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Discussion Forum

setting a toliet on tile floor

| Posted in General Discussion on December 2, 2002 09:28am

Does anyone have any suggestions on setting a toliet on floor tile that tends to be a little mismatched in height?  I have three to set and I have  had to shim them with wood to level them out before,  however this seems to only work for a while.  Is there a material that I can use to level them.   Thanks!

 

Rich

Reply

Replies

  1. User avater
    Mongo | Dec 02, 2002 09:36am | #1

    Try a bead of plumber's putty.

  2. RalphWicklund | Dec 02, 2002 09:50am | #2

    Mix up some grout, plop it on the floor, set the toilet, make sure it's level and you can use a few small temporary shims, tool the grout that squeezes out and don't use the john until the grout is hard. Pull the shims before the grout locks them in place.

    The grout doesn't actually lock the toilet to the floor, it's just for leveling and creates a firm, no rock base. If you ever have to replace the toilet the grout can be easily chipped up and then done again for the next fixture which would probably have a different base profile.

    1. Piffin | Dec 02, 2002 05:10pm | #3

      The grout plop method does it for me.

      Excellence is its own reward!

      "The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.

      The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

      --Marcus Aurelius

      1. Frankie | Dec 02, 2002 05:50pm | #4

        I customarily put huge globs of Plaster Of Paris under the toilet base and set the toilet. After the plaster has dried (1/2hr) I grout. The quick set of the plaster gives me a great foundation which won't shift while grouting. The plaste mix gives about 3 min for leveling before it sets up. No shims to worry about!

        Edited 12/2/2002 9:52:28 AM ET by Frankie

    2. rwj47 | Dec 03, 2002 05:40am | #9

      Thanks Ralph,  I think I'll give it a try.

  3. RW | Dec 03, 2002 01:26am | #5

    I've learned something here - never even though of plaster. The plumber I use does use shims. Little plastic wedges, then he scores them off to the bowl, and on tile we caulk the floor seam. Those don't rock either, but frankly I like the plaster idea.

    1. archyII | Dec 03, 2002 02:29am | #6

      I had read that you should not caulk or seal the toilet to the floor.  If the toilet leaks and it is sealed to the floor the water stays traped and works it's way under the flange to rot the subfloor without you knowing that there is a problem.  If the toilet was not sealed to the floor the water would work it's way out onto the floor and you would know that you had a leak.

      1. RW | Dec 03, 2002 02:34am | #7

        OK. Thats kind of like saying it isn't worth painting your walls. You might get a water leak and it'd take longer to know you had a hole in the roof. Might as well not make it look finished in the first place. My point is if you do it right the first time, it's not leaking. You can't predicate what your finished product today looks like on what ifs down the road. Especially if the floor is uneven, I'll put caulk in the gap to clean up the look.

  4. bobhallsr | Dec 03, 2002 05:14am | #8

    I use strips of sheet solder.  Double or triple fold if necessary and hammer it thiner if it's in between.

    BJ

    Gardening, cooking and woodworking in Southern Maryland
    1. rwj47 | Dec 03, 2002 05:42am | #10

      Thanks for your input! 

      Rich

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