Subfloor

Hello!

This is my first post. I am fixing up a Condo. The subfloors are full of dog urine. I can't fathom how anything, but removing the subfloor could possibly remove the smell and urine. The floors don't dry. They are saturated. This has been going on for possibly decades. I tried Kilz, sprayed and rolled. I have tried absorbing the urine with paper towels and water. I have used Borax on the stains to absorb the urine, which turns it yellow. I have washed the floors, tried sanding the floors, and have tried bleach and water. I have white vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide to try, as well. I am trying to remove the Kilz with chemical strippers, so I can try Shellac to seal the floor, smell and all. The putty knife/scrapper is removing the wood fibers, along with the Kilz.

The problem is, it is in every room, and I don't have the time, patience, or money to strip 1300 sq ft. I have asked for an estimate to replace the subfloor upstairs, but unfortunately, it's been a month without a response. I am living in this Condo. I have flooring and carpet already to go, but the floors have to be fixed, before anything else can happen.

Does anyone have any ideas? Do I have to strip the floors to put the Shellac down? How can you get the floors to absorb the vinegar, peroxide, or baking soda, when they are full of urine or covered with Kilz. I am using a dehumidifier in the basement.

Thank You, in advance, of any and all responses. Yes, this is a DIY attempt, with limited help and resources.

Lisa

That's a tough one Lisa...and welcome to the forum. Let me start by asking (and hopefully no one else will ask again) how you bought into this condo when the smell was so bad?
The right answer is to remove the subfloor and install new plywood, but I guess you have been through that answer before. It is a tough job and very invasive. And now you have the Kilz helping to prevent you from getting to the "stain". You might try contacting a company that specializes in disaster recovery. They have many tricks for removing odors.

Well, I was hoping the floor wasn't as bad as the carpet and padding. Between the smoking and urine, elbow grease and patience. Got it "as is" for $56, appraised at $80. I knew I could do what needed to be done and do it right! Needed TLC. She was mentally incapacitated and all the appliances were damaged, as well. I can see the potential and beats living in a one bedroom all electric apartment. I contacted ChemDry and wanted me to sand the Kilz off and let the floor dry to apply a chemical to the floor. Then, apply Kilz and Lauan. I can't sand it b/c it is wet and still seeping.

Hi Lisa and welcome to the forum.

Before we get too much into what we can do to help you let’s try and get a better lay of the land so to say.

It is a condo so that can mean many things in different locations, what exactly do you have. I gather it is two floors and a basement? Are your connecting neighbors above or below you or to the sides? You have all the carpets out now and padding? Are some areas worse than others?

Sometimes photos help if you can get a broad view of what we will be dealing with. For instance you said plywood is it really plywood or OSB. Get a good closer photos of a bad area where the problem extends into an interior and exterior wall.

Are you trying to live there now or is this repairs you will be doing before moving in.

I would be running as many fans as I could get in there with good air exchange to start with.

You will get a lot of good help here and advice if it reaches past your DIY skill level. Don’t be afraid to hang around and pester us with questions it is what we do and like.

Good luck for now.

Bud,

Three story Condo, side by side. I moved in the end of April. Yes, I am living in it. The smell and stains are worse in the dinning/living room. I did have a fan running, only makes the smell worse and the floor is still wet. Moved the dehumidifier to the first floor, from the basement.

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Here are some photos. The last three are from the second bedroom, after the Kilz.

I think a few of the bad spots should be just changed out.

I agree with Neal. The area in the first photo looks the worst and I wouldn’t try and abate that as it would be more work than replacing it. Some places you can remove a full 4x8 sheet that would go pretty fast. If its screwed down remove the screws and pry up if its nailed just pry it up. it may or may not be glued if it is that’s a little more prying. You will need a couple big crow bars a small sledge hammer and a few tough people. You can set a saw to the thickness and section it up first will make it come up easier in smaller pieces and also easier to haul out and get rid of. Along the walls the shets go under the wall and the reason I asked it the problem seeped under the walls. It doesn’t look too bad at the walls and I would cut the sheets about 4 inches from the wall and then when I put the new down I would first add a 8” strip below to make a shelf for the new to connect to the old. Put this all together with liquid nails and screws. I would screw all the new down and also glue it.

The smaller spots are the only ones I would work on saving.

You will find when you get those worst 4 sheets out things are going to start smelling better real quick. Dogs fortunately try and use the same place a lot.

Now the question is can you do this yourself or do you need to hire help or find friends and family or go with a pro or a handyman.

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This is some of the living/dinning room areas. I want a dog myself, but don't want to have it mark over a scent, only it can smell. Also, carpet is going upstairs and hardwood downstairs. The stains are in the hallway, bedroom and downstairs. I don't know what's in the bathroom or kitchen yet. I can tell you the subfloor is glued. Condo built in 1979, quickly. This started out to be a joint venture, but my handyman has health and personal issues. I have a brother, available on weekends, maybe. Probably hire someone, since brother doesn't think removing them to be a good idea. Stripping the paint was his idea. I want I done right, not what will be less expensive.

If anything, I think the paint points out the bad spots. You can’t paint over wet wood and get it to stay. So, where it is bleeding up shows you the worst places.

It is a lot of work but so are the other things you have already tried and didn’t work.

I have had mixed luck with oil varnish and shellac products. The killz is somewhat like shellac actually.

Which actually, is most of the floors, unfortunately. Probably time to hire someone.

I have no idea how long this had been going on, but she had carpet replaced twice and someone was trying to fix up the Condo, but gave up.

Washing ceiling and walls in hallway. Spackling, sanding, priming with Kilz. Can't get the carpet done, until floor is fixed. Carpet in master bedroom is done, but not sure the stains are going to not seep through the Kilz, either.

Thanks Bud.

Hi All! Update: Dehumidifiers have dried the subfloors. Smell seems to be gone. Kilz is still on the subfloors. Two men, I contacted about the subfloors earlier, have abandoned me. Brother feels, I should seal the floors, after stripping the Kilz off first, and using vinegar to treat the floors. Could probably sand the subfloors to apply a Shellac. Want to seal the subfloors with something and apply Lauan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome back. You got quite a bit of good advice so far and good to hear the smell is going away. My experiences are when it gets good and dry the smell will be mostly gone. Then when the humidity goes up you will get the smells back. I would hate for you to do all that work only to have it back.

So you never gave pulling up a few of those bad sheets a try. The worst places that is what I would still recommend. Then I would go with the old time oil based varnish on sealing the smaller areas. Trouble is you will need to do it when it is warm and open every window and go live someplace else for a few days to a week as the smell is strong.

I did that to some walls and floor with cat smell and it finally went away.

My brother won’t do the replacing of the subfloors. The one contractor, who offered his services to replace them, didn’t send me his estimate, and never got back to me. The guy from Chem Dry has not called me back and I have called him and the company twice. It has been very frustrating to get help. Thanks for responding.

It is crazy the world seems to be slowing down and stopping. All I hear about is people needing work and people offering it cant find people. Just talked to my nephew he has a pretty new truck and the heating stopped working on it in the fall. For 3 months he has had it to several dealers service shops to get it fixed once a week and no one seems to be able to fix it. Everyday I hear these kind of stories. Funny thing is he is a rocket scientist and he told the dealer this isn’t rocket science.

Apologies here many of us are well equipped and tackle this stuff in our stride and we assume sometimes other do stuff like we do. As I get older I’m finding more limitations to myself. Today it was mild out and the flange rusted off the CAT converter on her car yesterday. So the end of January up on the great lakes I’m under her car in the driveway working on this thing and it wasn’t quite as easy as I remember it being 30 years ago. I got it done and now thinking the next time I’m calling a tow truck and then the garage will tell me they can’t fix it or something.

Back to your problem I don’t think you need to sand all that paint off. Where it was wet it should just about fall off. Take a scraper to it and vacuum it up good and go at it with the shellac. That will dry very fast and you can give it more coats. If you are not smelling it now put down the sub floor you want to do.

Keeping fingers crossed for you.

It always good to hear news about an ongoing project...especially good news. Instead of vinegar, look into enzyme products designed to neutralize pet odors. i think you can find them at dedicated pet stores.

Thank you!

There is a product with Saccharomyces ferment. Likely the same enzyme based products mentionned by slownsteady. The comapny Carruba manufactures it under the name Duoplex.

Thank You!