How do I fix a rotting bathroom floor if I have a limited budget & very little handyman skills?
Answers:
There are great books at the library on this subject pay them a visit.
Other answers:
Go get Oxy Clean works on pretty much everything.
Go get Oxy Clean works on pretty much everything.
you can't. its no time to be stingy.
do you have home owners insurance. If yes call them. They might pay for it.
Go to Barns and Noble book store there is a very good book on doing it your self book. This book has every thing. It is all about fixing your home.
maybe you could claim it on insurance.
Barter! Find a guy who can do the work and barter some other service you can do...like painting, wallpaper, etc...
Try dumpster diving at construction sites. Try calling Habitat for humanity and ask for any extra plywood. You can piece fit odd sizes by aniling to what floor you have now.
if mold is not an issue...cover the floor with 1/2 inch thick ply wood or composite wood, whichever is cheaper...nail it down...and cover it with linolium....you can find small pices of linolium at a local carpedt and flooring store..really cheap...and the glue should cost about 10- 20 bucks depending on size...estimated cost...100$...estimated time...one weekend
my sister and I, got a floor book at home depot. ripped up the floor poured cement, put luann on top of that and tile. Who knows if we did it exactly right.. I lived there for a year after we did it with no problems. Heck, I sold the house and told the new owners I replaced the floor.
Well the right way to do it is to remove the old and rotten subfloor and check the joists to make sure they are not rotted too...a cheap way out would be to use 3/4 inch pressure treated plywood and cover the entire floor...the pressure treated wood won't rot but if you don't remove the rotten plywood and and damage to the joist the rot won't stop
the floor boards must be stripped and removed. replace with 3/4 inch plywood and linoleum peel and stick tiles.high grade caulk on the entire outside perimeter where the floor meets the trim...cheapest way
You need to tear the floor out. You also need to look for the cause of the rot. It is probably water and it is probably near the toilet or bathtub.
Do you have linoleum or tile flooring? If it is linoleum, you probably have graying or blackening of the flooring around where the rot is.
You need to tear that all out. You need to rip out the plywood or wood underneath and replace anything that is soft wood or rotting wood.
You then need to replace the rotten wood with fresh plywood. You might want to consider plywood that has been treated with silicone or other water repellent treatment.
Then you need to put new linoleum over it.
If you have a water problem on your floor, you probably have the same problem on the sides of your shower or bathtub.
It isn't really expensive to fix the problem, but cheap isn't better. It is going to probably cost you at least $300 to fix it.
I've always liked half-inch plywood for such things. With a drill/screwdriver, a cardboard template and a saber saw, you should be able to knock-out a new usable floor in no time. Just screw the plywood over the old floor.
The only tricky part will be around the toilet. To do that right, remove the toilet, place the plywood, where you need to, cut the hole for the toilet, and either use an extender, a superring or a wax-extender to reconnect the toilet.
Just a caveat, when you use plywood like this (CDX costs around $17.00), it is only a temporary fix unless you protect it with vinyl or other floor covering... Except of the floor covering and if you have the tools already, you should plan on spending about $25.
Also just to let you know that if you rent, your landlord should fix the floor, as it sounds like a safety/health hazard.
I hope this helps.
Have a nice trip..LOL..
Get a small piece of plywood and cover the hole then place an area rug over it until you can get help. Good luck.
Buy about four bags of sac crete, and mix with water. Use a large spoon to smooth it around the floor. Total cost: about 12 bucks:)
Find a family member or good friend THAT YOU TRUST (those are the key words!) and see if they will do the work for you in exchange for work that you can do for them (whatever it is that you are good at--car repair, bookkeeping work, lawn care, taxes, etc.).
You could also try calling a local community help line...look in your phone book, online, or call your local court house...depending on where you live. Lots of times companies will do things "not for profit" in order to help in their community. Also ask about "Habitat for Humanity" in your area. They may be willing to help or suggest someone who can.
If these suggestions don't work, I would go with the insurance suggestions others have stated.
Well if it gets wet there, ply-wood isn't a good idea. They make this stuff called green broad.It's for bathrooms. But it has to be covered with some type of flooring. Tile is cheaper than a lot of people think. You can get it at Home Depot. I'm not sure how much it is but take your pics with you and they can help you make the best choice without wasting your money. Cause you might have a bigger problem than you think.