bathroom floor - leveling the underlayment

[dando]

I'm going to lay a good grade of Armstrong sheet vinyl. Its not perimeter
bond. Needs adhesive underneath all. My bathroom floor is not level, and
unfortunately, angles toward the tub and towards a corner of the tub that
is tucked back in a small area between tub and vanity. Being that it's in
a rental unit, I'd like to change that. Last tenant didn't think not using
a shower curtain liner tucked into tub would be a big deal. I'd like to
have the water not all gravitate right next to the tub and the corner where
it's less likely to be a *bother* to tenants that don't have their heads on
straight. However, I'm not up for tearing out the subfloor to the joists
and doing it right. I plan to remodel the bathroom in the future, and that
will wait until then. For now, I want a fix that will hopefully last a few
years until I remodel.

The bathroom is about 4.5' wide, sloping downward from the left end of the
tub to the right. I can't correct the whole thing, but plan to use some
pyramiding of 3/16" or 1/4 underlayment material to get the right side
where the vanity and deepest corner are level very slightly sloping back
towards the left side, so that I don't have water finding it's low point at
the edge of the vanity and trying to get underneath it. [The pyramiding
will be beneath the final solid sheet underlayment layer that will go from
one wall to the next. It will be almost entirely under the vanity and
tight space between vanity and tub that will get no foot traffic, except
for a few inch transition beyond the vanity.] In this way, I will end up
with both sides sloping slightly to the center.

In other words, it won't be perfectly flat. It will gently slope about
1.5' from left wall to about a 1' level area where the person will be
standing in front of vanity, and then start gently sloping upwards again
for the remaining 2' to the right wall (beginning a few inches in front of
the vanity.

So after that unwieldy description, my question is, is this a big deal?
Having a perfectly flat floor is supposedly a necessary prep for Armstrong
sheet vinyl, but is it *really*? What terrible things will happen if I
follow my plans, and what "physics" would be at work?

Again, I really just need this to last a few years in a tolerable condition
for a rental unit until my resources and *time* are there to remodel.

Thanks!

 

[Bob Marencin]

some plumbers that float in a wetbed floor slope the floor to the toilet and
away from the door.

I think sloping it away from the door is the best idea because a little
water in the bathtub with a kid or a slight toilet overflow wont go out into
the living area as easily.

Luan underlayment is good and screw it so that there is a x pattern and no
screw is farther then 6" from its neighbor.

o o o
o o
o o o


if you need to you can screw down some shims made of 2x4 material to help
with the low areas just remember to fill in the inbetweens with luan as best
you can out to the area where its getting thin on the shim then you can
float a thicker layer of floor leveler compound.


so luan , leveler compound and shims should get you there and try to keep
the water in the room.

best wishes

bob marencin
www.yourepair.com

I'm going to lay a good grade of Armstrong sheet vinyl. Its not perimeter
bond. Needs adhesive underneath all. My bathroom floor is not level, and
unfortunately, angles toward the tub and towards a corner of the tub that
is tucked back in a small area between tub and vanity. Being that it's in
a rental unit, I'd like to change that. Last tenant didn't think not using
a shower curtain liner tucked into tub would be a big deal. I'd like to
have the water not all gravitate right next to the tub and the corner where
it's less likely to be a *bother* to tenants that don't have their heads on
straight. However, I'm not up for tearing out the subfloor to the joists
and doing it right. I plan to remodel the bathroom in the future, and that
will wait until then. For now, I want a fix that will hopefully last a few
years until I remodel.

The bathroom is about 4.5' wide, sloping downward from the left end of the
tub to the right. I can't correct the whole thing, but plan to use some
pyramiding of 3/16" or 1/4 underlayment material to get the right side
where the vanity and deepest corner are level very slightly sloping back
towards the left side, so that I don't have water finding it's low point at
the edge of the vanity and trying to get underneath it. [The pyramiding
will be beneath the final solid sheet underlayment layer that will go from
one wall to the next. It will be almost entirely under the vanity and
tight space between vanity and tub that will get no foot traffic, except
for a few inch transition beyond the vanity.] In this way, I will end up
with both sides sloping slightly to the center.

In other words, it won't be perfectly flat. It will gently slope about
1.5' from left wall to about a 1' level area where the person will be
standing in front of vanity, and then start gently sloping upwards again
for the remaining 2' to the right wall (beginning a few inches in front of
the vanity.

So after that unwieldy description, my question is, is this a big deal?
Having a perfectly flat floor is supposedly a necessary prep for Armstrong
sheet vinyl, but is it *really*? What terrible things will happen if I
follow my plans, and what "physics" would be at work?

Again, I really just need this to last a few years in a tolerable condition
for a rental unit until my resources and *time* are there to remodel.

Thanks!

 

[mchiper]

Again, I really just need this to last a few years in a tolerable condition
for a rental unit until my resources and *time* are there to remodel.

What I would do, in this situation,
Is use some 3" cove, and filler to blend in at the floor.
Run the floor covering up the cove, and miter the corners.
Quick and dirty enough for you?

 

[james w lazenby]

some plumbers that float in a wetbed floor slope the floor to the toilet and
away from the door.

I've noticed this, Bob,

and I've always been a bit uncomfortable with the toilet
being the "low point" in so many plumber-prepared floor
slopes. I believe the plumber has best intentions, having
confidence in the bedding of the toilet base and it's
visibility for maintaining water integrity. That is pretty
valid but not too real world for the average family. Who
wants to check the seal all around the base of a toilet?

The water closet base is one of the more abused fixtures or
furnishings in a house. It gets water from condensation
both on the bowl and the tank dropping to and collecting on
the floor adjacent to the bowl. It gets near-misses. When
lower than the likely proximate tub and/or shower, it gets
the overflow and is the one spot that is inconvenient to
place a bath mat. (But aren't those little wrap-around
thingies cute? Shame they never stay in place, or they
might actually help, serving as more than being tackey.)

Worse of all is the sure damage to occur over time to the
underlayment directly under the w.c. bowl . . . which was
already weakened by the plumber's sawsall, etc.
The accumulated water for sure, but think about the physical
stresses placed every day on that small section of floor as
live loads are constantly shifting from side to side,
rocking and rocking, to and fro. A hundred pounds or so of
cheek first on one side, then on the other, and not confined
to vertical loads either, but with significant side thrusts
this way and that. All during the final act of the drama,
just before the flush. (Now I know some bedroom floors must
bear similar loads, but only every week or so and only for a
few moments and spread over many square feet of bearing
floor, not so confined, not so violent and certainly not so
frequent as borne by the john.

Below the john is just not the correct place to accumulate
bathroom oversplash of what ever nature. The middle of the
floor is better. That is also the best place to put a floor
drain if you are talking about the "boy's bathroom."

Jim
PS
A wall-hung urinal is, as well as a floor drain, also a
blessing in the "boy's bath." Come to think of it, the
floor drain might best be right under that urinal.
JWL

I think sloping it away from the door is the best idea because a little
water in the bathtub with a kid or a slight toilet overflow wont go out into
the living area as easily.

Luan underlayment is good and screw it so that there is a x pattern and no
screw is farther then 6" from its neighbor.

o o o
o o
o o o


if you need to you can screw down some shims made of 2x4 material to help
with the low areas just remember to fill in the inbetweens with luan as best
you can out to the area where its getting thin on the shim then you can
float a thicker layer of floor leveler compound.


so luan , leveler compound and shims should get you there and try to keep
the water in the room.

best wishes

bob marencin
www.yourepair.com

I'm going to lay a good grade of Armstrong sheet vinyl. Its not perimeter
bond. Needs adhesive underneath all. My bathroom floor is not level, and
unfortunately, angles toward the tub and towards a corner of the tub that
is tucked back in a small area between tub and vanity. Being that it's in
a rental unit, I'd like to change that. Last tenant

didn't think not
using

a shower curtain liner tucked into tub would be a big deal. I'd like to
have the water not all gravitate right next to the tub

and the corner
where

it's less likely to be a *bother* to tenants that don't

have their heads
on

straight. However, I'm not up for tearing out the subfloor to the joists
and doing it right. I plan to remodel the bathroom in

the future, and
that

will wait until then. For now, I want a fix that will

hopefully last a
few

years until I remodel.

The bathroom is about 4.5' wide, sloping downward from the left end of the
tub to the right. I can't correct the whole thing, but plan to use some
pyramiding of 3/16" or 1/4 underlayment material to get the right side
where the vanity and deepest corner are level very slightly sloping back
towards the left side, so that I don't have water

finding it's low point
at

the edge of the vanity and trying to get underneath it. [The pyramiding
will be beneath the final solid sheet underlayment layer that will go from
one wall to the next. It will be almost entirely under the vanity and
tight space between vanity and tub that will get no foot traffic, except
for a few inch transition beyond the vanity.] In this way, I will end up
with both sides sloping slightly to the center.

In other words, it won't be perfectly flat. It will gently slope about
1.5' from left wall to about a 1' level area where the person will be
standing in front of vanity, and then start gently sloping upwards again
for the remaining 2' to the right wall (beginning a few inches in front of
the vanity.

So after that unwieldy description, my question is, is this a big deal?
Having a perfectly flat floor is supposedly a necessary prep for Armstrong
sheet vinyl, but is it *really*? What terrible things will happen if I
follow my plans, and what "physics" would be at work?

Again, I really just need this to last a few years in a

tolerable

condition
for a rental unit until my resources and *time* are there to remodel.

Thanks!