Setting toilet on hardwood floor?

[JeffV]

I've just remodeled my bathroom and purchased the Kohler Cimmaron. I set it in place last night for a 'dry-run' and it rocks side to side just a bit. I had previously set a toilet in my basement (on ceramic tile) and used the plastic shims to resolve this problem, then caulked around the toilet where it met the floor. Here are my questions:

1- Do I want to caulk around the toilet base when the install is on a hardwood floor? I'm guessing not...but maybe a clear caulk or something?

2- If I shim and don't caulk, my fear is that the shims will eventually work their way loose w/ no caulk to kind of 'seal' them in place. Any alternative other than shims (that lock on the bottom rim of the toilet) or should the shims stay in place after tightening toilet to flange?

Thanks - Jeff

[hj]

Why does it rock? Is the floor uneven? Use shims and caulk it otherwise water can get under the toilet and make the wood floor even more uneven.

[JeffV]

the toilet is. Most likely the floor though.

Now back to the issue of shimming and caulking...how have you caulked toilets on hardwood floors in the past? Would you recommend using a clear caulk as opposed to white?

Thanks - Jeff

[Mike Swearingen]

Shim the toilet level (use a level across the bowl), and just snug it down firmly with the toilet bolts (not too tight or it might crack the base).
I would use white tub-and-tile caulk to caulk around the front and sides of the toilet base to match the base. T&C caulk is flexible and will move with the slight movement of the wood flooring as it "shrinks" or "swells".
Don't caulk the back of the toilet base. It can't really be seen, and you can detect a leak very quickly under the toilet if it ever occurs, which you definitely want to do with wood flooring.
Good luck!
Mike

[JeffV]

Appreciate the information! And thankyou for not probing into why my toilet rocks from side to side ;)

[hj]

If a toilet leaks on a hardwood floor, it is going to go under the floor through the space around the flange and pipe. Therefore, the first indication of a leak will be when the boards start to discolor and warp. So you want to be sure to make a good seal to the flange.

[Terry]

When installing a toilet on hardwood, use clear caulk.

Don't caulk around the back of the toilet. If the seal leaks, you will want to know sooner than later.
Trapping water under the toilet is not a good idea.

http://www.terrylove.com/images/shimming.jpg

[JeffV]

i use the tub and tile caulk as someone previously mentioned??

Thanks,
Jeff

[Terry]

Yes, that works fine.

by the way, the Cimarron will plug more than the Toto Drake and the back of the bowl is missed by the rinse.

[JeffV]

on the Cimarron. Interestingly enough, the toilet I put in my basement over a year ago is a Toto Drake. Admittedly it doesn't get used a whole lot due to it's location in the infrequently used basement, but the thing hasn't clogged once. HOWEVER...I have been completely unsatisfied w/ how the bowl cleans. The toilet brush is necessary almost every time it's used. My parents have the earlier American Standard 1.6 toilets in their house and though they clog almost daily, but they clean much better than the Toto drake does. At any rate, i bought the Cimarron because of the cleaning issue and price difference. So it appears all I have done is saved 50 bucks and have slightly less a flusher w/ hopefully a little better bowl cleaning ability!!! Oh well I'll just have to settle for it and be happy with my new elongate bowl :)

[Terry]

The bowl wash of the Cimmaron is one of the worst out there. Not nearly as good as the Drake.

You have saved some money, but bowl wash will not "hopefully" be improved, it will be worse.

A better toilet than the Cimarron, elongated with comfort height, would have been the Toto Dalton.
The Dalton plugs less often than the Cimarron and has better bowl wash.
I also sell it for $194.00
Less than the Cimarron.