Grout or caulk for toilet base?

Question

Merry Xmas (Happy Hannukah, etc.) to all

Is it necessary to grout the base of the toilet where it meets the floor, or would it be better to use caulk (or nothing)? Someone told me grout is necessary to stabilize the toilet on the floor but I thought that's what the bolts were for? My concern about grout is that it may make it harder to remove the toilet in the future if there is a problem. Thanks.

Jon Holdman · Answer

Don't use anything.  The wax ring forms the seal.

Aaron Mazzrillo · Answer

You should absolutely caulk around the base of the toilet for hygienic and cosmetic reasons. The caulk prevents 'other' liquids from getting underneath, and I don't just mean when the floor is mopped; bad aim, overflows, drinking too much the night before, etc. It is also going to keep out dust, cat litter, hair, and other non-liquid things.

The toilet should sit flush (no pun intended) to the floor. If it doesn't press down harder, then tighten the bolts, but not so tight you break the base. I prefer a polyseamseal over silicone. Silicone is much harder to get off the floor if you have to remove the toilet. While I am not 100% sure the caulk is going to do much to help prevent movement, it might. It is a much wiser move to level the floor (or use shims) so it doesn't rock than use caulk thinking it is going to provide some structural integrity when someone plops down their big ass on your toilet.

You can leave a 1" gap in the back so you know if the seal on the wax ring has been broken, but the pressure will cause the water to blow through the caulk so the gap isn't necessary. I think most people say they are leaving it for that reason, but the real reason is that it is the hardest part to caulk and they are too lazy to finish the job correctly. Squirt some on your finger tip and do it that way. Then, use a damp cloth to wipe off the excess.

~ a guy who has put in and removed a crap-load of toilets.

Joel Owens · Answer

A main cause of a toilet leak is improperly sitting the toilet down with the wax ring for the seal. You do a slow twisting motion until it sits down nice and snug. Some people sit down on it and rock back and forth which can cause a weak seal as you press down. I invest in a little bit better quality wax seal.

If it is not on slab you have to make sure the sub floor isn't rotted or when you bolt it down it can have some bounce to it. If the sub floor isn't rotted to bad you can bulk it up from underneath which is easier and faster than taking up the floor.

Use waterproof caulk that flexes so it won't crack and gives a good seal at the base. 1 to 2 inch opening in the back is a great idea.

Bill Smith · Answer

Grout is not used to secure the toilet. That's the purpose of the flange bolts. Tile grout is only used in between tile to give it a finish look and strengthen the tiles by making them one. Used caulk around the toilet. The wax ring seals it from water leaking out but the caulk around the base prevents water from leaking in should the toilet overflow, and also for aesthetics.

James H. · Answer

Where I live, the flooring is placed before the toilet goes down. So the toilet would sit on top of the tile, not within it. The flange bolts hold the toilet down, not caulk. With the toilet sitting above the flooring, there is no caulk or grout.  Your area is probably similar.

Brandon Turner · Answer

Our building code requires caulk - because when mopping, they say the water will go under the toilet and over time, ruin the subfloor. He suggested leaving a few inches uncaulked in the back, as Billy Rogers said above.

I also think it just looks better when caulked.

Randy F. · Answer

My opinion having done countless bath renovations...

Caulk it! The main purpose for the caulk is to help lock toilet in place. Flange bolts secure toilet but it is important that they not be tightened to much or porcelain could crack. The caulk is added protection against movent in the event a heavy person or kids plop down on seat dont move the toilet. The slightest movement after wax ring has completely compressed can break the seal.

Like mentioned above, I leave an inch in very back uncaulked so if there is a leak it has somewhere to go and you know it leaks.

Billy Rogers · Answer

I was told that you shouldn't caulk the base of the toilette.  The reason is that if there is a leak under the toilette the caulk will hold the water under the toilet and you won't know there is a leak.  This is especially true if the toilet is not on a first floor slab, but even then you don't want a pool of raw sewage being trapped under your toilet, because when you go to change or work on the toilette you will have the sewage running out all over the place.

I have seen some people caulk the toilet, but not go all the way around the back so that if there's a leak they will still know.

Bienes Raices · Answer

P.S. I ran into an interesting problem while doing this. Because I have back problems, I didn't want to try to lift the whole toilet from the floor. While I was trying to remove the tank, I found that one of the nuts was completely rusted onto the bolt and couldn't be loosened. I decided to cut the bolt, but my hacksaw couldn't fit between the tank and the toilet. So I removed the blade from the hacksaw and was able to slip just the blade in in there and cut the bolt that way.

Bienes Raices · Answer

thanks everyone--I ended up using caulk with a gap at the rear of the toilet base

Grout or caulk for toilet base?

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