I need some help & good advise. In hopes of just replacing the linoleum tiles in the upstairs bathroom, in the process, I discovered that the 1/2" particle board was disintegrating. The prior owner had apparently experienced a water leak and had removed portions of the damaged particle board and used a filler to replace the wood. I removed all the old filler and the damaged particle board. I'm now down to the subfloor.

There is one small area, @ 2"x3", on the subfloor that is missing. The hole is located right at the corner of the bathtub and the drywall. Can I safely cover this hole with the new 1/2" plywood that I purchased to replace the old particle board? Outside of some scattered molding, the subfloor appears to be sturdy. I'm afraid to remove any subflooring since I don't know where the joists are located. Help, please!

 

Hello & welcome aboard!

I would say yes you can replace the small piece, then cover the whole thing with the new plywood. Being a bathroom I would use a good quality product in there if I was doing this, an exterior grade ACX would be a good choice. But go with what you already got as long as it's plywood and not particle or osb.

I would glue & screw the new layer down, use plenty of glue and screw it about every 6"-8", this should give you a pretty decent floor in there. What will the finish covering be?

 

Thank you!! Yes, I do have plywood. I've got a real dislike for particle board now. I'll be laying down linoleum from Traffic Master, A.L.X. grade, that has a Roman stone-like look.

I'll finish laying the plywood this evening and plan to use silicone sealer between the boards. Tomorrow comes the linoleum. One last question, please ...

Once the new linoleum is laid on top of the plywood, do I need to run a strip of the silicone sealer around the pipe flange on the floor?

 

Ok well the silicone isn't what you want to use between the layers, this should really be construction adhesive. As for the are you talking about the flange for the toliet? If so that shouldn't need the silicone either, there is a wax seal that goes between the toliet base & the drain pipe.

 

I should have asked you rather than listening to a Home Depot employee. They told me to use the silicone between the particle boards. Since I've already used this, do I need to scrape it out? Did I really make a mess here? I was hoping to lay down the linoleum today!

Okay, I won't use silicone around the toilet flange - just the wax ring.

 

As long as the top layer of subfloor is screwed down well, proceed with your project. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

 

Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate your comments. Project complete! Looks great!
You guys really are awesome. I'll check here first before beginning my next adventure!