Categories: BathroomFloors

How to fix a hole in the floor – subfloor repair DIY

We show every step to repair a big hole in the subfloor. All done from the top side! It’s pretty easy when you know how.
We removed an old chimney and that left a big hole in the living room floor!
We filmed step-by-step repairing that big hole and it looks great.
Next step will be patching the wall-to-wall carpet, but that will be another video!

Tools and supplies:
Replacement piece of flooring (subfloor/chipboard/OSB in our case)
Tape measure
Drill
Screws
Screw drill bit
Drill bit (large enough to make a hole to put the rope through)
Felt marker/pen/pencil
Jigsaw
A couple roofing nails (or tacks or short nails)
Hammer
2 feet of rope
A couple short boards
A piece of cardboard

Daniel Miller

View Comments

  • This is great for people who own a house but don't have a lot of money and are clueless about how to fix a hole in the floor (me).  It gives me an idea of what can be done. At least for the time being , it may not an expert repair or long term solution, but it will work.  I apologize for the idiots that insulted you and nitpicked your video that you did trying to help people,  because you didn't do it exactly the way they would.  I enjoyed it!

  • OK, I think this is a great idea and cool video (thank you maximpulse!) . I applied this technique to close a hole that I had to make because I needed to reach a bathroom vent from the storage over the bathroom ceiling. (The vent pipe was between the bathroom ceiling and the storage floor). I had to use two slabs of wood to compose the patch as the only entry was the actual hole and it was of regular shape- Now, reading the comment from Jeremy Denslinger I realized that I could have simplified the job by cutting the entire section between the joists (instead of a 14 inch wide it would have been 16 or 18 inches and re-apply the cut wooden section (screwing back the same panel on the same joists with the addition of supporting sidings to the joists) without making a potential weak spot. That said, it's still a great solution that I'm sure will last, considering that the storage area is not a high traffic zone. I thought I had no other choices, frankly, but actually there was a simpler way.. In fact, cutting from joist to joist and adding supports to the joists.. I could have spared time and material.

  • Thanks for posting this video. The plumbers cut a rather random hole to access the plumbing in the crawlspace and, duh, I needed someone to show me how to repair the hole. You did it!!! Your method is good for a lightweight repair but, since I will be placing a washing machine over the repair I'm gonna do it the 'correct' way as mentioned by Jeremy Denslinger.
    Watching the video reminded me of patching a hole in the drywall. Have you done a video on that subject yet?

  • I am trying to gather knowledge to fix a hole left from an in floor radiant heater... this helps, i didn't feel lost trying to absorb the information. THANK YOU!!

  • 7 years after you posted this, I've got a similar problem. Thanks for posting it, you've helped me out. Subbed.

  • I have this issue after I had mold removal done. Thanks for the video, I actually feel competent enough to try it!

  • Thanks for you video. Do you have any tips for how to make a perfect replacement peice of wood when you cannot reach the "backside" ?

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