SHUT THE POWER OFF!!!!

After discovering the water damaged subfloor, I decide to remove it, to see if it has potential to be use in the future. The existing floor consists of a layer of peal and stick tile on top of a ¼ inch thick plywood. Under the ¼ inch plywood was a deteriorated laminate floor which was lying on top of ½ inch thick plywood. Under the ½ inch plywood was the original ½ inch grey looking planks.

After removing the old damaged subfloor, I evaluate the floor joist by the toilet exhaust. I need to determine if the joist were in good shape, which they were. But, to be on the safe side, I decided to sister the joist with a couple of 2 x 4’s. Basically I nailed them parallel to the joist under the toilet.

The water damage was pretty localized around the toilet area. So I decided to remove all of the damage wood and purchase ½ inch plywood for its replacement. Then I purchased ¾ inch plywood to lye on top of the existing planks and new ½ inch plywood. This would give structural integrity for the new tub and toilet.

Now with the new subfloor installed and leveled. I had the plumber return to evaluate the work done. Mostly to insure the floor was ok for the tub and toilet. We were also able to finalize some last minute details, like reworking the pipes to be up to code.

I also purchased a new vanity with a marble top. I will of course show pictures when they are installed. But then I started to think. The current walls around the vanity are like a plastic paneling that is extremely difficult to paint. The paint peal right off after it is dried. I started to really think about my next task. My concern with the paneling is that if it gets damaged, it would extremely difficult to repair especially when the vanity is installed.

With the plumber not coming till next week (Oct 2), the apartment would not be ready till about Oct 15, anyway. So with that said, I polled several people about my new predicament. The following two questions were asked.

1. Leave the panel as is. But if there is damage, the panel will be extremely difficult to repair. Also removal of the panels will be difficult with the vanity in place. Partly because vanity will have small holes on the base to allow the water lines and exhaust through.
   
2. Remove all of the existing walls and replace with drywall. This would make it easier to repair. Just requiring mudding of the portion that is damage.

Everyone that I spoke to on the matter suggested 2... So I started to remove the light fixtures and of course I was lazy. So I decided to remove the light fixture with out shutting off the main power... Boy did I get a shock… Well in-doing so, I quickly tried to move my hand and end up hitting it against the metal light fixture. As you can see, I was an idiot. So lesson learned here, ALWAYS SHUT THE MAIN POWER OFF WHEN WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY!!!!