How to fix a rocking toilet?

Question

I have finished installing a ceramic tiles in my bathroom. Now, I have a problem with the toilet being rocking (not leveled down even after tightening all screws). The flange is still good. Is it because of the new floor's height? How can I fix it without breaking the tiles around the base of the toilet so it can be at the same height like before? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Go to a Home Center or large hardware and purchase plastic toilet shims. Using a level across the top of the bowl, slide the shims in until it is level. Mark, remove and cut the shims to the proper length. Slide them back in until firm. You can caulk around the base to cover the shims but I recommend leaving the backside open for leak detection in the future. If you completely enclose the base and have a leak, you will not know until the floors start showing deterioration.

Answer 2

So many answers are *almost* correct -- sensible man's is closest...

Toilets often need to be shimmed when set on tile, or a natural stone surface. Often the high point of the floor is not at the toilet flange, some plastic flanges buckle or warp, or any number of other causes can make a toilet need a shim. It could be the porcelain on the bottom of the toilet is imperfect also. It does not mean the tile was installed improperly by the original poster.

A nylon washer, plastic "toilet shim" or any other non-wooden or absorbent material will work as a shim. Level the toilet (eyeballing is usually close enough) and place/cut the shims as needed. Use a silicone caulk to fill the gap and/or help hold the shim in place. If you do caulk (it is optional, I usually do not do it, but some like it for appearance) remember to LEAVE A GAP in the caulk, typically at the rear of the toilet, so that water leaks will be visible if they occur in the future. Never grout or completely seal underneath a toilet or the water from leakage or condensation will be trapped and cause the floor to rot, in the case of wooden sub-floors.

Home Depot or Lowe's now carry "composite" shims made of a recycled plastic/sawdust combination, that snap cut easily. These replace the old-fashioned cedar or pine shims and would make an ideal shim for a toilet, as the shims are about 2-inches wide and provide a flat surface. Pennies or small coins and such would be slippery and provide too small a surface for a stable long-term shim. This would fall under the category of "jerry-rigging"...

Answer 3

well, I am suprised at a lot of these answers. Grout? what happens when you need to remove the toilet. Grout will bond to the floor and toilet and it will need to be chipped away unless you let it dry before installing the toilet. Even then I think mortar would be a better foundation

Wax ring?? this will not stabilize the toilet. In fact, if you have installed your toilet on a new wax ring and it wobbles...you might have deformed your new wax ring to the point that it could leak. The idea with wax rings is they are supposed to compress and fill gaps. Once you lift the bowl, the wax will not expand to refill this new gap. Once the wax is deformed, it has to be replaced.

Wood shims? not a good idea for a high moisture environment like under a toilet.

The only answer that makes good sense and will give you the best chance of not cracking your bowl is the plastic ship. This is exactly what the plastic shims are made for.

The other option is to trace a line on the floor with a pencil, remove the toilet. Now build a flat surface around the flange with mortar and let it dry. It would be hard to believe that you installed a tile floor on a properly prepared surface and had major deviations...so chances are the mortar bed would be very thin..but it would provide a solid base for your toilet mounting.

If you use shims, it would be wise to go around the area where the floor meets the toilet with some silicone caulk. With a gap around that area, you have a nice spot for urine to ferment and smell. Seal the gap with caulk. If you have to remove the toilet in the future, simply cut the caulk with a knife.

Answer 4

You might need new tank bolts, but you also might be able to tighten the ones that are there. Some folks feel that the tank on a toilet is there to support them when they lean back and relax, while doing their duty, not so! The toilet tank should never be leaned against, period. The problem you have is what can result. The tank gasket between the tank and the bowl gets squashed on one side and then when the tank is set back upright, it leaks. Sometimes, if you can get hold of a large screwdriver and a pair of pliers that will grab the nut underneath the tank, you can tighten the bolts some, not too tight, and stop the leak. Unless this thing has been there for many, many years, the odds are the bolts will turn without having to be hacksawed. The back of a toilet is a horrible place to try to run a hacksaw anyway. If the bolts don't tighten and stop the leak, then you may need to go to the home improvement or hardware store and get a new tank gasket. You can flush after turning off the water supply, then soak up the rest of the water out of the tank with a towel, wring it into the bowl. Take the old seal with you to be sure to get the right one.

Answer 5

It sounds like it's not sitting level, but that doesn't mean you have to take up the tile. You have another alternative--go to the hardware store and get some shims (thin pieces of wood that taper slightly). Drive these under the side of the toilet that is lower, starting with the thinnest end of the shims, until they won't go any further. Then when you've put several in along that edge of the toilet, cut off the parts of the shims that are still sticking out (an X-acto knife would be good for this). You should have enough bracing under the toilet at that point that it won't rock anymore.

Answer 6

Toilet Shims

Answer 7

You can stop the rocking by forcing washers where the toilet meets the floor. Find the gaps & force as many washers as need to stop the rocking, then cover with the plumbers putty you placed around the base. Don't forget to push the washers all the way in, but not too far, so they can be covered by the putty.

Answer 8

If your wax ring is still intact, you may use wooden or plastic "shims" to level your toilet. If you are smelling "sewer gas", your wax ring may have lost its seal. If not, go to a hardware store and purchase some shims. Both toilets in my 30-year-old house rock and have shims under them.

Answer 9

Believe it or not.....I've seen plumbers use pennys to level out the toilet. Slide them under the toilet to fill the gap made by the rocking stool. This will keep it from "woobling" and is inexpensive!!!!!!

Answer 10

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