# How do you install a toilet over Laminate?



## yohan (Feb 15, 2007)

This is going in a basement on a cement floor. I have a 4" toilet drain in the floor. For the laminate I have the blue underlay material and glue for the seams for when I install it. 

When I am laying down the flooring, should I:

A) put the flange on top of the laminate and screw it through laminate into the concrete (leaving an enlarged screwhole in the laminate) and install the toilet on top .. or

B) screw the flange direct to the concrete and cut around the flange leaving a gap for expansion and then put the toilet on top of the laminate ?

I'm thinking because laminate is a floating floor option B ...


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## Mike Swearingen (Mar 15, 2005)

I would go with A.
Toilet flanges are supposed to be bolted on _top of the finished floor level_ (so that the wax ring will seal properly) with only the thickness of the flange above the finished floor level.
Use a masonry bit to drill into the concrete. I would use Tapcons with the proper size masonry bit for them.
Use beveled shims to level the toilet if necessary. Only caulk around the front and two sides of the toilet base, and leave the back side open for future leak detection.
Good Luck!
Mike


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## darsunt (Dec 29, 2006)

I do not believe laminate is a good material to use around a bathroom or toilet. In a flood it will soak up water like a sponge!


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## Floorwizard (Dec 5, 2003)

Floods will affect all types of floor.
Clean up spills right away.
Tile is good with moisture, but it also has some downsides.


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## darsunt (Dec 29, 2006)

I am especially prejudiced against putting laminate in water situations.

I used to have vinyl in the kitchen. We used to be lazy, and if we spilled a puddle of water often we would just leave it to evaporate. No problem!

Now we have laminate in the kitchen, looks fantastic. But we are paranoid about every little water spill, and we can't even clean up messes with water (we have to use special laminate cleaner)! Laminate is just a hard aluminum oxide surface, backed up by compressed cardboard, a super water sponge.

We would go nuts putting laminate in the bathroom, where water gets spilled every time someone steps out of the shower, and toilet leaks and clogs happen.


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## yohan (Feb 15, 2007)

Many months later the laminate is holding up great - which is suprinsing because i never caulked against the shower base, I rarely make an effort to mop the water up off the floor and never pickup my floor towel, just let it air dry. I did glue between the sheets of laminate to add some more water resistance so the whole myth about laminate sucking up water... well, if it come sfrom underneath or gets totally soaked i could see that happening but I'm very happy and confident this will hold up.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

yohan said:


> Many months later the laminate is holding up great - which is suprinsing because i never caulked against the shower base, I rarely make an effort to mop the water up off the floor and never pickup my floor towel, just let it air dry. I did glue between the sheets of laminate to add some more water resistance so the whole myth about laminate sucking up water... well, if it come sfrom underneath or gets totally soaked i could see that happening but I'm very happy and confident this will hold up.


It's not a myth, as I have inspected work by others that have been affected by moisture. One personal experience, does not an accurate study/evaluation, make.

The points that have helped you, are that you GLUED the seams, and you obviously don't have large amounts of water coming out of your tub/showr area, the way that some families with young children do. I would still suggest that you caulk the connection point of floor-to-tub, as this is standard procedure, regardless of flooring material type.

Thanks for the update.


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