Fixing a hole in the bathroom floor

[averydarkplace]

The super in my building replaced a rotted drain pipe under the bathtub in my bathroom. To do this, he created a hole in the floor next to the tub, deep enough to expose the pipe (but not deep enough to watch my downstairs neighbor shower). When he finished replacing the pipe he filled the hole with sand. What I want to do is to cover or fill that hole. I don't want to bury the pipe in something so tough, that in the event of another plumbing problem, I would not be able to get to it. What would be my best choice? I don't care if the area gets retiled or not.

Thank you ~ Avery

[Joseph Meehan]

It seems to me that should have been part of the repair. Why are you doing it?

[averydarkplace]

I own the apartment and I'm responsible for most things, but not the plumbing inside the walls. So if the super breaks the floor to fix a pipe, then I'm responsible for fixing the hole. :(

[Goedjn]

Textured steel plate.

[Joseph Meehan]

Oh, like a condo. Thanks for the information.

[averydarkplace]

You're welcome.

[ameijers]

Sounds like a really flakey design for an apartment building/condo/coop, burying horizontal pipe runs in a slab on an upper floor. Usually, even if there is a slab for a firebreak, the horizontal runs are below that, and above the finish ceiling below.

No way to make a good recommendation without seeing it, but I'd be inclined to either pour the cut flush with gypcrete and then retile, or cover the cut with backer board set on a stainless lip. Set the lip deep enough so the tile over the patch is same level as the existing floor. It'd take a hell of a tile guy to make it look right, but it would be doable. Think floor access plate in a locker room. Secure the plate with countersunk stainless screws going into stainless threaded bushings set in the concrete holding the lip.

aem sends....

[bamboo]

In that case let the super worry about breaking through your patching material. I am assuming the floor was a mortar bed, you can use mortar or sand mix.

[e-mail] wrote:

[glenn P]

That's actually not right (at least where I come from). Although the floor covering is technically "yours", if the building corporation needs to access their infrastructure through your covering, it is up to them to make it good.

Just vaccuum the sand out, and fill it with quickset c>> It seems to me that should have been part of the repair. Why are you >> doing it?