I pulled my toilet out to install a new floor. When I took it out I realized that there is about a 1/4" gap between the concrete subfloor and the bottom of the toilet flange. I can stick a putty knife between the floor and the flange. It is not bolted down to the floor, but it solid and doesn't move at all. Is it ok to reinstall the toilet with the flange like that? After installing the new floor the top of flange still sits 1/2" above the finished floor.

perfect

silicone 'caulk' the toilet to the floor

leave a 1/2" gap in the silicone BEHIND the toilet (as a leak detector)

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

If the flange is not loose and the top is 1/2" above the floor, you may want to purchase some nylon shims that are up to 1/4" thick and place them near the closet bolt location to raise the toilet so that the wax ring does not bottom out on the bottom of the bowl. Hope that makes sense. The point is that you should have wax between the bowl and the flange, otherwise the first time you plunger the bowl it could blow out the wax. Shim it and run a bead of silicone calking around the bowl to help keep it in place without movement. Take your time and make sure the floor is dry prior to installing the caulking.

Well I shimmed the flange and used a silicone around the bowl. When I went to seat the toilet it didn't seem to squish down far enough over the wax ring, and the toilet is up too high. It doesn't contact the floor at the back of the toilet and it wobbles quite a bit after tightening the bolts. Might have to tap out and turn this over to a professional. The floor was replaced due to flooding and I don't need to wreck another one lol.

no no no

don't shim the flange higher

shim the toilet 1/8 higher to clear the flange and caulk/grout as needed around the base

or

let the pro set the flange at the proper elevation



==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

I did not intend for you to shim the flange. I did not make it clear that it was the toilet that needed to be raised 1/4" or 1/8" as was said above. I wanted to make sure that the flange was not loose ie the closet bend raising. I assumed it if was not raising that by raiseing that it was solid enough to set the toilet as long as there was a small amount of space between the bottom of the bowl and the flange... as shown in the graphic above.
I apologize if I was not clear enough in my instructions.

It's ok, its amateur hour over here at my house, haha. I appreciate you guys trying to help. The top of the flange sits 1/2" above the finished floor. That is an acceptable height for the flange correct? I just need to shim the toilet to stop it from rocking? Also in full disclosure I realize I might have made another bush league move. I used a wax ring called perfect seal. It's a regular wax ring that is surrounded by a rubber flange that is supposed to help get a better seal and make it easier to no screw it up. I think this device stopped the toilet from compressing all the way to the floor. I'll pull it back out and try again with just a regular wax ring and see if I can at least gain a few man-card points back. again thanks for all of the help.



Edited 1 times.

use a standard wax ring ESPECIALLY since the flange sits 'high'

dry fit the toilet

pencil mark/scribe around it on the floor as a 'target'

put ring on flange

set toilet - press down - do NOT twist toilet - if you miss the pencil mark, reset with new wax seal

if solid on floor - done - ready for caulk

if rocking ON FLANGE - reset flange lower

if rocking ON FLOOR - shim toilet - there are specialty plastic shims for this exact purpose
(cut shims flush and THEN caulk)

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

I wanted to add that if you have a newer low water use (1.8, 1.6 or .8 gallons per flush), tank type toilet, the wax rings with the plastic reducer built into them is NOT the way to go. Just use a regular wax only ring unless the closet bend riser (in most cases a 4" pipe) was set low to not interfere when its installed. If this is the case the 4" pipe will not rise to the level of the closet ring and you can use the reducer type wax. But if it contacts the 4" you will need to use wax ring only. Hope that is not too confusing. Trying to clarify.

to repeat:

use a standard wax ring

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

hundreds and hundreds of toilets i have installed, i always put the wax on the bowl.

for a DIYer it is easier to 'target' the bowl with the ring on the flange

we have the 'knack' of lifting the bowl and setting 'one shot'

the amateur often 'touches' the ring to the floor and needs to start again from scratch

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638