Trying to replace a 14" Rough In with 4 bolt flange toilet

[Buckward]

Looking to replace an old toilet with a new one and relized this has 4 bolts to fasten the toilet to the flange. It also is 14" rough in instead of the 12"/2 bolt I replaced upstairs. Can a 14" / 4 bolt be converted to a 12" / two bolt toilet? Why are some toilet flanges 2 vs 4 bolt?

 

[Jadnashua]

Just to make sure we're talking on the same sheet...a rough-in is measured from the finished wall to the center of the flange. If you flange does not have a set of slots for bolts at that center point, then you may have to replace the flange or maybe use a repair ring if you can cut a section out for there to be room to install the bolts. This is not something I've got direct experience with. My guess is that the flange is CI on a CI pipe. Depending on if you can access from below, you might just rent a snap cutter, cut it off at a convenient point, then replace with say pvc, then, you could move it to anywhere you want and make it a 12" rough-in as well. You can use a 12" rough toilet on a 14" one, but you'll end up with two more inches behind it.

 

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[hj]

toilet

Some companies used 4 bolts to give more stability. The front two holes use closet screws into the floor rather than bolts. If the flange is a true 12" rough, then a 14" toilet will hit the wall before it can be centered on the bolts. So, the answer to your question is "maybe" depending on the dimension from the wall to the center of the pipe. You can just dummy the front holes by "gluing" the caps to the bowl with plaster of paris in the caps.