Could a sub floor rot away in six months?
A. The subfloor material is often an indicator as to how quickly it will decay or rot. Particleboard will deteriorate rapidly. Orient Strand Board (OSB) is good stuff, but water will eventually affect it. Plywood will last with water, but will eventually start to delaminate as well. It is possible for wood to rot in six months time. Water may have gotten between the vinyl and the subfloor and ran to the lowest point in the room. It depends on whether it is one-piece sheet vinyl or individual 12″ vinyl squares. Water will not penetrate sheet vinyl, rather it will look for an opening, such as around a drainpipe, or wherever there is a hole in the floor. On the squares, water will just look for an edge. It sounds like the area of damage is near the center of the room, which is probably a high traffic area. Wear and tear may be a contributing factor as well. It also could be that your home is sitting close to the ground with a crawl space and moisture may be contributing to the decay. When
