The day my bathroom floor turned into a water slide

I was putting in a new shower pan in my old house in Tacoma about eight years back, and I got a little too sure of myself with the wet saw. I cut the drain hole just a bit too big, maybe a quarter inch off. When I did the water test, it wasn't a drip, it was a steady stream right through the subfloor. I had to run to the hardware store, grab a tube of that heavy duty silicone sealant, and pack the gap from underneath in the crawl space. It was a muddy, spider-filled mess for a solid hour. It held, but I still get nervous every time I hear that shower turn on. Has anyone else had a simple cut turn a small job into a huge fix?

4 comments

4 Comments

daniel1402mo ago

Oh man, that silicone tube is a real lifesaver sometimes.

reese_bennett252mo ago

That stuff can be a real hero in a pinch. I once used it to patch a cracked coolant reservoir on an old truck. Got me home and then some.

mason_fisher2mo ago

Tbh I had the same thing happen. A fat bead of silicone from underneath was the only thing that saved me.

piper7791mo ago

Yeah, that "fat bead from underneath" move... I know that exact feeling of relief. It's not pretty but when it holds just long enough to get you off the highway, nothing else matters. You're just sitting there hoping it sets up before the leak gets worse. Those quick fixes really do stick with you because they come from pure desperation. Makes you respect the simple stuff that can get you out of a real bind.