Apartment Subfloor and Shower Progress

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.

old subfloor

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

old subfloor bracing

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

install subfloor

That is the standard today. Either that or OSB.

cross bracing subfloor

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

Oatey plumbing flange replacement

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

led toilet flange and subfloor

The old flange was made of led.

Oatey plumbing flange replacement

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.

old subfloor

Gutted.

old shower mixing valve

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

shower fixture goes here

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

dens shield shower

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

dens shield shower

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.

dens shield shower

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

mold resistant sheetrock electrical

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.

mold resistant sheetrock electrical

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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