# Toilet rocks on tile floor



## End Grain

HD, Lowes and ACE all sell clear nylon wedges in their toilet parts aisles specifically for eliminating rocking by filling in the gaps. You break off or cut off the portion of the wedge that works best so that it rests just under the toilet edge, allowing you to caulk it in afterwards. They work great, won't rust and won't rot like wooden shims.


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## Mike Swearingen

Replace the wax ring if necessary. 
Put a level across the bowl of the toilet, and level it with those beveled plastic shims made for the purpose.
Snug the toilet bolts down enough that the toilet cannot move at all. Any rocking or other movement may break the wax ring seal.
Use tub & tile caulk (with mildew inhibitor) to seal around the front and sides only, leaving the back open for leak detection.
Good Luck!
Mike


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## NateHanson

I prefer to grout around the toilet base (sanded grout) to match the tile floor. Caulk flexes, and doesn't clean up as well as grout, IMO. Just make sure not to wiggle the toilet for a day after grouting.


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## Mike Swearingen

I only caulk after the toilet is bolted down securely and can't move at all. The caulk is for looks only, not for any part of the toilet stability.
Mike


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## Tommy Plumb

Plaster of paris.


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## remi999

Once I saw a cheap trick for situations like yours - use 1 cent coins under your toilet so fix the rocking. They are made of copper and will not rust.

Caulk will not stop the wiggle. Think about the weight of the porcelain, the user and the water combined.

One more thing (maybe stating the obvious). If you even remotely _suspect_ there may be a toilet leak - DON'T CAULK around the toilet. It's like fixing a tooth cavity by plugging in a piece of gum. WON'T WORK!

Remove the toilet (it's really not too complex) and replace the wax ring. Otherwise you'll trap the leaking water (let's call it that, but in reality it is far from being "water") under the toilet and guarantee you all kinds of problems like rot, smell, mold, etc.


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## Richo

I ended up loosening the bolts a little and tapping in the little plastic wedges. Once I got it solid I caulked the front and back of the toilet base and everything seems to be fine with it, no rocking, no leaks.

Thanks again for the suggestions.


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## jbhandyman

I just pulled a "rocker" that had some cheap wood shims...plan to try the plastics. Thanks Mike S. for the leave the back open to detect any future leaks...will do
pro plumber told me that tile grout is best if you want to really make it solid (only if out a little bit like less than 1/4") the grout suposedly will make for easy removal if needed later.....heard of using thinset and other compounds which does not sound good for break out if needed.


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## DUDE!

Richo, you mentioned the tank to bowl had some movement also, if it moves, it will leak. You need to tighten the two tank nuts, very carefully and try to keep them even when doing so. I hate doing it, you get worried that the tank is going to break. You can eyeball the threads or use a tape measure to keep it even when tightening down. Good luck and good job.


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## Anianna

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but my question is pertinent to this. We installed a larger toilet only to discover the larger base rocks front to back (sits back with the weight of the tank, but rocks forward when a user sits only to rock back when the user rises). We detect no leaks and the new wax ring appears to be seated properly. I have a few questions:

1. If I use the nylon shims, would I shim it in the back so it remains forward or shim it on the sides or front so it leans back with the weight of the tank? (When it is rocked back, it leans slightly against the wall.)
2. Is the caulk or grout merely an optional aesthetic or is there some reason why I would need to add one or the other?

Also, the tank seems wiggly. It came with a thick foam gasket. We have installed a toilet successfully before, but this particular model does not seem to want to go together properly. I don't think we can tighten the bolts further. How can we get the tank solid on the base?


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## TheEplumber

Ideally you want the bowl level. So that would determine where the shims go. 
You may be best off if you reset the toilet on a new bowl wax- it has been rocking so the wax seal may have a void at the front or back once it is level. 
Try these steps- level toilet with shims first. Now pull the toilet without moving the shims. Prep the toilet for new ring by removing old wax-reinstall toilet with new bowl wax onto the shims. tighten toilet down and check for leaks. Caulk or no caulk- your choice, but I like to caulk with Dap latex bathroom caulk. Don't use tile grout. It will glue the toilet to the floor - major pain to remove in the future.
As for the tank, some come with plastic bumpers that go between the bowl and tank. You may have missed those. Some models don't. To get the gasket to compress I apply some body weight to the tank while alternately tightening the bolts. The tank should just touch the bowl when properly tightened.


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## Anianna

Thank you. Our old toilet had plastic bumpers for the tank, but the new one didn't come with any. When I was in the hardware store for the toilet shims, I saw that they had rubber shims, also. Can we use those as bumpers for the tank?

Also, we have another odd conundrum. The water supply doesn't reach high enough to connect to the newer, larger toilet. You would think we could simply get a longer hose and replace the older one between the nob and the toilet, but it's not that easy. Ours isn't a screw on. Is it possible to just get an extension? I took pictures:

Permanently attached? How do I replace this?









This is as high as it reaches, two or three inches too short:


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## VIPlumber

You'd have to cut the old ring just above the shut-off and replace with a new length of pipe and crimp ring that would be long enough to reach the new toilet.

Having said that there's a potentially bigger problem here. The water line for the toilet is poly b, made by Zurn, and there was a big lawsuit involving this particular product back in the 80's, I think. You'll need to plan on replacing all water lines of this type in your house *pronto*. That product was/is notorious for failing at any joint over time. It's just a question when it will fail.


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## Anianna

VIPlumber said:


> You'd have to cut the old ring just above the shut-off and replace with a new length of pipe and crimp ring that would be long enough to reach the new toilet.
> 
> Having said that there's a potentially bigger problem here. The water line for the toilet is poly b, made by Zurn, and there was a big lawsuit involving this particular product back in the 80's, I think. You'll need to plan on replacing all water lines of this type in your house *pronto*. That product was/is notorious for failing at any joint over time. It's just a question when it will fail.


Thank you. Our place was built in the mid-90s, are you sure it's poly b by Zurn?


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## AllanJ

You need to correct the rocking problem and test the fit of the toilet in place before installing the wax ring.

If you already experienced rocking after "final" installation then the wax ring you have is probably deformed too much to reuse. Unlike rubber, wax does not fluff back out after the pressure that is squeezing it is relieved.


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## VIPlumber

Anianna said:


> Thank you. Our place was built in the mid-90s, are you sure it's poly b by Zurn?


99.9% certain. Our place was built in '94 and had it.


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## Anianna

Thanks all for the info regarding the wax ring.



VIPlumber said:


> 99.9% certain. Our place was built in '94 and had it.


From what I understand from a bit of research, the failure is caused by a reaction of the polymer with chemical chlorine common in American public water systems. Polybutylene systems are still in use and are even popular in Europe and Asia. I know in at least parts of Europe, they don't use chlorine to treat water, but use Oxine instead, so that may be why it isn't a problem in those markets. Our water comes from a well and is not chlorinated, so I think we'll be fine, but I will look into it further to make sure.


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## RikksTamo

*Awesome Answers !*

Thanx Richo for posting your question. I have the same exact problem. And after spending so much time making sure that I mixed the floor leveller exactly to direction, & levellling each & every tile along with the over-all floor after placing each tile, I was devastated to find out that my toilet didn't fit snug! I really appreciate everyone's answers. Thank you so much !! I had no idea that they made plastic shims for this. I've heard of the composite ones, actually thought about using them, but they do have a terrible odour that I can not seem to find out any info from anyone about how long that odour lasts. Plastic it is ! :thumbup: I am also going to use caulk in dabs underneath the toilet, just to set it in place.


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## Fanlarm

I used foam backer rod to steady my rocker. Cut it to approximate length and stuffed it under the front edge with a wooden paint stir stick (to prevent poking holes in the rod) from bolt to bolt. Tightened the bolts down. First time in history we haven't had an amusement park ride in the bathroom!


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## ct18

remi999 said:


> Once I saw a cheap trick for situations like yours - use 1 cent coins under your toilet so fix the rocking. They are made of copper and will not rust.
> 
> Caulk will not stop the wiggle. Think about the weight of the porcelain, the user and the water combined.
> 
> One more thing (maybe stating the obvious). If you even remotely _suspect_ there may be a toilet leak - DON'T CAULK around the toilet. It's like fixing a tooth cavity by plugging in a piece of gum. WON'T WORK!
> 
> Remove the toilet (it's really not too complex) and replace the wax ring. Otherwise you'll trap the leaking water (let's call it that, but in reality it is far from being "water") under the toilet and guarantee you all kinds of problems like rot, smell, mold, etc.


I have been using pennies for years now or even stainless steel washers.


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## NotyeruncleBob

There's a lot of bad advice in this old thread. 
The correct way to do this is of course to tile flat! But short of that leveling with the plastic shims and then a tub & tile caulking is the only real solution here. Make sure that you're not shimming too much so that you loose the seal to the wax ring.


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## SeniorSitizen

I would first determine if the toilet rocking was caused by it resting on the flange. How ? make a feeler gauge from a plastic milk carton. Feel for toilet base to floor clearance and when the gauge gets tight push down on the opposite side. If the gauge loosens and gets tight on the side you pushed down the odds are real good it's rocking on the flange.

If shims are needed no rust shims can be cut from that same milk carton and stacked to most any thickness needed. If it works on industrial engines it will surely work on a domestic toilet.


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