Last week (May 26), Izzy and I spent most of our day tearing out the downstairs bathroom. A couple of fun stories before I mention the point of this post.
1) When I went to remove the cabinet above the toilet, one of the screws would not back out. So, as with many things, the cabinet was removed by brute force. I noticed the aforementioned screw was rusted about 1/4" from the end. When we removed the wall, we found out why: that particular screw had gone through the sheet rock and into the sewer pipe behind the wall. It didn't matter that much, since a sewer pipe isn't pressurized, but it might have leaked moisture into the wall cavity behind the wall (which happened to the area under the stairs).
2) When we pulled out the bathroom counter/cabinets we found a classic case of "Doin' what it takes to get by." The area behind the doors on the counter (center section) was painted, but the areas behind the drawers (which you would never see) was not. Nor was the area between the counter and the wall (side of the counter). So, we had (even more) fully exposed paper-on-sheetrock. And yes, much more mold.
Needless to say, the "inside" (stud side) of all the bathroom walls, as well as the walls opposite those walls, were covered with "3D" mold. Fun.
But as to the title of this post: when Izzy and I pulled up the floor, we had to stop half way because the 4.5 foot cast-iron tub sat on the other sheet of plywood (2x6 elevated floor under which pipes were run). The tub drain would not yield to any tool I had, even one I had bought to remove the upstairs tub. What did it take? Going to Lowe's and buying a tool
like this. That drain came right out. Amazing how easy things are when you have the right tool.
