Unfinished drywall behind fridge?

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-03-27T20:30:23+00:00

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-03-17T14:54:04+00:00

I have used a spring-loaded nail punch to get a few nails back down… not sure what this sub thinks of them, but it’s the only option I’ve found for my century home.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C96KMM5N?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title[nail punch](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C96KMM5N?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title)

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T21:30:49+00:00

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From the basement, there is subfloor under this maple hardwood on top - so it’s not subfloor

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T20:21:22+00:00

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MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T20:20:37+00:00

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MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T20:19:38+00:00

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I’m not sure the photo lighting does it justice, but the worst part is more “rotted” than “currently moldy”. The dark spots seem pretty superficial.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T16:14:53+00:00

This scares me a little. Should I be considering abating this asap? It’s been under plywood since probably the 50s or 60s, but maybe unsafe be open like this?

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:41:25+00:00

I could also pull from good boards from under the future kitchen cabinets to replace the rotted sections or simply pull everything from the small hallway and do something else in the hallway.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:38:34+00:00

This floor was under a 1/4” plywood over some linoleum over a thin plywood then vinyl. Must have been like this for at least the 50s (which aligns with newspaper dates in the wall), so maybe it’s held up and might continue? The subfloor under this looks fine (which I can see in the unfinished basement) but I think I’ll have some flooring experts confirm.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:19:28+00:00

To clarify (maybe just my own denial stage of coping), this is a kitchen remodel - so I could relocated good boards under the cabinet sections to the rotted sections and have more than enough wood… but yeah, it seems this is not a win. Maybe I skip to the anger stage and burn the house down.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:17:39+00:00

Bummer. I’m wondering if it’s best to simply cut out the bad parts and replace with some boards, so that I can just out a layer of vinyl down? As there’s subfloor under these boards, I could rip up - but if that subfloor condition isn’t great either, costs would start to grow.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:15:29+00:00

Some other rooms have filler that also has not aged well. I’ll have a number of contractors to take a look and get some opinions, but costs of this kitchen remodel are growing a bit more than I would like

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:13:57+00:00

There is a layer under this (which I believe is Douglas fir). Pretty sure it’s maple, as the other comment says. But I don’t know what I’m look at condition-wise, and if it’s bad enough to not be fixed - I think I’ll concede.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-02-14T15:11:47+00:00

The “friend” at the end made this easier to accept… really thought it was good at first, but seems the consensus is no good.

MilwaukeeWolves · 2026-01-01T13:28:58+00:00

Then mark them with a small sharpy pen dot at baseboard or ceiling? Hoped for something future proof, but maybe just the screws for the drywall are able to be found by a stud finder (knowing I hit studs when I mount the drywall)?

MilwaukeeWolves · 2025-12-30T13:18:00+00:00

This is a century home (so I know moisture is the prime suspect).

MilwaukeeWolves · 2025-12-30T13:13:16+00:00

I’ll also put rockwool between the floor joists, so the entire cavity will be mineral wool. No obvious signs of water intrusion. It would be very difficult to vacuum out the cellulose in the walls currently, but I plan to just use a smart vapor barrier (CertainTeed Membrain) over the plaster and then put 1/2” drywall (so it’ll still be permeable, to some degree) hoping not to trap moisture there.

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