How do I know if my bathroom subfloor is bad?

9 Common Signs of Subfloor Damage

1. Your floors are uneven or sunken in parts.
2. Your floorboards squeak – loudly.
3. The room smells musty.
4. Your floors shift or bounce when you walk on them.
5. Your toilet is rocking or loose.
6. Your tile flooring has cracked.
7. Your hardwood floor is cupping.
8. Your linoleum floor is bubbling up.

Do squeaky floors mean water damage?

Creaking Floorboards Even a very small leak can lead to major water damage issues if it’s left unchecked. Small leaks can easily lead to larger leaks, and if the leak is due to age-related deterioration in the pipes, there could many other leaks as well.

Can you fix squeaky subfloor?

Shim the Subfloor Creaky floors occur when the subfloor has been separated from floor joists. You can solve this by shimming the subfloor. Wedge shims between the joist and subfloor, and use a clawhammer to tap them into place. Don’t pound the shims because they could lift the floorboards and cause more squeaking.

How do I know if my subfloor has mold?

Pay attention to strong, musty smells. Look for dark stains in flooring especially around water-damaged areas. Pull up several floorboards or a 1-foot square of carpet and padding. Use a flashlight to inspect the subfloor for signs of mold.

Why is the floor around my toilet soft?

A spongy floor around the toilet is a strong indication that the subfloor has absorbed water. Peel back the flooring around the fixture and you will likely discover swollen, discolored wood — a sure sign that the subfloor needs replacing.

Why does my floor creak when I walk on it?

Typically, a squeaky floor is caused by your flooring wood trying out and shrinking. As you walk over the floor, the boards rub against each other or slide over nail shafts to make a racket of squeaks and creaks that you’ll swear are mice beneath the floor boards.

What does mold look like on wood subfloor?

The signs of mold under hardwood floors, carpets and vinyl are usually the same. You notice dark patches on the floor or a musty smell throughout the room. You pull up a small corner of flooring and expose the problem.

How much does it cost to replace a subfloor?

Average Cost of Replacing Subfloor. Replacing subfloors will cost between $1.45 and $7 per square foot for materials. Labor costs will be around $27.50 per hour. The project requires the removal of the finished flooring and damaged area and the installation of a new material.

How do you fix a squeaky subfloor from the inside?

The cure for a squeaky floor is to reunite it with the floor joists. You can fix a squeaky subfloor from above or below the floor using any of several techniques. Press the bottom of the stud finder against the floor, depress the find button and move the stud finder in a straight line until it beeps or lights up.

Why does my floor squeak when I sit on it?

If a squeak continues and you’ve hit the joists, it is possible you have a subfloor with a plywood underlayment above it. The squeak could occur between the joists and you’ll have to add some screws there to stop it.

What are joists and why do they Squeak?

Joists support the subfloor which might squeak if it separates from the joists. Squeaky floors occur when the subfloor separates from the floor joists and moves up and down when walked on. Older subfloors were made from planks that ran diagonally across the floor joists.

How do you fix the floor under a toilet?

How to Repair the Floor Under a Toilet. Turn water off to the toilet by closing the valve on the water line behind it. Disconnect the flex water line to the toilet at the valve. Once it has water supply and can no longer refill, flush and plunge the water out of the toilet.