replacing flooring in a bathroom

[alwayssomething]

I am doing a bathroom remodel and need to replace the floor. The plumber I hired cut out some of the floor slates to get to the pipe, but he cut the boards in the middle of the span between the joist and I can't get to one of the joist because it is under a wall. I'm planning to toe nail in some 2x6 to provide something to nail the new floor into. If I do that, do I need to match the joist size, which is 2x10, or can I use smaller size lumber since they won't be supporting the weight of the structure, just the weight of the floor and anyone standing on it at the time. Also, is 3/4 plywood the norm for the subfloor?

Thanks!

[bmwpower]

Are you saying he cut the floor joists?!? How much length did he cut out? Were they damaged or merely in his way?

Is this a first floor bathroom? What's under it?

3/4" is the norm (actually 5/8").

[alwayssomething]

Not the joist themselves, just the floor slats that made up the subfloor. He had to do it to get to the pipes, although I wish he had just cut them down the middle of a joist. It's a second story bathroom. At this point I'm thinking I should just take out all of the old flooring and replace it with 5/8" plywood so it's consistent. Eventually tile will go down for the flooring so I'm guessing the old and new floor board won't be the same height and that will cause problems.

Thanks for the reply!

[alwayssomething]

where he cut the floor is over a shower stall in the bathroom on the floor below...

[bmwpower]

Not the joist themselves, just the floor slats that made up the subfloor. He had to do it to get to the pipes, although I wish he had just cut them down the middle of a joist. It's a second story bathroom. At this point I'm thinking I should just take out all of the old flooring and replace it with 5/8" plywood so it's consistent. Eventually tile will go down for the flooring so I'm guessing the old and new floor board won't be the same height and that will cause problems.

Thanks for the reply!

I guess the slats are less than 5/8" thick? How thick are they?

Yea, he should have cut down the length of the joist. This way, you would have been able to reuse the slats. Any chance you could get something similar to replace them?

It always going to be hard to make the hallway floor height exactly the same as the bathroom floor height. The threshold at the door usually makes it an easier transition, visually.

[mdshunk]

If you can cut the "tails" of the floorboards back to the centers of the joists, that would be step one. Next, you'll have to find some plywood slightly thinner than the original floor thickness and cut it to fit the opening. You "shim" this plywood up to exact floor level with a few strips of tar paper placed between the top of the joist and the underside of the plywood patch and nail the patch into place. Generally, when the floor is patched in this manner, the entire floor is also resheathed over top of everything with 1/4" luan plywood.

I agree; shame on this plumber for not cutting the floorboards in the centers of the joists. As an electrician, I regularly have to take up attic floorboards. I consider it my responsibility to remove the board with as little damage as possible, and also replace them when I'm done. Apparently, your plumber doesn't work to the same standards that others do.

[alwayssomething]

Is it better to nail the subfloor in or screw it in? Does it make a difference?

Thanks! This board is a huge help!!

[Wgoodrich]

Most common method is to glue joist to subfloor then nail. Run glue along top of joist then lay down subfloor than nail. The glue helps protect from squeeks.

Good Luck

Wg

[bmwpower]

Look for glue that specifically says "subfloor adhesive" or "construction adhesive".