The only thing we were able to salvage from Mom’s old powder room for her new accessible bathroom was the one-piece toilet. For the longest time it sat in the dining room. Not the most appetizing sight but that’s about to change!
Tools and Prep
Ensure the water supply is off. In came the tools.
Before installing the wax ring, do a dry fit to make sure the bolts are long enough. We knew that our floor would be out of level (due to an unfixable issue with the builder, not our contractors) so there was quite a bit of rocking motion between the toilet and the floor. Not a good scenario because rocking will compromise the wax seal.
The best fix for a rocking toilet is to have some shims ready to go.
After the bolts were set into the slots, two wax rings went onto the flange to bring the height up. I’m not sure if I like the idea of doubling up the wax ring instead of adding an extender. I only caught this while writing up this blog post, so didn’t discuss it when the work was in progress. My thought is that if the wax ring fails, the water could pool below the tile making the leak undetectable. However, we installed a Shluter system under the tile so it shouldn’t be an issue even if it were to leak.
Ideally the flange should sit level with the floor. Although you could raise it with extenders, you could also double up wax rings. As you see here, we chose to use wax.
Lift in Place
Then it was time to heave ho and lift that sucker into place. Positioning a one-piece toilet is tricky because it’s heavy, and you have to get both bolts through the corresponding holes on the toilet base. It’s like threading two needles at the same time!
Once the toilet is in, the washers and nuts are threaded onto the bolts. Hand turn the nuts but don’t tighten all the way.
Shim to Level
The shims are then positioned at the back where the gap is (you can see one sticking out on the right side).
It’s important to get the toilet level. Any movement that isn’t resolved at this point can lead to a cracked toilet down the road, so take your time with this step and get the shims right.
Place a level onto the back of the toilet to check.
Apply some downward pressure to ensure the wax seal makes contact. Then finish tightening the bolts before cutting off the shims.
To hide the shims, score them with a utility knife until they break away.
Hook up the water supply using a steel braided supply line. Hand tighten to the toilet tank fill valve and also to the cut-off valve connection. Finish tightening by turning the nut 1/4 – 1/2 turn. If you use a crescent wrench for this step, it won’t scratch the finish on the nut.
Open the shut-off valve and let the toilet fill. Check for leaks. The great thing about a one piece toilet is that the only place you need to be worried about leaks is on the floor. The water level in the tank should be around an inch below the overflow pipe.
Now, use a hacksaw to cut down the long bolts.
With the bolts cut, the plastic caps can snap on to cover up the unsightly hardware.
Since this was a re-install of the toilet that was in the previous bathroom, the self-closing seat was already on, but it’s easy to add the seat.
Some Sound Advice
Here’s one last piece advice : never caulk around the bottom of a toilet! The base of the toilet is designed to be a leak point. So when the gaskets go (and they eventually will!), you want to see the water coming out at the bottom. You can also tell by the discolouration of the grout lines that the gaskets are shot.
If you caulk around a toilet, the only place for the water to go is your basement – or whatever room is directly beneath the bathroom! The water is much better contained above the tile to prevent substantial water damage! You should get a few years out of a gasket – and the wax ones will last longer.
The Great TP Debate
Once the toilet was installed, the toilet paper holder could go in. Hubs will be cringing that I didn’t refrain from using toilet paper puns because they’re just ‘tearable’, but I can’t help myself: I’m on a ‘roll’.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Speaking of being on a roll, before we get to the reveal, do you want to weigh in on the great toilet paper debate? (A. is under, B. is over). Let us know how you hang YOUR toilet paper roll and why.
Our choice is (drumroll, please)….’A’ all the way!
Here’s how Mom’s accessible bathroom looked as it started to take shape:
The one-piece toilet we used is the Toto UltraMax II. Hubs and I have tried many toilet brands over the years. But in our opinion, Toto makes the best high efficiency – and more importantly, trouble free – toilet. We replaced every toilet in our house with a Toto, so if you’re in the market for a new one, check them out.
And now Mom has a throne fit for a queen.
Did you notice those empty hooks reflected in the mirror? In our last post, we hooked you up with how to install them in porcelain tile. Check out our tips and see how they look now accessorized with towels!
There’s more to follow in this series about Mom’s accessible bathroom. Subscribe right here at Birdz of Feather and you’ll get an e-mail next time we post. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
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A is the correct way to hang toilet paper or paper towels or anything else for that matter. The reason is because if hung the B way given a good spin the roll will continue to unroll until the end.
I’m A all the way too 🙂
Definitely an A girl over here! And I had to laugh at your toilet in the dining room. Our sat in the living room for months during our renovation. It was not a pretty sight!!
I’m with you there! It’s never a pretty site until the reveal; luckily Mom has an eat in kitchen 🙂
I just read your ‘toilet’ post. Great job! We’ve used a double wax ring as well, but I prefer to add a flange that raises the height needed to complete the job. The task itself can be overwhelming, but well worth the time and effort of doing it right the first time. I so much appreciate that you brought attention to NOT caulking around the base and why. I don’t caulk for that exact reason. Good job. BTW – always ‘over’ for me. 🙂
Thanks so much DeeDee! Not caulking is so important – nothing lasts forever and it’s the only way to keep an eye out for wear! Glad to hear you’re ‘over’ too – lol