PSA: a quick tile job in my bathroom last Tuesday turned into a full floor replacement after I found a soft spot.

Thea Ward · 2026-04-20T22:10:04.936855+00:00

I was just replacing a few cracked 4-inch ceramic tiles near the toilet with a $30 box from the hardware store, but when I pulled them up, the subfloor underneath was completely rotten and spongy from a slow leak I never noticed.

parkerh384mo ago

but honestly how bad could it really be? i have had soft spots in my own floors before and they sat for years without any real issues. you probably created a bigger problem by tearing everything up when you could have just put the new tiles over it with some extra glue. the leak might have been there a while but if it wasnt causing visible damage or mold then why make a mess of your whole bathroom? sometimes people overreact to minor things and end up spending way more time and money than necessary. a little flex in the floor isnt the end of the world especially in a bathroom where you are just walking around in socks anyway.

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charlesb895mo ago

My bathroom floor was like that for five years and it was fine.

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the_pat5mo ago

That'll change your mind about quick fixes.

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