My bathroom tile job turned into a flood zone on Friday

I was replacing the old tile in my Phoenix bathroom and cut the water line to the toilet without turning off the main valve first. Water sprayed everywhere for a solid minute before I got it shut off, soaking the new cement board and subfloor. What's the best way to dry everything out before I can restart the project?

3 comments

3 Comments

evac891mo ago

Been there, done that. Get a dehumidifier in there right now, not just fans. You need to pull the moisture out of the air itself. Pull up any loose cement board if you can to let air get under it. If the subfloor is OSB or plywood, you're on a clock before it swells and rots. Let it dry for at least a few days, then check for soft spots with a screwdriver. If it gives at all, you're cutting it out and replacing it before any new tile goes down.

miles_sanchez1mo ago

Our basement flooded two years ago. Learned the hard way exactly what @evac89 is saying. Fans just move damp air around. You need that dehumidifier working overtime. We waited a week and the plywood was still spongy. Had to cut out a four foot section. Mold started growing behind the baseboard. Total mess. Do not rush the dry out.

derek_schmidt624d ago

I read somewhere that OSB soaks up water way faster than regular plywood. Like, it can start swelling within a few hours if it's wet enough. So if you've got OSB under that cement board, you're really racing the clock. In my experience, that screwdriver test is the truth. If it feels soft at all, don't even think about patching it. Cut a good foot past the damage to be safe or you'll be doing this again in six months.