“Turns out, the old subfloor had some water damage from who-knows-when, and the new floor just highlighted it.”
That’s the classic trap—new floors always reveal what’s lurking underneath. I always tell folks: check the subfloor like you’re looking for buried treasure (except it’s usually just rot). Personally, I lean toward hiring out for anything involving structural stuff. DIY is great for the finish work, but if the base isn’t solid, you’re just putting lipstick on a pig. Learned that one the hard way after a “quick” weekend project turned into a month of crawling around with a pry bar and a shop vac...
Funny how new floors have a way of exposing every hidden issue, right? I always tell people—before you even think about laying anything down, grab a flashlight and really get into those corners. Sometimes it’s just a patch job, but other times you’re looking at replacing whole sections. Did you end up having to replace any joists, or was it mostly just surface rot? I’ve seen some wild stuff under old carpet... sometimes you find old newspapers or weird artifacts mixed in with the damage.