Caulk base of Toilet

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Chris Wagner

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Hello ,
Finally got the Drake installed but was curious. Is there any other reason to caulk toilet to floor. I don't mind the look without caulk. Thanks

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Reach4

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The caulk would be mechanically necessary if you had a Unifit. The main purpose of the caulk would be to prevent liquids from going under the toilet, for example when you wet mop.

If you apply caulk, I suggest the following search into the search box above: toilet polyseamseal. I would use masking tape, because I am not well practiced with doing it right without tape. You can press the caulk in deep so that the clear Polyseamseal is not noticeable.

Did you shim your toilet to be level or to prevent movement? You could at least shim some gaps for stability without raising the toilet. If you use wax, you should not lift the toilet at all once it is down without replacing the wax. That is not a problem with the waxless methods.
 

Terry

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By code we must caulk the bowl to the floor, most of the way around, leaving none at the back.
We use a clear polyseamseal, that goes on white and turns clear when dry.
We apply out of the tube, and using either a sponge with water, or a wetted finger so smooth it after application.

It prevents water and dirt from getting below the bowl, sticks it to the floor to prevent movement, and makes it more quiet when in use.

loctite-tub-tile.jpg



polyseamseal_clear.jpg
 
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Gusherb94

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I would use Polyseamseal and caulk it around from bolt to bolt. Don't really need to caulk all the way around unless it's code.
Don't even think about using silicone as that stuff can get messy very easily and is impossible to clean off. And forget about removing the toilet easily with silicone.
 

Reach4

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The Unifit toilet hold down screws are placed farther toward the wall than the closet bolts are. So there is big distance from the screws to the front of the toilet.

See the brass colored screws sticking up 5 or 6 inches from the wall? That is the farthest-forward attachment to the toilet. The screws farther forward only hold the Unifit adapter into place over the closet flange.

flange_03.jpg


A nice thing about the Unifit is that you can rotate the toilet a bit around the big hole near the wall until you get the exact angle you want. You can add shims for leveling without worrying that that will spread the wax seal. Then you would tighten the two nuts on the screws that are hidden behind the velcroed panels to hold the toilet down and secure it in place pretty well. Then you would add the caulk which fixes the position better -- especially against side-to-side forces on the front of the toilet. It works well.
 
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Gary Swart

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Just to beat a dead horse, caulking has 2 benefits. One, it seals the base of the toilet so that mop water or spilled water can not get under the toilet. Two, it helps prevent the toilet from moving if bumped from the side. I actual seal all the way around, because if the back is left open, (code) spilled water can still get under. But I have a finished ceiling below. and I would rather risk a minor code violation than have the ceiling ruined from a spill.
 

Jadnashua

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Setting a toilet on say sheet vinyl, you may have a hard time shifting the toilet as the slightly rough, usually unglazed bottom edge and the weight will have a lot of friction between the two. But, do the same thing on a tiled floor, and especially with a hard porcelain tile (or a glazed one), the surface can be quite slippery, and no matter how tight you get the bolts (too tight and you'll crack the toilet!), it could be moved if hit, possibly breaking the wax seal and maybe even the toilet itself. Caulk helps hold it in place, preserving the wax seal AND the toilet while keeping things more sanitary. Done well, I think that it also looks neater.
 

Jadnashua

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Setting a toilet on say sheet vinyl, you may have a hard time shifting the toilet as the slightly rough, usually unglazed bottom edge and the weight will have a lot of friction between the two. But, do the same thing on a tiled floor, and especially with a hard porcelain tile (or a glazed one), the surface can be quite slippery, and no matter how tight you get the bolts (too tight and you'll crack the toilet!), it could be moved if hit, possibly breaking the wax seal and maybe even the toilet itself. Caulk helps hold it in place, preserving the wax seal AND the toilet while keeping things more sanitary. Done well, I think that it also looks neater.
 
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