Homeowners find cracks and damage under old tile
23 posts across 3 communities in the last 30 days; 87% from r/Flooring.
“I need to take up some of the floor to investigate an issue underneath. I know nothing about flooring, I assume these are linoleum or vinyl tiles. I also don’t know where they’re from or whether I can buy replacements so if I pull them up gently can I stick them back down again…”
“We just bought an older house (built around 1940) and the bathroom currently has carpet over an older mosaic tile floor. In one area, the tile is already broken/missing and there’s a thick gray/cement-like material underneath that is also breaking apart. We want to remove the…”
“Hi there! First time homeowner here. I recently moved into a two-story century home, and recently I realized that there are a bunch of hairline cracks in the bottom of the bathtub (located on the second floor of the house). Few of those are pretty significant cracks. Most areas…”
Several homeowners removing old flooring are discovering cracks, unevenness, and potential asbestos concerns beneath the tiles. They're unsure how to properly prepare the subfloor for new installations.
SOURCES (57)
“Now, where do we find it? Lol Chat hasn't found it, nor have I. The house was built in Florida in the late 70s. The tiles are 18x18 and while they look like they're a multi-piece mosaic, it's really just grooves to make the tile…”
“Got my carpet ripped up this weekend, found water damage where my old skylights were. Tried to secure the bouncy subfloor down with some heavy threaded screws. Got them to bite… but subfloor still felt like a trampoline. Figured I might as well bite the bullet and pull the two panels of T&G OSB subfloor up… there’s about a 1/2 inch of play because they ripped the 2x4 wrong. Honestly. My plan is to use shims with subfloor glue ( either some brad nails or screws) the shit out of it. Maybe add”
“New homeowner here. As is tradition, it's a travesty here and we're trying to fix what we can as we go. Half of the basement is livable, the other half is utility. Also, what easy and durable flooring would you put over the utility side? Doesn't have to look nice. It has the iron pipes, washer, dryer, etc... submitted by /u/The_MadCalf [link] [comments]”
“Planning to lay 90x90cm porcelain tile. Current floor is concrete, self leveller 3-5mm (approx) then there’s sticky adhesive from removing old vinyl. The close up shot you can see the concrete under the unit. The edge of SLC. And then the yellow glue. Since I can tile onto SLC. how can I prep it for tile? Is there a primer I can use to stop the residue from causing poor bonding? Or will it be fine? It appears like a latex adhesive but I’m guessing. Tried scraping and using heat but I’ve got 45m”
“Can someone help me understand what I am looking at. For some context, my washing machine was originally against this wall, but I moved it to get a better look at the floor underneath. It looks like there may have been a leak near the water connections on the back of the machine. However, when I run the washer, I don't see any water leaking from that area. Instead, water seems to be leaking near the door of the front-loading washer. I'm concerned about possible water damage to the floori”
“Had a handyman friend of a friend do some flooring work and renovate our house. Months later the floor in the kitchen and other spots are popping up. It’s LVP. I don’t really wanna go through the whole calling him back over to fix it so just wondering what we could do instead. submitted by /u/AmandaCarithers [link] [comments]”
“Any idea what would be the best way to fix and keep the floor in the basement to the upper right from further degrading? House was built in the early 40’s. submitted by /u/Willow8904 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! We Just moved into this new house, and am trying to figure out what to do in the basement level bathroom. It’s tiled right on top of the concrete floor but this wood trim (which I think is also touching the concrete floor?) is like turned gray and black. How should I go about cleaning this wood? Or should I just cover it up with paint or some other covering? Would love any input! Thanks! submitted by /u/howleywolf [link] [comments]”
“Pulled up our vinyl plank from our new house and discovered this! Is it subfloor or hardwood? And how can I tell the difference in the future? submitted by /u/RodolfoSeamonkey [link] [comments]”
“We bought this house last year. It was a hoarder home, then someone flipped it and renovated it. Come to find out after doing some research on getting new carpet that our house has hardwood floors!! It was built in 1973. I always wanted hardwood floors but knew the cost would be too much. The first two pictures are the listing pictures before the reno. Last two is what I found Are these floors worth restoring. From what I saw it still has about 3/4inch left of the wood. So far I’ve been quoted t”
“Exactly how it sounds, and not sure how to go about fixing. We moved into a house with heated tile floor in the basement. We didnt notice the damage as there was furniture, including two treadmills, over top the worst of it. Some of the corners seem like they have popped up a bit. They sound quite hallow when I knock on them. What do I do in this scenario? Regrout? Retile? Idk how the electric plays into this. submitted by /u/Menacingwombat [link] [comments]”
“95-year-old bungalow. Opened up the ceiling in the basement to redo some plumbing and found this spot where this small area of subfloor snapped off somehow before our time here. That small area of floorboard has always been especially bouncy and now we know why! Is there a durable way to repair this from beneath and eliminate the bounce? Could I replace with a piece of plywood cut to fit and then secure with perpendicular pieces of 2x4 attached to the joists on either side, or something like tha”
“I need to take up some of the floor to investigate an issue underneath. I know nothing about flooring, I assume these are linoleum or vinyl tiles. I also don’t know where they’re from or whether I can buy replacements so if I pull them up gently can I stick them back down again after? submitted by /u/Clinical-Mint [link] [comments]”
“The floor in one of our downstairs bedrooms has always been wonky underneath the disgusting carpet. We could feel peaks and valleys underfoot. We finally went nuts and ripped up the carpet to discover a bunch of soggy moldy particle board (not plywood) along with a bunch of tomfoolery to try make it level. Then we found what lies beneath: old dry-rotted wood and rusted out pipes in some old concrete. Is there ANY way we can patch and seal this or does it all have to come out? submitted by”
“The floor in one of our downstairs bedrooms has always been wonky underneath the disgusting carpet. We could feel peaks and valleys underfoot. We finally went nuts and ripped up the carpet to discover a bunch of soggy moldy particle board (not plywood) along with a bunch of tomfoolery to try make it level. Then we found what lies beneath: old dry-rotted wood and rusted out pipes in some old concrete. Is there ANY way we can patch and seal this or does it all have to come out? submitted by”
“Good day, I have a client who is looking to check underneath the floor tiles of their bathroom due to mold on the drywall. They are unsure of the type of tile the flooring is made of and the best way to lift them to check the sub floor for water damage. We are looking for advice for the type of flooring it is made of and the best way to lift them without breaking. Thank you in advance. submitted by /u/RebeccaLoneBrook29 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! What do yall recommend to fix or cover this cracked tile? It’s just one tile and we rent this place so I’m not going to do anything too permanent or across the whole flooring area. My baby keeps picking at this spot so I need something that they will not be able to pick away at. Please help! Thank you! submitted by /u/yosemiteamity [link] [comments]”
“My house has been pretty much neglected since we bought it in 1992. It was built in 1978 and I’m pretty sure that the sheet vinyl floor in our kitchen is original. Over the many many years of abuse, there are quite a few sizable and irregularly-shaped “divots“ (for lack of a better term) in this original floor. The plan is to (hopefully) loose-lay new sheet vinyl over this old floor. Do we need to fill those divots, somehow, so the new floor doesn’t dip where the divots are? if so - how? I hesit”
“I'm so lost, so I'm hoping someone with more knowledge (and lower blood pressure) can help! My great-grandfather installed this floor more than 100 years ago in the lobby of his butcher shop. We tore down the building about 15 years ago and put in a small park/green space on main street in our little town, but left the original floor and added some seating to allow people to enjoy the park and rock fountain/pond in the park. We retained ownership of the space, but work with our village a”
“Me and my partner are currently swapping around our dining room and kitchen. I took a tile off the floor and found this. Any idea what it could be? I put the tile I took up in a box ready for the skip Tommorow and covered the hole with another box but unsure what it could be and a bit worried about lifting up the rest of the tiles under! Any help appreciated! submitted by /u/bio_Tone3706 [link] [comments]”
“Several years ago my husband re did our bathroom. Seemed water being splashed out of tub was going under linoleum and getting trapped. He replaced all subfloor in the bathroom and removed some of the hardwoods out in to the hall but had to stop as we weren’t prepared to continue removing hardwoods. He put new hard wood down but now I’m worried that all that subfloor is moldy under my hardwoods and needs replacing but it would be a big decision to start ripping everything up when I don’t know. Ad”
“Hello, I’m trying to install a vinyl floor and don’t know anything lol. I was curious if this subfloor was too uneven and if I should try to get it more level. It’s kind of wavy like with some spots higher and some spots lower. This is on the second floor of the house so I don’t know the best approach to fix the uneven subfloor. Any advice would be great. I provided some photos of the level where under the level there is a gap of about 3 quarters stacked on top of each other. Thank You in advanc”
“TLDR-my subfloor is cooked, don’t know what to do so it doesn’t collapse over the weekend waiting on estimates. home owners insurance is not covering any portion of the repair. EDIT-added a picture in the comments as the title reads, i have no clue what to do here. we’re been in our home for 4 years and have never had issues until a portion of our floor caved in. i’ve had several people come out (plumber, insurance agent x2, now ServPro) and we know what’s wrong, but no one knows how to fix the”
“First time homeowners and we have absolutely no idea what we are doing. We have a loooot of house projects in this old house so thinking that replacing our nasty linoleum floor in our small bathroom is something that we can try to DIY to save some $$. However, I’ve seen so many different recommendations for supplies for underneath tiles in bathroom, I’m hoping someone with experience can look at this and tell me what to do. Do we need to redo this self leveling floor resurfacer? If that’s what i”
“I just removed the carpet and am planning to replace it with vinyl plank flooring. However, I noticed some cracks, as shown in the photo above. Could someone please advise me on what I should do? Can I install the vinyl plank directly over it, or does the cracked area need to be repaired first? Thank you in advance. submitted by /u/Seratus-550 [link] [comments]”
“We just bought an older house (built around 1940) and the bathroom currently has carpet over an older mosaic tile floor. In one area, the tile is already broken/missing and there’s a thick gray/cement-like material underneath that is also breaking apart. We want to remove the carpet and eventually install new porcelain tile ourselves, but we’re not sure what we’re looking at underneath the old tile. Is this an old mortar/mud bed? Would the entire old tile/mortar bed normally need to be removed,”
“Hi, I removed the carpet from the subfloor and discovered for the most part the floor is even, but there’s a part of it where it’s not. I’ve used feather finish floor patch, but i find it’s not fully leveled yet even after 3 layers. Where the seem is between floor boards, it’s a bit higher, so I’m trying to level it on both sides. In the picture 1-2, 3-4 5-6 there are still some open gaps under when i check with the leveler when i place it right on the seam. How should i approach this. Should i”
“My Aunt wanted new carpet in her home (small ranch house on a crawlspace). I removed the carpet (it was installed in 1990) in a room and found that floor had dropped in places along the edges and had a severe rolling or wavy feel throughout the room. It was similarly wavy in other rooms but not nearly as bad. What could have caused the subfloor to do this - moisture? submitted by /u/Kellyteal1 [link] [comments]”
“I was cleaning my upstairs bathroom that never gets used and found these small cracks in the bottom of my tub. Do these look surface level and repairable, or am I looking at a new tub? submitted by /u/BlacksmithRoutine828 [link] [comments]”
“A huge split and chunks missing happened in my bathroom floor suddenly tonight. The bathroom is over a walk in basement. I plan to call contractors right away, but I am freaking out. Is this bathroom at risk of catastrophic failure tonight? It's our only bathroom. The crack goes around the toilet and there are two much smaller chunks missing by the toilet. Can I get an expert to weigh in? I can try to get more pictures if needed. My house is early 1900s for context. submitted by”
“We own a 1970’s split-level home where previous owners put down a gray floating vinyl plank flooring everywhere in the basement. It started breaking under our office chairs, so we started ripping it up to and found this 12x12 ceramic tile in a late 70s Spanish Revival (?) pattern. Few questions: I like the orange pattern tile but is there any concern for asbestos? If we decide to keep it, any way to figure out the manufacturer or pattern name so I can search for replacements? Also curious if oth”
“Hi there! First time homeowner here. I recently moved into a two-story century home, and recently I realized that there are a bunch of hairline cracks in the bottom of the bathtub (located on the second floor of the house). Few of those are pretty significant cracks. Most areas of the tub are pretty rigid (no flexing) but the areas around the cracks will flex when stepped on/pressed with fingers. I have no idea how long the tub has been in use with the cracks being there, which makes me worried”
“An AC leak occurred along the baseboard, tiles cracked soon after. I went to pull them up and re mortar and the concrete was not flat, even dipping at points, and didn’t even show old mortar near the baseboard. I’m a noob at this but doesn’t that mean my concrete subfloor is broken? 1978 build in southern climate. submitted by /u/JustLikeWhateverHuh [link] [comments]”
“I'm not sure what kind of flooring this is but these holes appeared out of nowhere. There are also some holes in my baseboards. Can anyone help me out by identifying the cause and give any at-home remedies please. TIA! submitted by /u/howtodisapear [link] [comments]”
“The subfloor in the area between the vent (on the right) and the corner is squeaking when stepping on. Before I go to the crawl space under that spot, i was wondering if it'll be easier to pull the carpet back and screw it better. I know there is soft and spongy underlayment under the carpet. Is it simple to just lift and pull the carpet from the edge tacks?should i buy a knee kicker to put it back on the tack? As its a corner, any tips on pulling the carpet back? Or corners are tighter and”
“Old owner doesn’t have any extra flooring and doesn’t know where it came from. What’s my best option for fixing? This is in a high traffic area. First pick is damaged area second pic is just the floors in another area. submitted by /u/plantsandicecream [link] [comments]”
“Hi does anyone know why this flooring failed, ime the tiles are cracking and I lifted one partially and this was below. How should it be done and how can I repair this? Thanks submitted by /u/Intelligent_Court396 [link] [comments]”
“I'm running into a lot of trouble trying to demo a tile floor. The tile sat on cement board, then particle board that is screwed and stapled down, then sub floor. I managed to get most of the cement board up with a standard crowbar. The picture shows a piece of cement board that seems impossible to get up. It's extremely hard. It was a different color than the regular tile grout. I am wondering if someone used concrete. Can anyone give me ideas? Cat unrelated. submitted by /u”
“PNW house with fir-everything. I'm slowly moving room to room and renovating. Skillwise, I'm a mediocre carpenter. Finally got to this bedroom and found this, under the carpet and old tile. Already tested the tile and mastic for asbestos—negative on both. I haven't tested the paint yet for lead, but I assume it is lead-based. When i tested the paint on the plaster awhile ago before a big demo, it came back positive. Assuming the paint on the floor does come back positive for lead, ho”
“I've just pulled up old/damaged terracotta tiles in my downstairs office/basement rooms. I pulled up the floor with a rotary drill and chisel and got most of the old tile mortar. While doing so, I noticed these holes in the floor underneath the tiles and mortar. I'm far from handy, and this is my first real DIY project on my home, so I have no clue what they are. I assume they are there to drain any water/fluids in case of flooding or an issue with the flooring. they are quite small and”
“The main question is, when to cut out and replace subfloor, and when to enzyme treat and shellac? Also, oddly sloped uneven subfloor. Backstory: Just bought a house and turns out, Every. Square. Inch. was covered in cat urine (30 years of it!) To top It off, they were also SMOKERS! How they managed to mask 90% of it during showings, I’ll never know (suspect ozone machine, because they left it for us.) The inspection report had one single line that said “pet odors present” - that’s it. Since we’r”
“They were exposed before but now that we’re ripping out the top layer of old linoleum and subfloor and putting down new floor, we’d like to be able to get rid of them/cut them down. Does anyone have any idea what they might be? This might now be the right sub but I’ll be posting on some other home improvement subs too. Edit: so the crawlspace that the pipes go to is literally 8 inches tall and we cannot get to it- which is why, I’m assuming, the guy at some point just capped those pipes off and”
“Bought this house a year ago and many past tenants have had dogs. Should we just replace all the subfloor? Or we can sand it, enzyme it, binz it and then level it? We need to level it anyways with self leveler. We're doing everything DIY and plan to install wide plank engineered hardwood. Undecided on installation method since it depends on how we tackle this. submitted by /u/Peanutx73 [link] [comments]”
“I removed an ancient vanity and now I’ll need to patch the floor underneath before I install a new one. Since I don’t have the matching tiles what are my options if I can’t find a vanity to completely cover the old space? Also, what materials do I need to cover the patch? It’s 1” thick. 52” long and 17” wide. We’re looking at a vanity with legs so I’m not sure how to make it not look like I don’t know what I’m doing (which obviously I don’t). submitted by /u/dilweegie [link] [c”
“Should I be worried about these cracks? First 3 photos are of the same long crack. (The 3rd photo shows work done where the previous homeowners dug a trench for some sort of plumbing) 4th is other side of the room but near the end of first crack. I am using DITRA as a membrane, then putting in 14x14 tile submitted by /u/claymos_ [link] [comments]”
“1950s house, former garage stairs now leading into laundry room. Tile felt hollow when I walked over it this morning so reached down to tap it and broke it with my hands. It appears to be dissolving? The steps also seem like they were sealed, then painted, then tiled over. Took about 5 minutes to rip all the tile off the stairs with just my hands and a chisel. submitted by /u/blackie171 [link] [comments]”
“My elderly parents bought their house in 75. They have never redone the flooring. I did my kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and pantry, over my existing laminate, which is likely covering up asbestos tiles. They’ve asked me to do the same with their kitchen and dining room. They would also like me to do the hallway and living room. There is a transition to the old carpet. I was worried that there was going to be a big drop from the laminate to the subfloor under the carpet, but it really does”
“We bought a house built in 2007.and the master bath had some loose and "crunchy" floor tiles. I have finally decided to tackle this (may be a fatal error). The tiles come right up with a flat bar, generally intact if they weren't already broken. In some places the thinset isn't adhered to the tile, in others it isn't adhered to the floor. In some places the thinset just crumbles away to dust. Under the tiles and thinset, there is a fiberglass mesh that looks it is on top of”
“There was a pretty major dip in the floor, so I pulled up one of the vinyl planks to check underneath. Feeling the wood it feels solid, it doesnt seem to be rotting just being warped. One question I have is if this plastic vapor barrier is supposed toto be there. We have a crawl space, and one thing to note is that the AC intake and the unit in the crawl space not far away from where this warping is happening. We do have some other smaller dips around the house, but we were told that’s pretty no”
“Hi all, Looking to rip out the tile on our main floor and replace it with some laminate. Problem is, where an addition was added to the house, the floor is nowhere near flat. However, it is only where the addition was added, the rest of the floor is relatively flat. How would you correct this prior to installing new flooring? The difference over 6ft span is nearly 1”. To try to illustrate the issue I sketched where the issues are. The dotted lines show where the addition meets the original house”
“Just bought our house. Fixing up the basement and the floor tile has got to go. I noticed this and some others with cracks. Some look higher than others. Were on a cement slab so now im spiraling. I have zero idea if there is anything underlying on the tiles and i was told we shouldnt dig it up because asbestos (house was built in 1972). I dont want to put down new floors if covering these up will just mess them up long term. What is this. What do i do. How can i fix it. submitted by”
“Uneven Subfloor for Vinyl Boards I'm renovating my upstairs in my townhouse, all the upstairs used to be carpet. Now that I've ripped out all the carpet, tack tracks and old base boards, im seeing that the floor has a lot of hills and valleys. I'm stupid and thought it wouldn't be a big deal so I started laying the new vinyl flooring and finished 2 rooms before realizing the uneven subfloor is gonna be a problem. How should I go about leveling everything? All new subfloor? I thin”