Toilet Installation - SOS

[Pluto]

Hi everyone,

Our Glacier Bay toilet has been rocking and moving every since we bought our house. This is my third or fourth reattempt at re-installing it without shaking, but to no avail. To begin, the flange, which is only glued and not screwed, sat above two layers of tile. (The previous owner tiled ugly 2016 tile over unsightly 1926 tile). The top 2016 layer of tile cracked (of course) so we removed that layer of flooring entirely. Unable to replace the vintage floor entirely at this time, we opted for glue down 2mm vinyl plank flooring.

SO now the flange is currently sitting maybe less than 1/4 inch around higher than the 1926 tile sub-floor. The vinyl does not run underneath the flange. I am using "Wobble" soft shims and a waxless toilet ring.

This is my latest attempt, please see photos below. The floor is level (left to right), but the back of the toilet is fairly high and is still wobbly. I have been trying to shim with wobble wedges in the back and sides, but it looks off and my wife thinks 5 stacked shims is crazy.

Any advice? Obviously the house has uneven settling but could there be something flawed about the bottom of this toilet? Is the glued-in-place-only flange the problem (which is what my wife thinks). Please help. I really appreciate it.

ETA: Edited for clarity.

 

[Reach4]

Any advice? Should I just caulk? Can I caulk to make it steady?

No!

Will you use wax, or a waxless seal?

Based on that info, we can offer some suggestions.

I would get some composite door and window shims. I would get something that can cut the shims, if you don't already have something suitable for that.

For wobble, you don't need the level, but I used a level on my bowl rim. You could try the level there, even if you decided not to shim to level out the bowl.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Pluto]

No!

Will you use wax, or a waxless seal?

Based on that info, we can offer some suggestions.

I would get some composite door and window shims. I would get something that can cut the shims, if you don't already have something suitable for that.

For wobble, you don't need the level, but I used a level on my bowl rim. You could try the level there, even if you decided not to shim to level out the bowl.

Thank you for your reply. It's a waxless seal; FluidMax Better Than Wax. I hope that helps clarify. Thank you.

 

[Reach4]

See https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/shimming-a-toilet-best-way.3592/#post-16799 and get similar shims. Cut the narrow end off of some shims so that you can fit them under maybe an inch without being stopped by something pushing against the thin end. Leave the big end sticking out for now.

Put a bunch in place, so there is no rocking. Things are solid. Toilet is level enough for you (most people don't try to level the toilet rim).

Mark each shim where it sticks out. Use a pencil probably. Pull a shim out, cut the thick end of the shim off, cutting away the line. Return that shim. The shim will now be to the edge of the toilet or recessed maybe 1/8 inch. Repeat for each shim. Two shims in the rear may be enough. I probably used 20 because occationally I overdo things. If the thick end of the shim is not thick enough, stack up two. Unlikely to be needed, but easy to do if needed.

You can't see my shims through the caulk, although my floor is a color roughly similar to the shims. If yours contrast, maybe aim to have the outside of your shims 3/16 inch in. Re-tighten the closet bolts.

Clean the floor. Apply caulk. I used masking tape to control my caulk, because I was not very practiced. Use the Clear Polyseamseal as discussed. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index....-and-current-product-names.64887/#post-561477 #11, but you may want to look through other posts on that thread.

 

[Jadnashua]

Depending on how much of a gap you have, I tend to use coins. Cheaper than a run to the store for shims and they are not going to compress and can't support mold.

As stated...you normally want the toilet stable before you set it, but if you're using a waxless seal, it really doesn't matter...you can set the toilet then shim as needed to get it stable. It's fairly normal to need some shims to keep things from rocking whether it's caused by the floor or the toilet, it doesn't matter...it needs to be stable. It generally works better if you can pin the front to the floor with shims at the back, but they need to go where ever they need to be to create a stable platform.

Keep in mind that the vinyl will compress slightly. Get it stable, then caulk.