up is factory original so yeah, it's code.
Wood galvanized screws be ok to use when installing the box?
I have used deck screws with good effect.
What about the out side walls of floor joist are rotten on the ends will the wall have support
Thanks for the tip, building boxes would make jobs like this much easier.
I'm repairing a buddy of mines subfloor. His toilet stopped up so he cut a hole in the floor and took his dukes in the hole and let it smack down onto the insulation. Would I remove his poop when I'm working under the floor or should I smash it in under the joists to provide more insulation. It would be a great insulator because he takes great big healthy hog jowl and tater beefsteak poops and they can be easily worked and formed into flashing
Collect it and put it under your floor
Omg 🤣😂😭🤣🤣
That's was best I saw yet..you make it look so easy!
Thanks!
I have the same straightedge. Great product, easy to store.
Love the box idea, thanks.
Thank you for this vid. More informative than other videos on this topic. Very helpful.
I am glad you found it to be useful.
i've never seen particle board used for sub-floor is that allowed? what state is this structure located?
+niterbum This is a common misconception. The floor you see in this video is in a mobile home and unless your state has a law against mobile homes, this one could be moved to your state or any other.
omg... THAT WAS SOOOOOOO PROFESSIONAL I WISH I COULD HIRE YOU TO FIX MY FLOOR LOL.
I am replacing a heated floor in my office above the garage. We have decided that the easiest thing to do was to just install a heated matt system over the existing burned out floor (which already has a thin coat of levelling cement to conceal the cable system we installed the first time around). Upon removing the laminate flooring, I have discovered a 24" x 24" area that has been rotted out from a leak in the roof years ago. I noticed it when I put some pressure on the concrete in that area when I noticed some water stain marks. I gave way pretty easily.
My question: Can I use the circular saw to cut through the cement (1/8" thick) and subfloor at the same time? If not, how can I cut through the cement separately without damaging the cement that is not part of the water damage? Thanks in advance.
Hi Alexander;
What do we do about the rotten sub floor that is still left under the wall between the wall stud and the floor joist?
+oldasa It is definitely a consideration and a decision you will have to make.
In most cases I will leave it as shown in the video but in one extreme
case I actually removed a 20 foot section of exterior wall while
propping up the roof with 2x4s. Then replaced the floor, then built a
new wall complete with window, door, electrical, exterior siding, sheet
rock, paint. It is a major job but thankfully it usually is not
necessary. You have to make that call. Good luck.
+Alexander Dyer (STRONGBOLT) Wow!!!!!! That sounds like the wet problem had moved up and damaged the wall too. Is that correct? Man that must have been a real head ache.
Check my thinking on this;
My water damage was my failt because I failed to cover the plywood subfloor end grain when nailing my exterior siding on top of rather than over lapping and covering the end grain of the sub floor plywood . Everyone knows that end grain ply (no matter how well sealed) loves to suck dripping rain water into the enterior of my shop. Well it took 23 years for it to finally undermind and rot certain stress points on the exterior floor joist that has been always well painted and is exposed to weather. Also additionally I'm going to have to add support to all the interior and exterior joists because Because I never really put enough support blocks or piers in the first place. When I'm finished I will still have the end grain of the sub floor exposed to the weather. Can you suggest some sort of flashing or protected apron to cover my sin of exposed end grain?
Im going to start my taking sections of the flooring up and repairing just as you did here. But I'm going to add the extra support to the interior joist when specific sections of the sub floor are removed. ONce this extra pier support is added to the interior I will then cut and rip out the damaged sections of the exterior joist. Plus adding better pier support for the exteriors joists to.
Sounds quite involved. Flashing is very effective but not always the most attractive. The main thing to keep in mind is to sneek the top edge of the flashing under the bottom edge and behind the existing siding. This will turn the water out as it rolls off the bottom of your siding with no need for any sort of sealer.