How To Install A Toilet Flange On A Tile Floor

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Shannon from www.house-impr... shows you how to install a toilet flange on a tile floor.
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Video © 2019 SKS Media. Videos produced by SKS Media (House-Improvements.com) are provided for informational purposes only. The information contained in the videos is intended to give general guidance to simplify DIY (do it yourself) projects. Because tools, products, materials, equipment, techniques, building codes and local regulations are constantly changing, SKS Media cannot and does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained therein. Further, SKS Media will not accept any claim for liability related to, but not limited to, omissions, errors, injury, damage or the outcome of any project. It is the responsibility of the viewer to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules, codes and regulations for a project. The viewer must always take proper safety precautions and exercise caution when taking on any project. If there are any questions or doubt in regards to the element of a project, please consult with a licensed professional. SKS Media conducts all matters in accordance with the laws of Saskatchewan, Canada.

[@CulichorHimself]

The only tile guy who does his installation correctly, I laugh at those clown on KZbin claiming to be expert in the field, but yet they do the toilet flange wrong or cut corners, the professionals do it the way this guy does it, the toilet flange is the crown of the bathroom floor, well done man, thank you for showing the correct way.

[@HouseImprovements]

I completely agree the flange should be on top of the flooring.

[@aliciamitchell2055]

Two years ago my husband and I decided to build on our land and thanks to Shannon my husband build our house by watching his videos. Thank you Shannon, Alicia & Doug from San Antonio Tx

[@remushaynes2693]

thankfully, you make mistakes and forget things sometimes. otherwise, you might act uppity and pious. your attitude is one of the reasons i follow your channel. may God richly bless you.......g

[@robertmoore1393]

Krbb B I

[@leozmaxwelljilliumz3360]

The concrete bits take forever and kinda scream through tile. The blade looking one (the tile bit) cuts Soo much better and faster, and much more quiet. Good video!

[@raybin6873]

Those cans of pipe cement are ALWAYS stuck tight LoL! Contents dry out no matter how tightly the cap is closed. To slow down drying out I put can of cement inside a recycled plastic jar (old peanut butter etc.). Nicely done videos - I'm self employed handyman who enjoys doing quality work. 😉👍 🇺🇸

[@davonyrentals8995]

I just found this guy. He is a great teacher! I own a ton of apartments and started making all of my repairs myself and his instructional videos are top notch! Thank you!

[@ComicOzzieSU]

Can't thank you enough. I keep seeing videos of bathroom floor tile installations where they have the flange flush with the tiles. I knew that had to be wrong but none of them address it.

[@nloncto02]

Exactly what I needed to see... I swear this is the only video that shows you everything do this!

[@famillebussieres-mainville4831]

Nice! I didn't know what the articulating flanges were for but now I realize it is the one I should get. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@user-yc3ny8rm5x]

Excellent video! One of the most articulately explaned videos i've seen!

[@bcarr1982]

Great video I bought the wrong bit to drill holes out took me like 5 mins per hole sucked but that was my mistake. Great info thanks for the advice

[@awesomerpower]

Shannon, I always appreciate your videos and vibe. I don’t know why YT sends me so many Canadian reno videos but they’re the best and yours are pleasant and easy to follow. The pace and detail are spot on. I hope business is good. Cheers from Oregon.

[@HouseImprovements]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@Woodenarrows]

Good note on supporting the drain from below if you can to get a tight fit and maintain drain slope. I guess the drain plug just taps/breaks out with a hammer?

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

Awesome video. You make everything look so easy. I am doing a vlog on building a house and I wish I had as good as stage presence as you. Thanks for sharing your videos!

[@HouseImprovements]

We have a Vlog coming out SOON for this bathroom project. Something new we are trying.

[@TheExcellentLaborer]

HouseImprovements Awesome! I will be tuning in to watch

[@wolftread4818]

Appreciate the thorough instructional videos. I'm looking to increase my skills with everything needed in property maintenance. Very happy i found your channel!

[@HouseImprovements]

Glad to help

[@ds99]

Just last week I noticed water damage on my kitchen ceiling and it was from the toilet upstairs. When they built my house in 2017, they attached the flange to the subfloor. Then they put the tiles on leaving a distance of 1/2” between the top of the flange and the finished floor tiles. I did not know this until I removed the toilet and saw what they did. I bought a package of extension rings and brought the flange back up to 1/4” above the tiles, and now I’ve got the mess with the kitchen ceiling to fix and paint. I wish all contractors did things right like you do Shannon. Most of them take shortcuts and just don’t care. The 2 year warranty expired on my house November 1, 2019 and I didn’t see the damage on the ceiling until last week.

[@HouseImprovements]

sorry this happened to you ds99, that is a very common short cut that happens too often .

[@1065Olivia]

I noticed our commode was leaking after it started coming up from linoleum tiles. I almost have all of them scraped up and the toilet is removed. The flange is broken in 2 places and they had it positioned so when the water leaked it was under the floor... Upstairs bathroom, old house = downstairs ceiling repair. I am the fix-it wife because husband works 12 hr. shifts First time fixing this situation for me and attempting to replace section of subfloor as well. Hope to tile but that will be new for me too. I wish you luck . Wish me some please ;)

[@lahaina4791]

Great video that helped me see the installation of a closet flange. A rail broke on my flange and I'll use a Sioux Chief flange ring (stainless) to fix it.

[@TURNKEYiNK]

Great video. I would suggest putting a bead of Caulk around the outside edge of the flange to prevent any water from finding its way under. Thanks for posting.

[@CookinwithChris86]

One of my top channels for resedential construction 👍

[@jimlum9127]

I did not know about this new series and as usual I like the presintation but the new products and tools helped a lot. I would like to see some video on plumbing and electrical mistakes that home owners make including failing to use better materials that are now in the market place like that toilet flange. Common mistakes and not stupid installs by twits that professionals see all the time would be helpful and thanks.

[@mikechiodetti6737]

Thankyou again. That plastic flange makes the job easier.

[@johnhewetson4406]

Hi Shannon. I wanted to reach out to say thanks. I watch a lot of your videos and always learn something. I love the amount of detail. It's hard to find this in other videos. I have worked in the trades for many years but if I have learned anything it is that there is always more to learn. I always love to find Canadian content as the hardware and code issues are often more relevant. Thanks again for your great work. Cheers John

[@HouseImprovements]

You are so welcome!

[@akboomer2837]

I just dealt with a doosie with my toilet. Had to make a “shitter adapter plate” to get it to stay put. The old flange was rotten and the concrete around the pipe was broken away to where you couldn’t just install a new flange as there was nothing to tapcon into. Basically I had a steel plate made in the outline of the bottom of my toilet bowl and had a 4 inch hole for the pipe with threaded holes for toilet bolts. It mounted to other areas of the floor under the toilet where there was still concrete. Then I had to grout my toilet to the plate because I found out that the bowl wasn’t flat on the bottom. Near the front of the bowl it’s not square so all the weight on the toilet would pull on the center of the bowl where the bolts are eventually leading to stress cracks in the porcelain. That was the least fun thing to fix. Lol

[@HouseImprovements]

oh that sucks, hope it works ok now.

[@akboomer2837]

HouseImprovements it’s working fine now and it’s definitely what I’m grabbing on to when a twister comes along. 😂

[@AK99581]

Love this guy's videos, always thoroughly explains things

[@michaeltiedeman4586]

You're a very good teacher

[@rodrigodezubiria2007]

I have the exact tile in my new bathroom Excellent video Thank you!

[@agbons2000]

I am amazed by your goodness.

[@elenapresley6936]

great video! if you can, could you do a shower pan installation video?

[@JasonBolte]

Great video and delivery. I'm going to be mounted a toilet on ceramic tile later today. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[@HouseImprovements]

Happy holidays!

[@TheKrugen79]

Another great video Shannon

[@tabeight5786]

Drilling in tile is a PIA. Nice video, thank you.

[@oliverleslie7382]

If you use a tile bit and Not a mason bit it's actually fast and easy.

[@tabeight5786]

@@oliverleslie7382 Good to know. Thanks.

[@danielevans922]

Great information as always

[@richardharris492]

SLOW SPEED thru tile to keep from burning up bit

[@tomislavsvoboda]

I saw a comment elsewhere that it's important to use screws (in your case the wood screws) that won't rust. Is that important? Great video, thanks so much!

[@HouseImprovements]

IMO That really is no issue unless you have a leak for a long time.

[@seeingyouontube]

Great video, thanks I’ve watched it a few times. I found the concrete drill bits worked for the type of stone tile we have. My problem is only three of the six holes took Tapcon screws and they are all located towards the back of the flange. There isn’t enough concrete or mortar in the anterior screw hole spaces. My thoughts are to find longer screws 3.5” as the 1/4” X 1 3/4” Tapcon didn’t hold. It’s also possible the stone tiles are too porous to hold the screws.

[@HouseImprovements]

I would try longer Tapcons like you figured.

[@seeingyouontube]

@@HouseImprovements Oh well, I decided to hold off on the longer Tapcon worried I might be hitting the waste line! A plumber suggested a ring under the flange but I’d only heard of spacers and didn’t need that. I decided to give up and leave it to the experts. Unfortunately I already glued the Oatley flange in so hopefully someone is more clever than me.

[@undefined000]

good, thanks ,help me a lot !

[@CodeMonkey66]

Would have liked to see the removal of a flange and then the putting on a new one.

[@rickhole]

thanks.

[@jackattack4851]

Shannon, I subscribed to you when I first saw you.

[@HouseImprovements]

Thanks for subbing

[@nvlvdave]

Love your videos - always excellent on explanation. Was surprised to see you use channel locks wrong way though 😜

[@alimabraham744]

Man you are the best i love to watch your video and thank you so much for all your details

[@HouseImprovements]

I appreciate that!

[@ac3805]

First like for you my man. Thank you for all the good content, keep it up. Can you please do more of electric videos. 2 ways 3 ways, how you can run new outlet, a light with a switch from existing circuit. Thx.

[@HouseImprovements]

We have some of those topics already on our channel. We also can help in the forum . You can specifically ask in the forum what you need in electrical videos and we may be able to add them to the list for next year?www.house-improvements.com/forums/

[@roblovegreen]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@davidbradley3074]

Thanks, this video was a great help!

[@stevenoechel1051]

Anyone notice the toilet bolt holes are different distance from the wall? 10" on one side and 11" on the other...doesn't matter, I just thought it was interesting, great video and thank you for making it.

[@MarkoSpeaks]

the tile is perfectly cut for that flange. i need a video about where the top floor has a huge gap around the pipe amd the old flange sits on the layer of flooring underneath....

[@HouseImprovements]

We can help you in the forum if you like.www.house-improvements.com/forums/

[@morganabney7077]

Love the video! My flange cracked and when I removed the toilet I see it leaked. Is there an easy way to replace partially rotted subfloor around the flange without tearing up all the tile? Or does it all have to be replaced? Thanks!

[@onitautoonit7161]

What is the pipe isnt perfectly straight up and down? The flange won’t sit flat

[@maxgains5426]

You don't need screws in all six holes... They are there to avoid grout joints and pipes. 3 to 4 would do the job.

[@elvishuanca6936]

Thank you Maestro!

[@nycyaofan]

you're the the best at explaining!

[@pawpawscustomcreations6447]

If the plumber doesn't know how to use channel locks he probably is a beginner like this guy

[@donnyh3497]

Nice video man!

[@akok5373]

My Cadiac Arest is better now. Thanks ole boy.

[@pitmcopit]

Great video. Might wanna use ABS glue, my local building inspector would not approve all-purpose

[@HouseImprovements]

This is Oatly "premium grade ABS cement"

[@woodlandburl6648]

Great work

[@victorfanelli6669]

Thanks for the help god bless.

[@wahinenuiloa]

Thank you

[@boomersudden6257]

Thanks Shannon

[@1joshjosh1]

Oh my goodness I better do this quickly I got to take a dump!!! Thank you so much for explaining it so well!!!! 👍👍👍

[@openyourmind742]

Nice video as always, Shannon. Though that flange should be centred at 12" from the finished wall.

[@benandjenniferhardy6093]

10", 12", 14" are all standard toilet distances. Depends on the toilet being installed. 12" is most common.

[@BryWorYT]

What size ceramic ('spade') bit were you using there for drilling the screw holes through the tile ? Should the #12 screws be stainless steel or brass maybe ? Cheers.

[@RobGa66]

What type of drill bit should I use to drill through porcelain tile?

[@louissparks2496]

You might have to cut the 3-inch pipe if it sticks up too far.

[@mublikbublik7911]

Don't need to cut through tile if you cut the tile in the circle which equals the size of the flange and not of the pipe. Then use a piece of plywood or just a layer of thinset / mortar mix / grout to compensate for the height.

[@rob9mm638]

what kind and size of screw, should i use?

[@HouseImprovements]

If you are going into wood a #10 wood screw will be good and length will depend on what you are fastening into but usually 1-1/2" is fine. For concrete use a Tapcon screw

[@juanplus3324]

Can I use a abs coupling between the pipe and the flange? I remove an old and flange and it made the inside of the drain pipe uneven. I found a coupling that will go outside of the drain pipe and I found a flange that will drop in inside of the coupling. Thanks.

[@HouseImprovements]

That is fine

[@kellyb7321]

If the flange is screwed to the floor then why glue it also? Is there any way to remove that flange in the future if needed? Other than cutting it out?

[@georgesedeno7891]

...shouldn't they be a coated screw or a stainless steel rust resistance screw?

[@73er-xy3ky]

Hey Shannon What’s the part number on this flange?

[@MadparkWorld]

Do the screws have to go into the subfloor?

[@HouseImprovements]

They should to have more holding power

[@LuckySawdust]

Does the toilet flange need to be on top of the tile, or can it be flush with the tile? (sitting on top of the hardie backer board, etc.)

[@HouseImprovements]

on top of tile.

[@EddoLand]

@@HouseImprovements why does everyone have different opinions regarding this. My own plumber says to secure to the subfloor but then I hear to always installed over the tile, I'm confused. lol

[@frankm2588]

@@EddoLand I think what they mean is the bottom of the flange resting on top of the tile but secured through the tile to the subfloor. I put one in yesterday for a friend and it was attached to ABS but floating just above the tile, I am not a plumber & did not have the drill bits or screws necessary to go through the tile so I did the best I could, used a Korky non-wax seal and shimmed the toilet, just needed one on one side. I was not about to attempt to lower the flange, I wish I had had more regular shims with me, maybe I could have shimmed the flange in lieu of screwing it down. It worked out ok.

[@jimreilly6933]

That's all there is to it ! What you actually mean to say that you are going to fit a toilet on to that flange without removing the test cap ! You have not finished the job ! Some of us might want to see just how that test cap gets removed. Do you hammer it until it comes loose or do you slide a flat screw driver under the seam and lift it out. Which is it.

[@frederickhaaken456]

Any reason why you didn't use pvc primer before you glued the flange to the pipe.

[@brans7269]

That's a very nice feature on the flange, what's the name of that swivel flange?

[@HouseImprovements]

Adjustable toilet flange with test plate.

[@21gioni]

Never seen this type of toilet fitting. From where do you get this fitting from. Because in Australia we don't have this kind of toilet fitting.

[@HouseImprovements]

It may not be applicable in Australia .

[@sean3836]

Homedepot's in Canada have them. As Sean mentioned, this may not be applicable for you.

[@davidponthieux4804]

I just went through the exact same installation except on a concrete slab. I used 1/4 - 1 3/4 tapcons to bolt down. If I ever needed to replace the flange again would it be possible to use the same tapcon screw holes? I've heard that many times after removing tapcons it makes the hole unusable unless you upgrade the size and I wouldn't want to go larger than 1/4. Nice clean job on the install...love the videos!

[@HouseImprovements]

I honestly have never had to try and re use the holes? I really dont know if they are ok a second time.

[@davidponthieux4804]

@@HouseImprovements Thanks Shannon. Appreciate the reply and keep up the good work! Love your videos!!

[@bryanolson3250]

I would just drill holes deeper and use a longer tapcon screw next time

[@omardabbous8134]

Simple fix for that lad if reusing a hole just cut a piece of tie wire, the kind of wire you tie rebar together with, the same length as the screw maybe an inch longer than the screw and sometimes you need 2 or 3 pieces of wire insert the cut wire into hole then screw and boom jobs a goodun.

[@seeingyouontube]

I started too install the flange into a basement floor with a type of stone tile that wasn’t holding the Tapcon 1/4” 1-3/4” screws in three of the front holes. If I don’t hit a solid surface for at least three inches so I’ll need to get longer screws or try using your wire trick for the 3/16 holes I drilled for the 1/4” screw.

[@jethronh]

Doesnt the flange needs to be flush with the tile, not on top of it? The bottom male spout of toilets are designed to fit with female flange that sits flush to floor (base of toilet).

[@clumpkin1012]

I've been told. The correct installation is flange on top of the finished floor.

[@alexanderhardwick9229]

Good video, easy job. Got to do this next year in my mobile home. Ive seen a couple different versions of this install. What do you think of that home renovision channel? They do a lot of these videos too it seems

[@HouseImprovements]

In the Home reno DIY space I think our two channels are tops

[@alexanderhardwick9229]

I gotta hand it to you guys, Canadians seem to be home renovation shaman. We don't have anyone from the US here like you guys. Thanks for all you do!

[@MydiabloIII]

Wanted to ask We have a similar flange installed in a new build with the seal in the hole. Are they punch out seals or are they screw out.

[@HouseImprovements]

I drill mine out with a hole saw

[@davidjohnson453]

Could you use a hole saw to make the hole for the toilet flange on a newly tiled floor?

[@HouseImprovements]

If you find a large enough hole saw for the flange, or just use a grinder.kzbin.info/www/bejne/imPddpqdm5ugj6s

[@davidjohnson453]

Thank you!

[@jeremy9326]

If I'm fastening through cement board to subfloor should i use cement board screws?

[@HouseImprovements]

That would be ideal .

[@12vLife]

Thinking ahead and just in case, if I'm planning to screw down my flange to the floor, can I just using caulk (or nothing even) for the flange instead of PVC glue?

[@HouseImprovements]

Should still use glue to seal it

[@mannyc8771]

No primer before the glue

[@calamariOne]

That's what I was thinking. Does this abs not need primer?

[@jeffl2152]

I don't get it, why you plug the hole? can't you remove the center piece while installing the flange??

[@HouseImprovements]

Sure if you are installing the toilet also at the time . Otherwise keep it sealed until you are going to install toilet.

[@Blackdog4818]

Just had a flange replaced, after a week of a plumber coming to my house 3 times to put wax rings in and getting sewer smell. I still smell some sewer gas, not nearly as bad as it was. Would there be a few days to clear that smell out? Would chalking around the toilet stop any residual smell?

[@HouseImprovements]

That smell should dissipate pretty soon after the toilet is swapped out. 3 - 4 hours easily I would think and way quicker if the exhaust fan is run for 30 mins after. If its still consistent after that you still have a seal issue IMO. Sealing the toilet to the floor could help but you may still get some from around the bolts that hold it to the flange. Plus if siliconed it is messier to remove later if you need to pulll the toilet again ,but many toilets are sealed to the flooring. If you come to the forum we can maybe discuss this situation further if you want.www.house-improvements.com/forums/

[@jamesrooney7689]

what if it on top of concrete floor ???

[@joschmoefrompickletoe2562]

What's that bit called

[@jonathangrant5777]

Hi Shannon, I did a new installation of a toilet on concrete similar to you with the flange on top of the tile but the toilet rocks....any suggestion to fix it

[@HouseImprovements]

There are shims /wedges you can purchase that you place under the toilet to tighten it up when the floor is not flat. They are plastic or rubbe. amzn.to/2SswIim

[@jonathangrant5777]

@@HouseImprovements perfect, thank you

[@keithpotter5141]

Don't you have to use a primer on the flange before gluing to the pipe?

[@hjander]

Not on black ABS, only on white PCV.

[@eyedee203]

Why do you glue? What if you have to change it?

[@HouseImprovements]

seals in sewer gas fumes and to prevent leaks

[@armandhammer2235]

Shannon the water supply should be about 6"" off the center of the drain. Looks like you got about a foot.

[@Ronbo765]

I thought the flange was friction fit, not glued, so it could be removed later?

[@HouseImprovements]

No ,glued for sure

[@Ronbo765]

@@HouseImprovements It's interesting to note the heated debate on whether the flange sits on the new tiling or the subfloor. The point is moot for most installations since the PVC flange is glued permanently to the drain pipe (as you confirmed) and sits flush on the subfloor because in new house construction, the decorative flooring is laid after the plumbers do their work. You did it textbook. However, I question this philosophy because if the flooring needs to be replaced in the future, with a different thickness flooring, the flange height probably won't be flush with the new flooring and you could end up with a toilet that sits too high and wobbles. You can't easily lower the flange. With flange on subfloor, one can always add spacers to get proper height. Love your channel!

[@bls3485]

I wouldn't want to drill into grout line...seems it would cause rest of grout to more easily crack or degrade???

[@HouseImprovements]

If the grout is solid you should have no issue.

[@rhayes5771]

What size drill bit did you use to drill through the tile?

[@HouseImprovements]

in this case it was 1/4"". It depends on the fastener,

[@davida3343]

So how does the cap come off ? Break it ?

[@HouseImprovements]

Hole saw.

[@mactoad]

Wow, so you didn't clean the pipe or the flange first before applying the glue.

[@jpabmx]

How far below the finish floor does the pipe get cut?

[@HouseImprovements]

Depends on the flange you have a little. Purchase your flange fitting and figure it out from that.

[@jpabmx]

@@HouseImprovements thanks! I was super nervous but was able to get the cut. For my application it ended up being about 1/4" below finish floor height to match up perfect with the inner chamfer of the flange. Also I had to buy another flange because the first one I got had this weird stop that would have required me to cut the pipe even further below the surface of the finish floor. Really weird but thanks for the video! Help me out a lot! 🤘

[@arianagheli4149]

Thanks for posting about the screw size. What size tile bit would you recommend to pre-drill for a #12 x 2 wood screw?

[@huejanus5505]

The screw should catch the wood under the tile, but not the tile. The hole should be slightly larger than the screw.

[@arianagheli4149]

@@huejanus5505 thank you for the reply!

[@boringman8673]

Did the flange go outside or inside the pipe?

[@HouseImprovements]

Mine went outside. You can get inside ones but you restrict the pipe size then.

[@boringman8673]

I removed my toilet, I notice rough edges must be from the pipe, then. My house was built in 2006, do you think flange is sitting outside of the pipe.