The Squishy Floor and Power of Borax

So about a week before Thanksgiving last year I noticed the floor in front of the boys bathroom starting raising up and getting squishy. I feared the worst...a toilet leaking poo water (as Ken from 'Bee Movie' says). And no, the black stuff isn't poo. So I decided after Thanksgiving I would remove the toilet and see what was up. Get ready. Hopefully you haven't eaten recently, because this is what I found.


The vinyl flooring was completely loose. The glue totally dissolved. The particle board under the vinyl just came out in clumps. And the whole place stunk of grossness. There was black all over the subfloor. I started clearing the room fixtures and ripping up the floor. Luckily it was only on top of the subfloor and not underneath the tub. But I couldn't leave that black mess there so I decided to clean it. What do you get that up with...bleach? No, you use Borax.


Amazing isn't it. Turns out Borax kills the black stuff by messing with the enzyme the black stuff needs in order to absorb water and grow.

So anyway here it is February and I still am working on the bathroom remodel. Jenn found an inspiration bathroom so I have my marching orders. Turns out changing from a sink and vanity cabinet to a pedestal sink is a little more involved than it seems. All the plumbing in the wall has to be re-routed. And as is typical of vanity cabinets, the floor heating vent comes straight up in the middle of the floor underneath the cabinet. So that has to be moved as well since the pedestal for the sink needs to be in that exact location. I'm a handy guy and am not afraid of trying anything house-wise, but I probably should be after the whole, almost die of carbon monoxide poisoning thing with me and my neighbor while finishing the basement. Anyway I started the job. I should be finished by the end of the month. I'll post some final pics when it is done.

The biggest motivation for finishing is having to share our small master bathroom with the kids. I'm getting tired of getting scared in the middle of the night when the kids wake up and wander around in our room looking for the bathroom. It wouldn't be so bad if they went back to bed except they forget where they are and end up standing over you staring off into space. I keep waiting for them to start saying 'RedRum' or something like that. It's kinda freaking me out.