DIY Bathroom Remodel

If you’re going to gut a bathroom, there are a few things you’re going to come across behind the walls and floor. This post is dedicated to what lies beneath…

Whew, February has been a hustle month, no doubt about it. We’re about halfway through this bathroom remodel and wanted to share a few progress photos. I know we tend to float from project to project and don’t always do the best job tying up all the loose ends, so I wanted to spend some time walking through the nitty-gritty details. After all, those are what we are hunting for online when we start a project.

Replacing Subfloor

As we mentioned, the catalyst for this remodel was needing to replace a rotting floor.

Before the 1970’s, this 1×6 plank subfloor was the standard.

We ripped out the rotted portion and replaced it with with a plywood sheet.

That is the standard today. Either that or OSB.

But first, Joe used some 2×4’s to add some extra bracing where the toilet will go.

Then we ripped the heavy-duty sheet of plywood and measured where to cut out room for the toilet flange.

The old flange was made of led.

We’ll be popping in a new flexible plastic one over the cast iron pipe, like this one: Oatey 43539 PVC Cast Iron Flange Replacement, 4-Inch.

Shower Walls

Up to this point, we’d pretty much pulled the walls down to studs and insulation.

Gutted.

We’re going to get more into plumbing, but this is the exposed mixing valve where you control the water temperature.

And here’s where the shower head goes. We’re sheetrocking right around these access points.

For showers, DensShield, or any grey waterproof tile backer board, is your best friend.

We measured individual portions and screwed into the studs. It’s fairly easy to work with — to cut it just score and snap with a utility knife like you would regular sheetrock.

Ta-dah! Not quite finished sealing this up, but we show the rest in the next phase.

For non-shower areas in a bathroom, like behind a vanity, you won’t need DensShield, but you will still want a moisture-resistant wall. Bathrooms collect a lot of moisture, so we went with a green mold tough gypsum board.

We measured out the pieces and cut out spots for the electrical with an oscillating tool , then screwed said pieces into the wall studs. Careful not to drill too far and crack your rock.

Next Steps

Next up, we’ll get more into the nuts and bolts of shower hardware and plumbing! And then we should be over the hump and onto tiling.

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