Soft part of floorboard, does it need treatment?

robodelfy

robodelfy

Joined
12 Apr 2020
Messages
466
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
I'm sorting out my bathroom floor, on top of these boards it will have ply and then vinyl tiles.

This one board has a soft flakey area, I remember there was a crack in the old tiles around there so it must have got wet.

I've scraped it back with to where it feels hard again. Do I need to treat/fill this section with something to prevent further issues or if it's got ply and vinyl tiles going on top, do I just leave it?

20200513_143413.jpg
 
It is punky, possibly has rot in it. Needs to be cut out and replaced
 
Punky = soft, rotten. If you are dealing with healthy wood, even if it has been stored outside for months in the rain, it is still fairly hard. When it goes soft enough for you to be able to push a screwdriver in more than 3 or 4 mm, then that is punky (I.e soft, spongy - symptomatic of wet rot), and the approach with rotten wood has always been to cut it out, replace and burn the stuff you've removed. Wood hardener could be used, but it won't stop wet rot and even after treatment the timber will never be as strong as it originally was (not good in a floor) so is not a viable long term solution.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JobAndKnock said:
Punky = soft, rotten. If you are dealing with healthy wood, even if it has been stored outside for months in the rain, it is still fairly hard. When it goes soft enough for you to be able to push a screwdriver in more than 3 or 4 mm, then that is punky (I.e soft, spongy - symptomatic of wet rot), and the approach with rotten wood has always been to cut it out, replace and burn the stuff you've removed. Wood hardener could be used, but it won't stop wet rot and even after treatment the timber will never be as strong as it originally was (not good in a floor) so is not a viable long term solution.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. After I scraped off that top layer, I can't now put a screwdriver in a few mm, its hard again. There will be ply going over it and then vinyl tiles, so you still think I need to replace it?
 
It's easy enough to replace a section of that board because you have a joint just before the bath foot. Lever it up till you get to a sound section, cut across the joist centre and simply source a new piece to fill in the section you have cut out. You don't need to replace the whole length of board but if there is another joint just out of picture it will be even easier.
Beware of cables/pipes when levering it up and cutting.
 
conny said:
It's easy enough to replace a section of that board because you have a joint just before the bath foot. Lever it up till you get to a sound section, cut across the joist centre and simply source a new piece to fill in the section you have cut out. You don't need to replace the whole length of board but if there is another joint just out of picture it will be even easier.
Beware of cables/pipes when levering it up and cutting.
Click to expand...

Ok I should try then. I don't think there is a joint before the bath foot, it's one board. Unless you meant there is a joist under there. I guess I can drop a jigsaw in and cut it out that way
 
About 2"-3" in front of the bath foot it definitely looks like an end of board cut, but if not, then yes you will need to cut it.
 
conny said:
About 2"-3" in front of the bath foot it definitely looks like an end of board cut, but if not, then yes you will need to cut it.
Click to expand...
I think it's just dirt from where the bath panel was. But I will try and cut it out. Thanks
 
I would try to raise either that board or an adjacent one and feel/look underneath to see if there are any pipes/cables in the vicinity.
Feel along the support joists as well as under the boards, there may be some cables or pipes clipped near the upper edge of the support joists.
 
conny said:
I would try to raise either that board or an adjacent one and feel/look underneath to see if there are any pipes/cables in the vicinity.
Feel along the support joists as well as under the boards, there may be some cables or pipes clipped near the upper edge of the support joists.
Click to expand...

I will try. I'm pretty certain there isn't. I know where the water pipes are and they run about a foot underneath, and the only power cable is to the boiler and that is also running much lower. But better safe than sorry!
 
Waste pipe from the bath?

One of my old houses it ran the length of the floor under the bath. Right pain in the 'arris if it got clogged with hair from the women in the house.
 
conny said:
Waste pipe from the bath?

One of my old houses it ran the length of the floor under the bath. Right pain in the 'arris if it got clogged with hair from the women in the house.
Click to expand...

Yeah the waste from the bath does run under the bath length ways, but I'm not planning on cutting the whole board out as the bath is staying and is all plumbed and siliconed in! So hopefully I can just cut the board out to a convenient joist
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top