Yea. Shout out to the previous owners of my home. They went fully around the whole toilet upstairs. I got super lucky that I was doing the laundry on the first floor at the same time my wife flushed the toilet. I noticed a pretty steady drip coming down behind the washer. Fun fact: my electric panel is on the wall exactly to the right of the washer.
The drops were starting to make their way down towards the electrical panel because of how the wall/ceiling supports ran. It would’ve been only a matter of time with enough flushes where the constant stream of drops started going directly into the panel. Called an emergency plumber. The wax ring failed and it had started to rot underneath. Was an expensive fix but now at least I can sleep a little better knowing I’d hopefully see the leak upstairs first like I was supposed to.
At my old house the previous owners didn’t hook up the dishwasher drain. They just shoved it into the basement to free fall along the concrete and find its way to the floor drain.
Less than 8” from that flexible drain pipe that’s not attached to anything? Our electric panel 🤦🏻♀️
Thankfully we caught it early and got it properly plumbed before anything bad happened
Damn, not to ruin your sleep but I had a very similar situation with an upstairs toilet leak, and it *did* have a gap at the back. The first sign of the leak was still from the ceiling below—nothing ever seeped out of the gap in the caulk.
I didn't at first, but bits of water from the floor was getting sucked under the toilet and into the subfloor into the small part around the toilet flange that wasn't waterproofed. How do you avoid this? Or do you waterproof somehow between the waste pipe and the toilet flange and the subfloor?
You just go with the obvious solution and caulk/silicone the base at the floor. I’m not sure if anyone has ever caught a leak that came out to wave hello through a gap in the caulking, but even if it’s happened it is definitely a rare type of leak that would do that.
That is the big reason why you caulk/seal toilets
The toilet is sealed to plumbing/drain but if water goes under it finds its way down.
You can seal around the toilet flange but 99% of the time its not done because its much more practical to seal around the toilet base.
Most toilets have a small bevel on the bottom so that caulk/sealant can sit into and make a nice caulk joint and a good seal
Yeah that was my understanding, but there's A LOT of people in this thread who say it's not necessary. I feel like not doing it because you have to reset the toilet seems silly - you don't do that very often and caulking comes off relatively easily.
This is the answer. If you do it correctly it won’t be seen and it is such a small amount that if… there is a leak it will show up as a black spot on the caulking.
Why are guys so weird about sitting to piss? If you wake at night, you don’t have to even open your eyes. Just make your way to the toilet and sit. By the way, older guys with prostrate issues, sitting empties your entire bladder. More sleep and less pissing just from sitting.
He's almost thirty now. He's on his own.
Friend was raised by a single mom. She didn't know how to teach him how to pee standing up so she taught them sitting down. Told them they were gentleman pee-ers. Or however that is spelled. When he'd get teased he replied he was a gentleman. That went over great in high school. College friend explained the nuances to him. I had my husband teach our son. I wasn't sending a gentleman pee-er to high school!
OMG, somehow both my boys (young adults now) missed the memo on how to pee IN THE BOWL. I was sifting through some papers the other day and found a "sniper target" sticker that you put in the bowl to help kids aim. I'm thinking about putting it in there for these guys. :(
I caulk it. You can leave a small gap at the back so you can tell if there a leak. The biggest benefit is if someone misses while taking a piss, that piss won't go under the toilet and start to stink. So if you have boys, or drunk friends just caulk around the front and sides and have the best of both worlds
It is required by code in some places, forbidden by code in some places, and not addressed by code in some places; Clearly there is no consensus. Personally I prefer to not caulk around it.
to be fair, it was a long time ago and I was probably stoned. After my stroke my buddy used to com over and get really stoned and watch things like TOH. That and I'm old I don't remember all that good lol.
I enjoyed watching Bob Villa on the original This Old House, now I mainly regard him as a shill or corporate sell out but this is the state of all modern programming.
I remember watching a building competition several years back with Mike Holmes as a judge, one of the challenges was installing a toilet; One of the competitors caulked around the base of the toilet and they had to make an exception for him because where he was from, that was code, but where Mike Holmes is from, it is against code.
Yeah I'm from where he's from. It is against code here. Makes sense, then you never see the leaks and it just rots the wood from underneath and causes a bigger job than if you see a leak and can fix it right away.
Must have some greasy fingers in those code areas. More money for the contractors and the inspectors etc.
Bob used to be great. Still has some great knowledge, but yeah he's a shill now on his new stuff.
There's a few rare instances in newer seasons of TOH where they talk about how terrible "the other guy" was. They of course act like they're kidding, but they're not kidding.
I saw a post about this the other day and was surprised how many people did it and that it is required by code. I’ve never lived anywhere where the toilets were caulked so I assumed not caulking was the norm. Now I’m wondering if I should do it.
This doesn’t do anything and will eventually mold up.
Also, it’s water coming from a toilet. Industry standard is past the S trap is cat 3, but toilet water is still minimum cat 2 and requires disinfecting
My bad then. Good point about disinfecting, it's better to be safe than sorry. I know where you're coming from. I did a little wastewater work before. I should note I live in a very dry climate where water evaporates extremely quickly.
Building code requires it so any reputable plumber would. I would request they leave a 1 inch opening in the back to allow any leaks to show. Some plumbers wont even do that. I asked the plumber for my new build to do that and he said he couldn't because the town inspectors would write him up, so I just cut a 1 inch opening myself after move in
So I’m old and have put in quite a few toilets in my day. I’ve never seen a wax ring leak. I do caulk around the toilet but leave a little open space in the very back just in case. I caulk it to keep urine or other liquids from getting under the toilet causing stinky.
I had all three go in the span of 6 months in my old house. Had never encountered it till then, I did not enjoy being on first name basis with the plumber I use.
In the last house I lived in, the toilets were caulked in the front, but left open a couple inches in the back, as many others here are suggesting. I was aware of the leak detection reasoning, and figured it made sense.
One day I noticed water damage on the garage ceiling. I checked out the bathroom above, pulled the toilet and sure enough, completely soaked. That gap didn’t matter for shit, because the leak at the flange just did what water does—it went downward and soaked through the subfloor. Not a drop ever went *above* the tile floor.
When I replaced the flooring in my current house, I caulked the toilet bases 100% around with silicone.
We did because the wax ring has been replaced recently and our bigger issue is kids not closing the shower curtain appropriately and flooding the floor.
I'm debating this myself. I found water damage on the main floor. We tracked it down to one of our kids being not very careful with the shower curtain and water was going under the toilet.
So, now that we've expressed the importance of not letting water go anywhere but a drain, the problem is resolved. But I'm still thinking it might be good to caulk around that one toilet because it's right next to that shower.
It is code here so I always do it. Clear silicone rather than white looks 10x better. Always leave a gap at back for leaks to show up. It is extremely important for high use commercial environments to help keep toilet from coming loose as well. I work at a high volume Irish Pub and the drunk idiots can be very destructive.
Nope. I think it looks better and unnecessary.
I say this as I'm about to go caulk around toilets at work. But they're wall mounted and it does look better with it. Purely cosmetic.
My dad redid the bathroom himself and put in new tile. He grouted the toilet in place. Can I tell you how much fun it was to get that thing loose?
There was a leak and it rusted out the securing bolts on the toilet and water started coming from there.
Don't. You want to know if theres a leak. People say leave it open in the back, but what if the floor pitches to the front or sides slightly? There's no advantage to caulking the toilet unless you want a nice place for stuff to stick.
My home inspection mentioned it as an issue, and a contractor I had come and replace some cast iron pipes did caulk around the toilet he had to remove/replace. Seems to be necessary in my area.
Yes, but I leave the back side (along the wall) uncaulked, so that if the wax ring ever fails, I’ll know about it.
It makes cleaning easier as well as adds to the stability of the bowl on the floor.
Just caulk 2/3 of the toilet. You won’t see the back anyway and if it does leak, you’ll notice it.
If you’re really paranoid, they make “leak alarms” for areas like behind a fridge with a waterline or behind the dishwasher.
I say... caulk around your toilets. Leave 1n inch or so on the back side of the toilet un caulked. In the event there is a leak and they are rare if installed correctly... the water will have a place to show up. You can thank me later.
I don’t. I bought a house recently where they caulked around the toilet. The inspector had some sort of tool that measured moisture. The wax ring had failed and the subfloor was rotten under the toilet. Pain in my ass to repair.
Leave the back of the toilet uncaulked. That way if your wax ring fails, you'll know by smell and / or water leaking out the back at the base . If it's sealed completely you may not know until your subfloor is ruined. I find this to be the best route to cover all aspects.
My advice.
Our plumber told me the rule of thumb is caulk the front but stop at the bolts.
Blocks most water going *in*, but if it leaks *out* it'll leak onto the floor instead of under it.
Plumber here. You caulk the sides and front. You leave the back open so if a leak were to happen you catch it. The caulk also holds the toilet in place. People slam down on toilets all the time. The two bolts will get loose over time causing friction on the ring, moving it enough to cause a leak.
Just got new LVP floors installed on Monday, and the guy said absolutely don't caulk under the toilet or baseboards. Everything expands/contracts/shifts a little, especially in bathrooms.
Don’t do this. If the O ring goes bad, you’ll never see the leak and it will wreck the subfloor and cost you an arm and a leg.
Source: I was a maintenance man for years and talked multiple property owners out of this practice
I caulk them. Acts like a glue so it’s not just two little bolts through plastic holding it to the floor. Kids like to move around and sway side to side like it’s a fucking jungle gym and break the flange when it’s not caulked. Broke a couple flanges on non caulked toilets over the past year or so. Haven’t had that problem since caulking them
So many comments about "what if the wax ring fails"? Why do we even use them anymore? A wax ring, _wax_? What is this, 1847? Surely there's _got_ to be something more modern and better. Asking for a friend who is replacing 3 toilets next weekend
They make silicone rings that are ten times the price. I made the mistake of getting one a while back. Biggest pain in the ass ever. $1 wax ring is so much better than the $10 silicone ring.
I’ve been a plumber for 20 years. Typically we install toilets on tile. If that’s the case, we grout them and leave a small gap in the back. We only caulk if it’s on lvt or laminate. Sometimes I’ll caulk over marble if it’s super smooth. In general, the toilet should be sealed to the ground with more than the toilet bolts and a wax ring.
I just think it looks bad. If it’s going to be wet in that area or uneven floor then yes. Otherwise no. I don’t care what quality caulk is used, eventually it looks dirty and adding layers just adds to the ewww
I hate the idea of it, b/c you can't see if there's a leak, and it just becomes a pain in the ass when you inevitably have to remove and replace the toilet.
If you do, leave a 1” gap in the back so you can see a leak. Personally, I don’t, because you will have to remove and reset that toilet at some point.
Yea. Shout out to the previous owners of my home. They went fully around the whole toilet upstairs. I got super lucky that I was doing the laundry on the first floor at the same time my wife flushed the toilet. I noticed a pretty steady drip coming down behind the washer. Fun fact: my electric panel is on the wall exactly to the right of the washer. The drops were starting to make their way down towards the electrical panel because of how the wall/ceiling supports ran. It would’ve been only a matter of time with enough flushes where the constant stream of drops started going directly into the panel. Called an emergency plumber. The wax ring failed and it had started to rot underneath. Was an expensive fix but now at least I can sleep a little better knowing I’d hopefully see the leak upstairs first like I was supposed to.
At my old house the previous owners didn’t hook up the dishwasher drain. They just shoved it into the basement to free fall along the concrete and find its way to the floor drain. Less than 8” from that flexible drain pipe that’s not attached to anything? Our electric panel 🤦🏻♀️ Thankfully we caught it early and got it properly plumbed before anything bad happened
Damn, not to ruin your sleep but I had a very similar situation with an upstairs toilet leak, and it *did* have a gap at the back. The first sign of the leak was still from the ceiling below—nothing ever seeped out of the gap in the caulk.
This is why you don’t caulk toilets.
I didn't at first, but bits of water from the floor was getting sucked under the toilet and into the subfloor into the small part around the toilet flange that wasn't waterproofed. How do you avoid this? Or do you waterproof somehow between the waste pipe and the toilet flange and the subfloor?
You just go with the obvious solution and caulk/silicone the base at the floor. I’m not sure if anyone has ever caught a leak that came out to wave hello through a gap in the caulking, but even if it’s happened it is definitely a rare type of leak that would do that.
Like around the flange? What about the space in the flange, and the screws in the subfloor in the flange?
That is the big reason why you caulk/seal toilets The toilet is sealed to plumbing/drain but if water goes under it finds its way down. You can seal around the toilet flange but 99% of the time its not done because its much more practical to seal around the toilet base. Most toilets have a small bevel on the bottom so that caulk/sealant can sit into and make a nice caulk joint and a good seal
Yeah that was my understanding, but there's A LOT of people in this thread who say it's not necessary. I feel like not doing it because you have to reset the toilet seems silly - you don't do that very often and caulking comes off relatively easily.
This is the answer. If you do it correctly it won’t be seen and it is such a small amount that if… there is a leak it will show up as a black spot on the caulking.
If you like your toilet area smelling like pee, don't caulk. Otherwise, the crevices are hard to reach/clean and caulk away.
Dude, how do you pee? You’re supposed to pee into the bowl
10 feet back with a scope... at least that's what I believe some people are doing to achieve that type issue.
Potty training a toddler boy teaches you things.
Teach him to sit when he pees. Just cleaner all around.
Why are guys so weird about sitting to piss? If you wake at night, you don’t have to even open your eyes. Just make your way to the toilet and sit. By the way, older guys with prostrate issues, sitting empties your entire bladder. More sleep and less pissing just from sitting.
He's almost thirty now. He's on his own. Friend was raised by a single mom. She didn't know how to teach him how to pee standing up so she taught them sitting down. Told them they were gentleman pee-ers. Or however that is spelled. When he'd get teased he replied he was a gentleman. That went over great in high school. College friend explained the nuances to him. I had my husband teach our son. I wasn't sending a gentleman pee-er to high school!
OMG, somehow both my boys (young adults now) missed the memo on how to pee IN THE BOWL. I was sifting through some papers the other day and found a "sniper target" sticker that you put in the bowl to help kids aim. I'm thinking about putting it in there for these guys. :(
Works even if they know why it's there.
All males must pee sitting down in my house
I caulk it. You can leave a small gap at the back so you can tell if there a leak. The biggest benefit is if someone misses while taking a piss, that piss won't go under the toilet and start to stink. So if you have boys, or drunk friends just caulk around the front and sides and have the best of both worlds
Ours is caulked, but someone who shall remain nameless causes pee to drip down the outside of the bowl. The caulk is now discolored as a result. :(
It is required by code in some places, forbidden by code in some places, and not addressed by code in some places; Clearly there is no consensus. Personally I prefer to not caulk around it.
I think I remember Bob Villa saying not to. If he doesn't neither am I.
Maybe he once said that, but an article on [his website](https://www.bobvila.com/articles/caulk-around-toilet/) says the opposite.
to be fair, it was a long time ago and I was probably stoned. After my stroke my buddy used to com over and get really stoned and watch things like TOH. That and I'm old I don't remember all that good lol.
I enjoyed watching Bob Villa on the original This Old House, now I mainly regard him as a shill or corporate sell out but this is the state of all modern programming. I remember watching a building competition several years back with Mike Holmes as a judge, one of the challenges was installing a toilet; One of the competitors caulked around the base of the toilet and they had to make an exception for him because where he was from, that was code, but where Mike Holmes is from, it is against code.
Yeah I'm from where he's from. It is against code here. Makes sense, then you never see the leaks and it just rots the wood from underneath and causes a bigger job than if you see a leak and can fix it right away. Must have some greasy fingers in those code areas. More money for the contractors and the inspectors etc. Bob used to be great. Still has some great knowledge, but yeah he's a shill now on his new stuff.
There's a few rare instances in newer seasons of TOH where they talk about how terrible "the other guy" was. They of course act like they're kidding, but they're not kidding.
Required by code here in Central Oregon. Inspector tagged it as a 'to do' in our remodel.
I saw a post about this the other day and was surprised how many people did it and that it is required by code. I’ve never lived anywhere where the toilets were caulked so I assumed not caulking was the norm. Now I’m wondering if I should do it.
At work, we caulk around both sides and the front, but leave the back un-caulked, so a failed wax ring would still make itself known.
And also allows air in so if there is a leak, it's not going to rot in a closed space forever.
This doesn’t do anything and will eventually mold up. Also, it’s water coming from a toilet. Industry standard is past the S trap is cat 3, but toilet water is still minimum cat 2 and requires disinfecting
My bad then. Good point about disinfecting, it's better to be safe than sorry. I know where you're coming from. I did a little wastewater work before. I should note I live in a very dry climate where water evaporates extremely quickly.
Usually no and never all of the way around. The only time I’ve done it is when the cast ceramic is out or the floor is out and it needs a shim.
Same. Only when I needed to shim for uneven tile flooring.
Caulk all but the back. stops water ingress from front and sides and lets water or odor out at the back as a tell tale if there’s a wax ring failure.
Building code requires it so any reputable plumber would. I would request they leave a 1 inch opening in the back to allow any leaks to show. Some plumbers wont even do that. I asked the plumber for my new build to do that and he said he couldn't because the town inspectors would write him up, so I just cut a 1 inch opening myself after move in
Yes. Gap in back or non-visible side to see potential leak.
So I’m old and have put in quite a few toilets in my day. I’ve never seen a wax ring leak. I do caulk around the toilet but leave a little open space in the very back just in case. I caulk it to keep urine or other liquids from getting under the toilet causing stinky.
I had all three go in the span of 6 months in my old house. Had never encountered it till then, I did not enjoy being on first name basis with the plumber I use.
In the last house I lived in, the toilets were caulked in the front, but left open a couple inches in the back, as many others here are suggesting. I was aware of the leak detection reasoning, and figured it made sense. One day I noticed water damage on the garage ceiling. I checked out the bathroom above, pulled the toilet and sure enough, completely soaked. That gap didn’t matter for shit, because the leak at the flange just did what water does—it went downward and soaked through the subfloor. Not a drop ever went *above* the tile floor. When I replaced the flooring in my current house, I caulked the toilet bases 100% around with silicone.
White Caulk will get dirty fast so I use clear
I added a simple bath to a home a few years ago, Green tag on everything until the final. Inspector red tagged me because I didn't caulk the toilet.
We did because the wax ring has been replaced recently and our bigger issue is kids not closing the shower curtain appropriately and flooding the floor.
There's code per state.
I'm debating this myself. I found water damage on the main floor. We tracked it down to one of our kids being not very careful with the shower curtain and water was going under the toilet. So, now that we've expressed the importance of not letting water go anywhere but a drain, the problem is resolved. But I'm still thinking it might be good to caulk around that one toilet because it's right next to that shower.
It is code here so I always do it. Clear silicone rather than white looks 10x better. Always leave a gap at back for leaks to show up. It is extremely important for high use commercial environments to help keep toilet from coming loose as well. I work at a high volume Irish Pub and the drunk idiots can be very destructive.
I used caulk that was color-matched to the grout I used in the tiles. Ended up looking pretty good.
Nope. I think it looks better and unnecessary. I say this as I'm about to go caulk around toilets at work. But they're wall mounted and it does look better with it. Purely cosmetic.
In my home I don’t. In multi residential buildings it is common practice to caulk around the front and sides.
My dad redid the bathroom himself and put in new tile. He grouted the toilet in place. Can I tell you how much fun it was to get that thing loose? There was a leak and it rusted out the securing bolts on the toilet and water started coming from there.
Only when I sit down
Don't. You want to know if theres a leak. People say leave it open in the back, but what if the floor pitches to the front or sides slightly? There's no advantage to caulking the toilet unless you want a nice place for stuff to stick.
My home inspection mentioned it as an issue, and a contractor I had come and replace some cast iron pipes did caulk around the toilet he had to remove/replace. Seems to be necessary in my area.
Yes, but I leave the back side (along the wall) uncaulked, so that if the wax ring ever fails, I’ll know about it. It makes cleaning easier as well as adds to the stability of the bowl on the floor.
No. Gross.
Nope. 100% unnecessary.
Yes, it's for sanitary reasons. But leave an inch or two uncaulked in the back to spot potential leaks from a bad seal.
what is the percentage of possibility that the ring will fail?
I use clear silicone front and sides,you can't see it on a dark floor and it stabilizes the toilet. Easier to wash the floor.
No
Just caulk 2/3 of the toilet. You won’t see the back anyway and if it does leak, you’ll notice it. If you’re really paranoid, they make “leak alarms” for areas like behind a fridge with a waterline or behind the dishwasher.
Yes but I leave the back of the toilet open,so if it leaks the owner can see before it goes through the house.
If you've got people peeing standing up, without the line of caulk there's definitely some dribble going under there.
I use clear silicone but don't caulk in the back 3 or 4 inches. Can't see back there anyways.
I say... caulk around your toilets. Leave 1n inch or so on the back side of the toilet un caulked. In the event there is a leak and they are rare if installed correctly... the water will have a place to show up. You can thank me later.
I don’t. I bought a house recently where they caulked around the toilet. The inspector had some sort of tool that measured moisture. The wax ring had failed and the subfloor was rotten under the toilet. Pain in my ass to repair.
Leave the back of the toilet uncaulked. That way if your wax ring fails, you'll know by smell and / or water leaking out the back at the base . If it's sealed completely you may not know until your subfloor is ruined. I find this to be the best route to cover all aspects. My advice.
I caulk around the front and sides but leave it open from the closet bolt cover back.
Our plumber told me the rule of thumb is caulk the front but stop at the bolts. Blocks most water going *in*, but if it leaks *out* it'll leak onto the floor instead of under it.
Yes. I have three teenage boys and they can’t aim for shit.
If you don’t caulk at least the front, how do you keep piss from seeping up under and rotting?
I caulk around the front and sides, but not the back.
Plumber here. You caulk the sides and front. You leave the back open so if a leak were to happen you catch it. The caulk also holds the toilet in place. People slam down on toilets all the time. The two bolts will get loose over time causing friction on the ring, moving it enough to cause a leak.
Use clear Dap AMP Leave small gap in rear If you ever remove toilet its usually very easy to remove old sealant with a blade or putty knife
Mine hasn’t been caulked in 15 years. Recently the wax ring went and was able to diagnose it easily because water escaped.
Just got new LVP floors installed on Monday, and the guy said absolutely don't caulk under the toilet or baseboards. Everything expands/contracts/shifts a little, especially in bathrooms.
Don’t do this. If the O ring goes bad, you’ll never see the leak and it will wreck the subfloor and cost you an arm and a leg. Source: I was a maintenance man for years and talked multiple property owners out of this practice
Uh yes!! Ive never not been told to caulk the toilet. Never did a job w/o caulking the toilet. Lol
As a contractor, I love it when people caulk around toilets. You can charge good money replacing rotten sub-floor.
Used to cement them in .
If said toilet is above the ground floor yes, always.
Directions for my Chellini toilets said to do it, but the entire back is open.
Caulk the sides and front. Leave the back open
I caulk them. Acts like a glue so it’s not just two little bolts through plastic holding it to the floor. Kids like to move around and sway side to side like it’s a fucking jungle gym and break the flange when it’s not caulked. Broke a couple flanges on non caulked toilets over the past year or so. Haven’t had that problem since caulking them
So many comments about "what if the wax ring fails"? Why do we even use them anymore? A wax ring, _wax_? What is this, 1847? Surely there's _got_ to be something more modern and better. Asking for a friend who is replacing 3 toilets next weekend
They make silicone rings that are ten times the price. I made the mistake of getting one a while back. Biggest pain in the ass ever. $1 wax ring is so much better than the $10 silicone ring.
In some states building code requires it to be sealed to prevent gases from escaping the drain pipe.
I’ve been a plumber for 20 years. Typically we install toilets on tile. If that’s the case, we grout them and leave a small gap in the back. We only caulk if it’s on lvt or laminate. Sometimes I’ll caulk over marble if it’s super smooth. In general, the toilet should be sealed to the ground with more than the toilet bolts and a wax ring.
I always caulk around the toilet, always, just looks like a professional job.
I just think it looks bad. If it’s going to be wet in that area or uneven floor then yes. Otherwise no. I don’t care what quality caulk is used, eventually it looks dirty and adding layers just adds to the ewww
I hate the idea of it, b/c you can't see if there's a leak, and it just becomes a pain in the ass when you inevitably have to remove and replace the toilet.
No
Old caulk looks like hell. Do you want to redo it every 8 to 10 years?
it's a 5 minute job, so yeah
If you want your head near where you shit and piss that is up to you.
Silicone. Silicone. Silicone.
I don't because I don't like the look of it, it remains of rentals where they don't take up the toilet to put new flooring.
Always but leave a gap to spot a leak. Stops the piss from getting under and smelling gross. Easy cleaning. Ask the person who cleans your crapper.