How to repair water damaged floor and laundry cabinetry?

[Magjie]

Hey! We want some advice on fixing our damaged laundry caused by water leakage (while the house was tenanted). The hardwood floor is now arched up, and we think the wood chip floorboard underneath is also damaged, along with the broken cabinet.

We don’t even know where to start…assume to remove the cabinet first? What type of tradesperson should we reach out to help us to replace the floor, both the surface floor and possibly the floor underneath (we will pay professionals to do this)? Any recommendations? Really appreciate any help you can provide.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Magjie. It's brilliant to have you join us and many thanks for your question about repairing a damaged floor.

Are you able to inspect the underside of the floor from beneath the house? Also, will this bowed section return to the correct shape if weight is applied to it? In the best-case scenario, if the subfloor doesn't appear to be degraded and the bowed section will return, you might be able to screw the area back down into place. Alternatively, if you're looking to pull the floor up, I'd suggest you employ the services of a flooring professional. You can look towards sites like hipages to hire professionals for the job.

If you are going to change the cabinetry regardless of the fix for the floor, then removing it would be the first place to start. This is a relatively simple process and requires isolation of the water outlets and disconnection of the waste. You'll then be able to remove the cabinet carcass.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Noyade]

I'm with Mitchell - what happens if you apply pressure to the areas as indicated?

Maybe possible to screw it down with methods to hide the screw heads?

What's missing from your photo - a drawer? Is it in good condition?

Any idea where the 'leak' came from - that caused this damage?

Cheers

Graeme.

[Magjie]

Many thanks, Mitchell! I am looking forward to learning more in the community!

Will go underneath the house to have a look - it's very narrow down there, but I will give it a go. I believe the hard floor sits on the top of some sort of chipboard floor by looking at the side of the house. The concern is that the chipboard floor is damaged as well. 

[Magjie]

Hi Graeme, thanks for your reply!

The floor doesn't move when push down. There was a leakage which was supposed to be fixed a few months ago, although I am not 100% convinced. There have been no water drops but the area feels damp, despite we didn't use the laundry for weeks (we didn't have a washing machine after moving back in the house for a while). We had a plumber come in recently but he couldn't see any obvious leakage.

The missing part of the photo is the sink. The surrounding cabinet seems ok, but the bottom part is damaged as shown in the photo, assume due to water leakage. 

[MitchellMc]

Please keep us updated @Magjie; we'll be keen to hear how that sub-floor looks and provide further assistance.

Mitchell