replacing bathroom floorboard without removing bath/sink?

[steve]

Hi, I recently noticed that the seal around my glass shower spray panel (to stop spray going all over the bathroom) was leaking and water was dripping down and under my laminate flooring. After pulling up the flooring, it looks like it's been leaking a while and there is a fair amount of wood rot - see these pictures for an idea of what I'm talking about:

think I'm going to have to replace the rotten chipboard panel, and the wooden floorboard next to it too. Unfortunately, the chipboard panel is one long piece across the width of my bathroom, and goes under the bath and the sink.

Does anyone have any tips on how to go about replacing this chipboard panel, without having to remove the bath and sink? I thought about sawing out the offending section and replacing it, but I'm not sure where the joists are and don't want to start sawing through the floor blindly, in case I saw through one!

Steve

[Chris Bacon]

You should be able to work out where the joists are by the fixings of the chipboard sheets. Is it really that bad when it's dried out? Did that chip come out when you were levering the board up for some reason? You should be able to get away without removing the bath, anyway, and the basin pedestal can be removed without dismantling the basin further (but support the basin properly if you do this).

[steve]

I don't know - I'll find out in a couple of days. At the moment, if I push down on the worst parts of the wood, water seeps out.

The chip came off when I was trying to remove one of the nails that had held down the hardboard which was on top of the chipboard (and was also very rotten).

Cheers, I'll look into that.

Steve

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Surely the ceiling below must have given an indication something was amiss?

Cut a section of it out with a circular, less than the depth of the chipboard and then you can use something to prise it up,shouldn't cause a lot of effort with this cut? this then will indicate where the joist are and any wiring/pipes.

[Chris Bacon]

You can't use junk mail to cut timber, even manufactured boards.

[steve]

I live in a block of flats and the people (students) downstairs haven't said anything to me about it...

[The Medway Handyman]

If the chipboard is the green Grade 5 stuff it might well dry out OK. If not, you can remove a section & replace it.

Finding the joists shouldn't be that difficult. The joists will be spaced

16" apart so if you can find one you can work out where the next is. Lifting the carpet outside might give a clue - look for the nails or screws.

A circular saw with the cut depth set to 18mm would only cut the chipboard. Even if you cut in the wrong place its possible to fit battens to the joists to take new chipboard.