Toilet installation in Salem with the flange and floor done right

Most problems with a new toilet start under it, not in it. A flange that sits too low, a cracked flange ring, or a soft spot in the subfloor will let even an expensive toilet rock and leak within a year. That is why we spend as much time on the floor and the flange as on the toilet itself.

You can buy the toilet yourself or ask us to bring one; our labor price covers removal, setting and testing, with the toilet extra. We carry flange repair rings, spacers, stainless closet bolts, seals and braided supply lines, so small surprises under the old toilet rarely mean a second trip.

Measuring the rough-in before you buy

The rough-in is the distance from the finished wall behind the toilet to the center of the closet bolts. Most homes are set at 12 inches, but some older Salem houses have 10-inch or 14-inch rough-ins, and a toilet built for the wrong one will either hit the wall or leave an awkward gap.

Measure from the wall itself, not from the baseboard, to the center of either bolt cap. If the number is not close to 12, call before you buy and we will help you choose a model that fits. Also check the bowl shape: an elongated bowl adds a couple of inches of depth in a tight half bath.

• Measure from the finished wall, ignoring the baseboard thickness
• 12 inches is standard; 10 and 14 inches turn up in older homes
• Check door swing and vanity clearance for an elongated bowl
• Comfort height bowls sit higher, which many adults and seniors prefer

Closet flange height, breaks and spacers

The closet flange is the ring that ties the toilet to the drain pipe below. It should sit on top of the finished floor, not below it. When someone has laid new tile or plank flooring over the old floor, the flange ends up recessed, the seal cannot reach it properly, and the toilet starts leaking at the base.

We correct a low flange with stacked spacers or an extension, and we fix a cracked or rusted ring with a stainless repair ring screwed into the subfloor. On old cast-iron flanges the bolt slots often break off. Rebuilding that part properly is what keeps a new toilet from rocking a few months later.

When the subfloor under the old toilet is soft

Pull an old toilet in a Salem crawlspace home and there is a fair chance the plywood around the drain has darkened. Years of tiny leaks and condensation from the tank soak the wood from both sides. If we can push a screwdriver into it, it will not hold a flange.

Small soft areas can be cut out and replaced with new plywood blocked to the joists from the crawlspace. Bigger rot that runs under the tub or the vanity is a larger repair, and we explain the scope and the price before going further. A solid floor is the base the rest of the job depends on.

Setting, sealing and leveling the new toilet

We set the toilet straight down onto the seal so it compresses evenly, then tighten the closet bolts in small turns side to side. Porcelain cracks if one bolt is cranked too hard. On an uneven floor we shim under the base before tightening, so the toilet stays solid without relying on the bolts.

A new braided supply line connects the fill valve to the shutoff, and we replace an old multi-turn stop with a quarter-turn valve if it looks tired. After several test flushes we check for seepage at the base, the bolts and the supply, then caulk the base and haul the old toilet away.