Easy way to judge state of floor under toilet?

[jennyd]

hi all,

We're trying to redo our half bath. I cannot find a toilet-sink combo I like that will totally cover the footprint of the old toilet. the existing floor is hardwood. What's the best plan of attack? How much trouble is it (time, money) for someone to uninstall the toilet long enough for us to gauge the state of the floor under it and reinstall it? Is this totally insane? I am hesitant to buy a toilet without knowing this. I guess the alternative would be to uninstall it and leave it that way until the new stuff goes in. We do have other bathrooms in the house but that's really inconvenient.

Would you generally expect a wood floor to be ruined underneath a toilet? There is no history of leaks that we know of but we only moved in in the past year. There are no signs of structural rotting like rocking, etc. At first I thought the little bit of gray around the toilet footprint meant messed up wood but on closer inspection it seems to be wax mixed with dust.

Thanks very much!

 

[CountryBumkin]

If you go to the website of the toilet manufacture (such as Toto) you can see the drawings for each model showing the footprint/base dimensions. Such as

https://terrylove.com/pdf/cst474cefg-specs.pdf

Having someone come out to refinish the floor (around the toilet, or whole bathroom if needed) would be more practical, I think, than having a plumber come out and test fit multiple toilet models.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I think you are saying that you will have the new toilet replace the old just after the floor is done.

Are you going to have the floors sanded including the bathroom? If so, I would have the toilet removed for sanding. I figure that they might not be able to sand behind so well. Price for just removal that? Minimum price for . The floor people might do it. They might be able to just sand around. Ask them.

When I got my floors sanded, I removed and restored the shoe molding myself. The sanders said that was not needed because their sander would sand close. On the few places that I did not have the shoe molding, they did sand pretty well. So I don't know if I would remove the shoe molding again.

As to your direct question, the floor is probably structurally good enough under the current toilet if you don't detect any rocking or deflection with the toilet in place. I am not a pro.

 

[Gary Swart]

Uninstalling a toilet does not require a PhD nor neanderthal muscle. It's only held in position by two bolts and the water supply line. Remove/disconnect them, empty the water out of tank and bowl, Two people can fairly easily lift the toilet and set it aside. Reinstall is reverse process except for requiring a new wax ring. It's not a nasty job, the nasty stuff is long gone with the flushing. Yes, the toilet does have some weight, but two people can handle this. A plumber would do this solo, but two DIYers would be easier.

 

[Terry]

Wood floors are normally just fine.
They do tend to show a dark imprint under the bowl when exposed. Even that is normally fine. If you are redoing the flooring, then any bowl shape will do. If you are leaving the wood flooring, then sometimes going with a new bowl that covers is a good idea.

 

[Flapper]

How much trouble is it (time, money) for someone to uninstall the toilet long enough for us to gauge the state of the floor under it and reinstall it? Is this totally insane?

Yes, I think it is, unless you have a very good reason why you and/or a relative can't lift the toilet.

 

[Gary Swart]

I did not mean to imply that removing and resetting a toilet does not require a certain amount of knowledge, but not so much a novice can't manage it. Main thing to remember is that when setting the toilet down on the wax ring, you have just one shot at it. It goes straight down, over the flange bolts and onto the ring. It can not be shifted, slid, or moved other than downward. Use body weight to compress the horn down into the the ring, and do not use the flange bolts to pull the toilet down. They are just to hold the toilet in place once set. Use a latex caulk around the base when finished.

 

[Flapper]

I did not mean to imply that removing and resetting a toilet does not require a certain amount of knowledge, but not so much a novice can't manage it. Main thing to remember is that when setting the toilet down on the wax ring, you have just one shot at it. It goes straight down, over the flange bolts and onto the ring. It can not be shifted, slid, or moved other than downward. Use body weight to compress the horn down into the the ring, and do not use the flange bolts to pull the toilet down. They are just to hold the toilet in place once set. Use a latex caulk around the base when finished.

Good idea to get a bunch of wax rings (get a 6 pack ). I think you can shift/twist the toilet a little bit before the toilet is pushed down all the way, but not when it's all the way down.
If you're not sure you can manage a wax ring or you're not sure if you did it right, you can use a "waxless" ring which are foolproof and you can remove and reset the toilet. They can handle a loose toilet.
Caulking around the toilet is completely optional; some people despise it and some people can't live without it. You don't have to caulk if you don't want to.

 

[MKS]

The shut off valves condition is the first hurdle. Depending on its age, type, and the water it has been exposed to it may leak or not close properly.
Wax less toilet rings are an option.
Watch Terry's son Jamie install a toilet. It's on this site.
Post pictures here for help if you decide to take it off.

 

[Terry]

How did that finally turn out?