I am currently building a new bathroom during our remodel. I have located the rough in for the toilet flange and was ready to cut a hole in the subfloor when I saw articles stating to place the toilet flange on top the finished floor and others to place it on the subfloor so it is even with the finished floor. So my question is which is right? Do I drill the hole now and install then place the laminate flooring around it or lay the laminate flooring and then cut the hole and install the flange?
Where do I install the toilet flange?
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The proper way is for the flange to sit on top of the finished floor. A flange that is flush with the finished floor will need an extra thick wax ring.
I stub 4" pvc through the floor using a 4" X 3" closet bend. I have the tile guy tile right to the pvc. When he's done, I cut the pvc flush with the floor with an inside pipe cutter and glue a 4' X 3" pvc slab flange inside the 4" pvc. I also suggest using a flange with a STAINLESS STEEL ring on it. The plastic flanges break too easy.
I stub 4" pvc through the floor using a 4" X 3" closet bend. I have the tile guy tile right to the pvc. When he's done, I cut the pvc flush with the floor with an inside pipe cutter and glue a 4' X 3" pvc slab flange inside the 4" pvc. I also suggest using a flange with a STAINLESS STEEL ring on it. The plastic flanges break too easy.
Thanks, I got the stainless steel already! Since I am doing laminate and not tile, couldn't I just lay it and then use a hole saw to cut through both the laminate and subfloor at the same time instead of trying to notch the laminate around the pipe?
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I don't know of any standard in the toilet construction, but maybe there is or isn't so consider this. Buy the toilet and lay it in its side then put a straight edge across it to determine the recess depth from the toilet base flange. If that distance is about 1/2" and a wax ring is 1" thick there's no reason the wax ring won't seal with a half inch crush. Raise it higher if you want to chance the need to shim the toilet base so it doesn't wobble. This one needed shims.
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A toilet flange is not supposed to sit proud of the floor surface. That should have been installed in the sub-flooring. Also, I do not like using a wax ring. I like the rubber seals. Especially if one is using heated flooring.
So Andrew, should I go ahead and install the flange to the subfloor before installing the finished flooring? I am planning on installing radiant heating under the laminate, so it is good to know not to use wax.
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++ On this. Laminate and water won't be your friend long. How do you plan on running radiant heat under laminate? Have you checked the flooring manufacturer's spec sheets to see if it can be done? Remember laminate flooring is Medium Density Fiberboard with a picture of wood pasted on top and Aluminum oxide finish. That's it.
Sorry, I just looked at the box. It is waterproof vinyl plank flooring that can be laid ontop of the radiant heating.
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Ideally the water closet flange is on top of the finished floor. Any lower and it will work, but you might need a thick wax ring or maybe 2 wax rings.
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I like to put spacers under my flange- https://www.siouxchief.com/products/drainage/residential/closet-flanges/spacer-repair/raise-a-ring
By doing this, the flange is anchored to the concrete or wood sub floor and the flooring is not under the flange You also don't have to drill through tile.
You want the top of flange at least flush with the flooring. I prefer it elevated as though it is on top of the flange
By doing this, the flange is anchored to the concrete or wood sub floor and the flooring is not under the flange You also don't have to drill through tile.
You want the top of flange at least flush with the flooring. I prefer it elevated as though it is on top of the flange
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The proper vertical positioning for the toilet flange is on top of the finished floor.
Think about this from the perspective of the toilet manufacturer. Their goal is to minimize any leakage from the toilet (either gas or liquid) by having a minimal distance between the toilet flange and the toilet “horn” (the projection from the underside of the toilet visible in SeniorSitizen’s post). The toilet flange is secured to the floor, and the toilet is held down by bolts between the flange and the toilet, but there is a gap between the two which is sealed by the wax ring, or alternative.
The toilet manufacturer has only two choices – assume that the flange is flush with the finish surface or sitting on top of the finish surface. They cannot design the toilet to have a minimal distance between the horn and a flange mounted on the subfloor because every installation will have a different height difference between subfloor and finish floor.
The toilet manufacturer can design for the flange being flush with the finish floor or sitting on top of it. In either case they know what the height of the flange will be relative to the base of the toilet, which will be sitting on the finished floor. If they designed the horn to have minimal distance to a flange flush with the floor, though, the toilet would not sit properly when the flange was mounted on top of the floor. Instead of the perimeter of the toilet base sitting on the finished floor, the horn would be sitting up on the flange, and the toilet would be rocking back and forth.
So, toilet manufacturers design their products to work with the toilet flange mounted on top of the finish floor requiring a standard wax ring to fill the minimal space between toilet horn and toilet flange. Installing the flange lower, either flush with the finish floor or even lower on the subfloor will make for a bigger gap between toilet horn and flange. That might still work with a standard wax ring, or it might require something designed to fill the bigger gap. The thing is, you can’t see if the gap is properly sealed, so installing the flange on top of the finish floor gives the best odds of a successful installation by making the gap between flange and horn as small as possible.
Chris
Think about this from the perspective of the toilet manufacturer. Their goal is to minimize any leakage from the toilet (either gas or liquid) by having a minimal distance between the toilet flange and the toilet “horn” (the projection from the underside of the toilet visible in SeniorSitizen’s post). The toilet flange is secured to the floor, and the toilet is held down by bolts between the flange and the toilet, but there is a gap between the two which is sealed by the wax ring, or alternative.
The toilet manufacturer has only two choices – assume that the flange is flush with the finish surface or sitting on top of the finish surface. They cannot design the toilet to have a minimal distance between the horn and a flange mounted on the subfloor because every installation will have a different height difference between subfloor and finish floor.
The toilet manufacturer can design for the flange being flush with the finish floor or sitting on top of it. In either case they know what the height of the flange will be relative to the base of the toilet, which will be sitting on the finished floor. If they designed the horn to have minimal distance to a flange flush with the floor, though, the toilet would not sit properly when the flange was mounted on top of the floor. Instead of the perimeter of the toilet base sitting on the finished floor, the horn would be sitting up on the flange, and the toilet would be rocking back and forth.
So, toilet manufacturers design their products to work with the toilet flange mounted on top of the finish floor requiring a standard wax ring to fill the minimal space between toilet horn and toilet flange. Installing the flange lower, either flush with the finish floor or even lower on the subfloor will make for a bigger gap between toilet horn and flange. That might still work with a standard wax ring, or it might require something designed to fill the bigger gap. The thing is, you can’t see if the gap is properly sealed, so installing the flange on top of the finish floor gives the best odds of a successful installation by making the gap between flange and horn as small as possible.
Chris
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I'll suggest keeping a packet of tapered plastic shims handy for the rockers and come back asking how to fill the gap. Someone will surely have a plan for that.
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