Gap between vinyl plank floor and toilet bowl

[Pra Chek]

I did vinyl plank flooring on top of existing tile floor in my bathroom. I did not know better and laid my flooring around the toilet and I did not do a great job of it. Hence I am left with a gap around the toilet bowl. The gap is not small enough around the curved edges of toilet bowl to close with Tub and tile caulk. I am thinking of putting a flexible quarter round which will rely on its own adhesive. I am open to suggestions on how I can deal this situation.
Amazon Product link for flex quarter round: https://www.amazon.com/Art3d-Stick-Backsplash-Self-Adhesive-Corner/dp/B096ZRKQG9/

My biggest concern is how careful our tenants would be with water around the toilet. Any suggestions or direction to handle the situation would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Reach4]

What is the maximum gap?

I am wondering if an Elastomeric Sealant might do a good job of filling the crack and standing up to occational water.

https://www.dap.com/products-projects/product-categories/caulks-sealants/latex/extreme-stretch/ looks interesting to me. Colors available. I have no relevant experience.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Pra Chek]

Thank you @Reach4 for your response. Maximum gap is around the curved edges of toilet bowl, which is around 1/4 inch.

Do you know is this sealant is easily removable incase if toilet has to be repaired or removed in future? Our toilet is back flush, toilet bowl has screws fastened to the floor as well as back.

 

[Reach4]

I have no relevant experience. I can picture it being more difficult to remove than not having anything.

At that max gap, how about acrylic caulk, such as Polyseamseal? Because off this might be a case where a pigmented version would be better than the clear. Getting that to look good might take some practice. It can be removed with a wet rag at the edges until it dries. Terry has a toilet installation video that will show how good it looks in practiced hands.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Wait til you have to replace that toilet with a different one with a slightly different footprint. Even same model toilets will have variations. Consider that when most of us set a toilet and caulk it to the floor, we leave a small gap of caulk missing at the back of the toilet so that When it does leak years later, that water has a place to exit and be noticed sooner than if the entire foot print is sealed. Where is a leak going to show up with this set up?

However, since you're here now. And likely nobody is going to have experience with this since we don't generally install stuff that way. And as long as you're able to get really good adhesion to the toilet by Cleaning the toilet REALLY good, you should be able to get a good caulk seal. But depending on how bendy it is, it may just want to come off at the ends at the back of the toilet.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Shim and caulk same as usual not a great flooring job, its a rental, dont see a problem
If I read correctly its a rear outlet floor mount toilet but still dont see anything special about it

 

[Reach4]

some put mortar or plaster of paris around toilet bases. That is a regional thing.

A base plate could improve appearances if it comes to that.

Toilet Base Plate | Oatey

The Oatey® Toilet Base Plate is a stain concealing system which gives a finished look to a new toilet installation. Used to hide unsightly rings around the toilet base from larger base toilets. Available in square and round nose styles.

www.oatey.com

 

[Jeff H Young]

pra chec didn't pull toilet to install the floor doubt he wants to pull it now. but if he feels like pulling toilet might as well patch the flooring and forget about a base plate cover up

 

[Terry]

Sometimes a floor mount rear outlet can't be raised any higher. I ran into that on a condo in Seattle. They had pulled the old toilet, installed thick flooring, and now the new toilet wouldn't fit.

Sometimes vinyl floor coverings makes sense. The new thicker floor coverings are fine if they were planned for ahead of time.

 

[Pra Chek]

Can I use this https://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-ALE...mium-Molding-and-Trim-Sealant-18542/206034500 instead of elastomeric sealant?