Musty smell on subfloor

4 years ago

My house is 50 years old and has had several layers of linoleum. We’re currently remodeling the kitchen and have all the old paneling ripped off and just removed all of the old flooring down to the subfloor. Now there’s a very strong musty smell thats horrible. My contractor painted the floor with kilz but it still smells bad. I’m worried that when he lays the new ceramic tile, the smell will come through. He said it won’t, but it’s so strong I have a difficult time believing him. Will the smell come through or will the new tile hide the smell? Any help would be appreciated. By the way, the subfloor looks like it’s in good condition.

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Comments (4)

PRO
Charles Ross Homes
4 years ago
The musty smell is not necessarily coming from the 50-year old subfloor. It may be coming from a poorly ventilated crawl space or basement or it could be rot or water intrusion in a different area of your home. I think you'll be well served to investigate and remedy the source of the odor before covering up the old subfloor.

Since you're planning to install tile, it's important the subfloor be sound and with near zero deflection. When remodeling older homes on crawl spaces we often find the need to install a new layer of subflooring over the old--or in place of the old--before installing floor finish materials.
strategery
4 years ago
Can you pull up the subfloor to check if it is the subfloor material or something underneath?
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PRO
G & S Floor Service
4 years ago
I agree, you probably have condensation somewhere causing the smell. Find the source and make it well ventilated (fans, dehumidifiers) or air tight (spray foam).
PRO
Mint tile Minneapolis
4 years ago
The guy painting the floor and then intending to tile ....or rather PREP it for tile is unqualified labor. Fire him and let us know if we can guide you in HIRING a qualified tiler.