Ensuite #2 for bedroom #3 renovation (work-in-progress)

10 years ago

last modified: 6 months ago

We purchased this home in the mid 1980s but it was built in the 40s or earlier. It came with 3 bedrooms and 2 ensuite bathrooms (with tub/shower combos) and one guest bath that is only large enough for children. The two ensuites both had carpet. It was beige carpet that was already stained and we didn't have the time or $ to rectify that for many years. We spent nearly 10 years overseas (during which time we had tenants from hell who did over $70k worth of damage and haven't paid one cent for it-- our lawyer said they would burn the house down and kill our livestock/pets if we tried to sue them). Because the plumbing was messed up by the tenants, the sewage kept backing up and, unbeknownst to us, broke the wax seals on the toilets so they were leaking into the subfloor.
When the linoleum in Ensuite #2 started bubbling up and the floor got softer, I realized we had a problem. We took the toilet off and found that there was carpet underneath it. The wood subfloor was the consistency of mud and was absolutely disgusting. There is also carpet underneath the vanity and it became saturated with sewage. I was unable to remove it without breaking the plumbing for the lavatory so I put a face panel underneath the toekick and sealed it up.
My father was the handy one with more building experience and knowledge. He was helping me but he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in March 2009. I did manage to chisel out the ruined floor panel but the project got put on hold for a few years but I decided that I need to finish it and began working on it again.
Sadly, I did not get any photos of the carpet, old toilet, or even the linoleum before it was messed up.
Photo #1 shows the carpet under where the toilet sat. The torn linoleum is visible.
#2 shows the carpet pad after the carpet was removed. The linoleum was pried up and you can see that some of it stuck to the wood.
#3 shows when I removed the carpet pad. The wood underneath was like mud.
#4 shows after I shoveled out the mud-like wood.

After taking out the board, I bought a cheap tube of lipstick (I don't own any makeup) and spread it on the toilet flange (after cleaning the old wax ring off). I then took an old cardboard packing box and (after cutting a few notches to allow it to slide to the wall) pressed it down to transfer the mark for a template. I also marked where the water supply line was and cut a hole for that.
Then I took some luan and taped the template to it. I took it outside and used a jigsaw (I know, wrong saw for the job-- circular saw would have worked better but the one I had was too heavy for me to hold with one hand) to cut the luan. I drilled and then cut the hole for the flange slightly larger to allow for expansion and contraction. It fit like a glove. I secured it with decking screws every few inches along the perimeter.
(continued in next post)

Editing here in case people do not want to scroll down. It has been a rollercoaster of going through hurricanes, illness, injuries, etc. Since these last photos we had 3 attempts at leveling the floor. Third time's the charm. It is as smooth as I could get it. Used a leveling mix that does not self level but didn't require primer. A winter storm ruptured all of the pipes so they were replaced with PEX. I installed the vinyl sheet by myself (so it has some spots where it got messed up but they are hard to see). Friend hooked up the plumbing and installed the toilet for me. I cleaned and organized. Tub was being used for storage so I cleared it out.

Last leveling mix: