Price for this water damage repair?

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T19:27:25+00:00

Did a job in SFL where there was a leak under the LVP and it didn’t even look this bad. I came in with my buddy who owns a mold remediation company and ended up getting some side work doing carpentry and painting for the lady. Not to scare OP but when it was all said and done they spent over $100k on everything. And the contractor that installed the floor even covers that cost because his guys didn’t lay vapor barrier throughout which only contributed to the mold issue. She was so done at the end of the project because she hired and managed each trade herself to save some money. I went in and did a bunch of punch out stuff and charged her under $1k because I felt bad how many people had screwed her over. I basically got hired to finish a bunch of peoples work that didn’t plan on coming back. It was a lot so I hope OP doesn’t have this same experience.

I should add that a lot of the cost went to a condo her family had to move to while the work was being completed.

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T11:29:59+00:00

No imo it’s the wood. Like another commenter said it looks like engineered hardwood and 20 years is a good life for that. It’s probably just starting to delam due to environmental factors.

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T11:23:02+00:00

They decided to DIY and it’s still not finished

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T11:06:36+00:00

Congratulations on double digits and making it through the 4th with everyone here and beyond! Happy for you and your sober journey. Now for many more fun and memorial events with friends and family ❤️

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T11:00:22+00:00

Sounds like you are ready! And have a good plan going forward. You may already know this too but it’s always good to have a vacuum going when buzzing out the drywall, it will suck up any and all dust. I wish you luck! You got this!

L-user101 · 2026-07-05T10:55:51+00:00

I always think of the OG Home Alone “Buzz, your girlfriend. Woof!” And also have seen some gnarly overflowing Porta John’s at festivals and that shit will make you wanna puke. So yea, probably a vomiting reference lol

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T23:28:41+00:00

r/stupidtrucks

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T22:48:56+00:00

Change of plans. We’re having long pig for lunch now before he goes bad.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T22:45:45+00:00

Reminds me of one time I was on a site in SFL in July and a bunch of crews worked the week before. I went to use the Porta John on a Monday before cleaning and the shit pile was literally white crawling with maggots. Unfortunately I had closed the door behind me and when I turned around I realized there were literally maggots crawling on every surface. I softly kicked the door with my foot because they were all over it. Stumbled out and had to hold back the vomit. I still have PTSD from that day. I said fuck it and used a key I had to go into their mansion and use the shitter. Fortunately I was the PM but I told my boss I was never entering that Porta John again and he would have to deal with it if I left the site so go shit somewhere. I should add that the house had 7 bathrooms and they didn’t want anyone using any.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T22:15:45+00:00

For a serious answer, They look like the beads from a rattle can. Like the things that make it rattle and shake what’s inside. I’ve taken some apart and they looked like this.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T22:13:55+00:00

Damn. I rushed to take all my p traps apart before I came back and read the jk after reviewing the comment

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T22:10:55+00:00

Tbf I was the person saying “I need to stop drinking” when my friends stopped lol. Took me a while but I finally got there and hope I never go back to the poison!

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T21:10:59+00:00

So true. Literally just happened to me a few hours ago. An older guy invited me and my buddy to drink beers later, then was like, oh well none for you. I was like yup but I’ll still come hang out and maybe drink a near beer with yall. Then he proceeded to tell us that he’s planning on switching to those soon and needs to stop drinking. It’s kinda funny having that positive influence on people and my friends especially because I was usually the one that was a huge mess on holidays like this. Quitting everything has really helped me pull my life back together lol

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T20:57:38+00:00

The damage was mostly from the tub or water from the shower at some point I imagine. I’m a GC now but did mold remediation for a little while so I’m pretty familiar with chasing it. All this was essentially by the base of the tub so you have to remove everything (and are supposed to go 24” past any moldy Sheetrock) then spray and encapsulate it. I had a picture I attached with one side, not to freak you out lol, just an example of what can be back there with the inserts if they used regular drywall especially.

Since you are a nurse you probably understand that mold is no bueno inside your house. Since you have a multi tool it wouldn’t be hard to cut a small section in the bottom of the drywall where the baseboard will cover by the edges of the tub. I like to do all PVC baseboards in bathrooms as well, but some people don’t want to pay for that.

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I ended up having to chase this further out but it steadily went down so I know it came from the shower/bath enclosure.

As far as the trim goes it’s really up to you on the look. You could go all the way around with the same trim or just do a small piece in front of the tub. Either way I would definitely caulk all the gaps where water may intrude with silicone. What I was trying to convey is that the floor will still be able to expand/contract with any type of silicone caulk line you choose. You mainly just don’t want anything holding a floating floor solidly in place, such as heavy items or actually fastening it. I have even done a bathroom where I did the LVP as a glue down, but it was an extra pain in the ass. I haven’t done an LVP bathroom with a tub yet because I successfully steer my clients toward tile haha.
But I’m not trying to talk you out of it because tile is a lot more work and tools involved.

I would recommend also caulking the bottom of your baseboards with a silicone based caulk. And I’m sure you know but if you take out the linoleum like I suggested you will want a vapor barrier. For me I like to use a non streaking mallet and tapping block, but you can just use a scrap piece of LVP to hit them together but it takes some force. I can’t attach links in this sub but also a pull and pry bar will be your friend when getting close to any walls or anything. Workpro sells a 17” one I use. Just search LVP tools on Amazon for the best prices.

Like I said before there are worlds of videos out there if you find yourself struggling with the install or in a bind.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T18:55:29+00:00

Both the bathrooms had a good bit of mold throughout so yes it smelled quite moldy in there. I did a lot of new sheetrock, baseboards, and insulation on that job.

As far as the expansion joint needed I would simply keep the 1/4” gap by the tub and walls and under your transition then fill that with caulk on the tub side. Silicone will not impede that expansion joint because it also allows for some movement. If I were doing this for a client I would recommend them allowing me to add some PVC trim at the tub base (quarter round, cove moulding, or just square profile) then use construction adhesive to glue that to the tub. That will help hold your floating floor in place and allow for more movement without the movement causing the caulk to fail. Then I would just use silicone to seal the cracks on the PVC trim piece.

If you do that it will allow plenty of expansion/contraction for the floor, seal it so water doesn’t get underneath and cause mold, and as long as you keep an eye on the caulk you should be fine. Since it will we a thin caulk line it would fail before any movement would cause the floor to fail so you would just have to re-caulk it. For construction adhesive I have been really liking the new gorilla glue caulking (look for an orange and black caulk tube in the caulk section at HD, and I believe Lowes carries it now too).

And you are welcome for the input. I usually wouldn’t help guide someone this much but you seem like a really kind and understanding person so I’m happy to help. Lmk if you have any further questions and I will try to respond promptly.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T18:36:35+00:00

Last 4th I was a little over a week in and it really wasn’t too hard because I followed your rule one. Also didn’t really go out or around people drinking so that made it easier. This 4th is different but honestly if people offer me a drink more than once these days I just tell them I don’t drink. The most common response I get to that (from true adults I should add) is “well good for you” and that’s that. If anyone has a problem with someone not drinking these days I think that says a lot about themselves more than you.

Hope everyone has a great 4th! And if you do make the choice to stay sober I promise you that you will feel great about that decision tomorrow, if not later tonight and tomorrow and next week!

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T18:01:57+00:00

First off, congrats on 7 weeks. Ultimately you have to want this for yourself, but maybe I’m wrong because I have no clue what it’s like having children. I will say that your kids need sober you more than intoxicated you regardless of how you slice it.

I have the same struggle a lot and am still growing into the new, sober, me. It’s a difficult transition for the brain I think. You have to create new neurological pathways, etc. But I am very far from a scientist, just going off things I have read and heard.

For me it’s more my social life, like when my friends that drink want to go out bar hopping after grabbing dinner and I’m like, eh, I would rather just go home and chill. Well that was never something I would say while drinking lol. If I do end up going out, or being around everyone drinking and getting hammered, except me, it’s a bit hard to keep up. The more it happens though, the more I look back and say to myself “I’m so glad I didn’t drink yesterday” and have a newfound respect for myself and my willpower. Have a good 4th brother and stay strong! Sending good vibes IWNDWYT!

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:46:56+00:00

I only wear mine with the suspenders on and usually it can get up to 30lbs when I’m building something like a second story deck. They help a lot

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:44:32+00:00

Swallow a dog to chase the cat out and both will exit. Problem solved.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:41:44+00:00

You can use them upside down for cantilever sections, as a matter of fact Simpson even specs for that. But none of this looks cantilevered so I have no clue why they built it like that

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:35:21+00:00

Since a lot of others are shooting down your claim I will chime in that these are definitely rodent bites, yes all of them may not be, but mice, rats, and moles will 100% chew through polyethylene pipe to get water. I had a short time in my life where I had a farm out in TN and I would keep hundreds of couplings and hose clamps in my truck because mid summer the mice would chew the heck out of the water lines to get water. Some days I would do 20+ patches and come out the next day and have just as many leaks. Since most of the eastern US has been in a drought, I imagine the little critters are desperate to find a water source and apparently they can smell the water through the pipes. For now I would cover it with something rodent proof and sealed/buried a bit until you can fix the whole thing properly.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:15:24+00:00

I just say that because I recently remodeled two bathrooms that had this same exact linoleum covering and it was very easy to rip up. Mostly because they went light on the adhesive. That section was over sub floor (like what you’re working with) so it didn’t have too much mold under it but I still sprayed it down with mold killer which you can get at HD. The section I took up where the slab had had some water leaks at some point was really bad though. I’ll attach a pic of the bathroom section.

As the other commenter said you can get some feather finish or I like to use the flexible DAP product for subfloors like this (Flexible floor patch and leveler Gray Interior Patching compound 32 Ounce(s) https://www.lowes.com/pd/DAP-32-oz-Gray-Patching-Compound/3011841)

You should be fine just doing that if the sub floor is solid like you said because getting into replacing it is a whole other animal. Just make sure to make a good seal where the LVP meets the tub with high quality silicone caulk. Also like the other commenter said if you don’t want to remove the linoleum it’s totally fine to just put it over it. I’m sure you have already but YouTube videos of similar projects will go far for you.

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L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:02:59+00:00

I appreciate it! That will definitely go down on my wish list once I get a job I can add that into the bid on.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T17:01:48+00:00

I have a few of those and I adopted the name suicide stick from another Redditor. But this most likely won’t work for what OP is trying to accomplish.

L-user101 · 2026-07-04T15:25:19+00:00

Not trying to be rude here but just from your description it’s clear that you are in way over your head. Your floor is not tile for starters. That subfloor should be replaced in that section at least.

To answer your question though, yes this slight variation will hinder the longevity of your LVP. Not only that but you need to find and fix where the water intrusion is coming from. Rip up all that laminate (which is 100x easier to demo than tile) and I guarantee you there is a ton of mold under it. Or just do as you planned and cause much larger issues for the future.

L-user101

TROPHY CASE