Bathroom remodel toilet question

Good afternoon all. Wonderful forum here, thanks for all the info I've read so far.

I am completely gutting my bathrooms, and replacing everything in them, including the subfloor, which is that crappy 'sawdust' board that warps when it gets wet. I will be tiling the floor, installing a new shower, with tile walls, and a new sink/vanity. Space in this bathroom is horrible. It is very small, and limits the toilet size, sink size and shower size.

So far, I've only removed the toilet and trim, and I am working on the shower right now. We haven't orderd new units yet, as we are hoping to be able to use some hopeful extra space where a wall was built out 4 inches in the shower - I just have to find out what is behind it first.

I had a quick couple of questions (first of thousands, i'm sure):

1) When I install the tile, how close to the drain roughin should I take the tile? Do I want the toilet flange to rest on the tile? Should the tile basically be up to the edge of the drainpipe? If so, do you screw the flange through the tile, and how do you not crack it in doing so?

2) Any recommendations for shower bases/receptor/pan (whatever it's called). I was hoping to get a sturdy, solid unit. Our current one was a POS fiberglass, that is cracked and stained in many places.

3) Is there any good diagram showing what components are called in showers, toilets, sinks, and associated plumbing components? I would love to have a one-stop explanation for what things are called, so I can ask questions appropriatly.

Thanks much,

FlynHokie

The toilet flange is designed to sit on TOP of the finished floor. While intimidating, building a nice tiled shower isn't as hard as many seem to think - it does take careful attention to detail though. There are some newer systems out there that can make a foolproof, waterproof shower that can last a very long time. Look at www.schluter.com for Kerdi system, www.wedi.de for Wedi system, and check out www.johnbridge.com for help in all things concerning tiling.

There are tileable solid bases (receptor/pan) for a shower. Both Schluter and Wedi make some neat tileable systems. Or, you can make a custom one yourself (the least expensive way). They can walk you through it at John Bridge's Tile-your-world site. Lots of good reference material in their Liberry (sic).

You should run the sub floor and finished floor (tile) right up to the drain. Leave enough space to install the flange of course. The flange is anchored through the finished floor and into the sub floor. I use #12 stainless steel screws. They're stronger than brass and won't rust out. The best flanges have a stainless steel ring. SS costs more, but this is something that needs to last for many years so it's a one time cost.