Modern housing is simply impossible to imagine without plumbing equipment such as a toilet. Like any household item, it tends to age and fail, so sooner or later every homeowner is faced with the need to replace it.
Since fixing the toilet to the floor must be carried out in strict accordance with certain rules, many owners are hesitant to undertake such work and prefer to entrust the matter to professionals whose services are not cheap.
In fact, this process does not require special knowledge at all and even a novice master can do it. But how to do such work with your own hands, and what features this procedure has, we will consider in the article.
Fastener Methods
Modern toilets have several varieties. Some are attached to the floor, others - to the back wall of the room. The location of the barrel, the shape of the bowl and the way the water drains may also differ.
Tell in detail about each speciesit will be very difficult, so we will consider the most popular option - the floor-standing compact toilet. It is this type that is most often found today in apartments and various public places, which means that issues related to its installation are as relevant as possible.
You should immediately pay attention to the fact that the toilet bowl can be fixed to the floor in several ways, which differ in the method of fixing the ceramic product. Namely:
• using the standard fixing kit (included);
• on glue;
• on taffeta;
• on cement.
The choice of one or another option depends on the base material on which the plumbing is planned to be installed. But the preparatory work is the same in all cases.
Before installing the toilet, you must properly assemble the tank (strictly following the instructions) and install it in the right place. After making sure that the water and sewer pipes are properly connected, you can proceed directly to the installation of the toilet.
Installation using standard fasteners: necessary materials and tools
You can fix the toilet bowl to the floor on a tile or other even and solid base using a standard set of fasteners. This method can only be used if there are no large drops and irregularities on the floor surface.
This method is considered the simplest, however, it is recommended to use it only for fixing lightweight structures, since its reliability is not very high.
Standard toilet mount kit includes the following items:
• four (or two) thick and long screws with turnkey heads;
• plastic dowels of appropriate size;
• plastic washers;
• decorative caps.
How to use this set - everyone will guess. However, there are still some subtleties in this method of fixing a ceramic product. Let's take a closer look at how the toilet bowl is fixed to the floor in this case. Let's start by preparing the instrument.
Tools and materials
Before you start fixing the toilet to the floor on the tiles, make sure that you have all the necessary tools and materials at hand. Namely:
• perforator with a drill of the appropriate size (depending on the diameter of the dowels);
• drill;
• ceramic tile drill (1-2mm larger than the drill);
• 0.5-1 kg of cement;
• silicone sealant;
• plastic corrugation (for connection to a sewer pipe);
• pliers, adjustable wrench, screwdriver.
Toilet installation
Toilet installation technology using self-tapping screws involves the following work:
1. The product is installed in a permanent place and the holes for the bolts are marked.
2. Holes are drilled in the tile with a special drill. Then, using a drill, they are deepened to the length of the plastic dowel.
3. After making sure that the places for fasteners are drilled without displacement, dowels are hammered into them.
4. The sewer hole is cleaned of debris, smeared with silicone and a corrugation is inserted into it.
This is necessary so that unpleasant odors from the pipe do not leak into the room. In addition, the sealing gum may dry out over time, and then water will begin to ooze at the junction of the pipes.
5. Next, the outlet of the toilet bowl is treated with a sealant and the corrugation is pulled over it.
6. The holes are inserted fasteners for the toilet. The product is attracted to the base until it becomes as stable and motionless as possible.
7. Pre-prepared cement mortar (soft clay consistency) fills all the gaps between the tile and the toilet. The absence of gaps will protect the product from cracking and premature failure.
8. Install the tank. A special gasket is placed on the toilet shelf, a ceramic tank is installed and tightened with bolts.
Moments worth paying attention to
In the process of installing the toilet bowl, tiles cannot be drilled with a perforator operating in shock mode. This will certainly lead to the fact that cracks will go along the tile. The work is carried out using a special drill, at low speeds. Both the tile and the drill need to be periodically moistened with water. This will help keep the tile from overheating and prevent it from cracking.
The fixing screw should be screwed in very carefully. In order not to split the toilet bowl, the bolts are tightened evenly, no more than half arotation in one movement of the hand.
Do not pull the product to the floor without plastic washers. Their absence will lead to the formation of chips or a complete split of the toilet.
Adhesive mounting
Fixing the toilet to the floor with glue or cement is considered safer and easier, but in this case, the subsequent dismantling of the faience product will be very difficult. If there is a need to eliminate complex blockages in the sewer pipe or simply to change the layout of the bathroom, it will not be possible to do it imperceptibly and quickly.
The use of glue requires careful preparation of the substrate. All dirt and dust must be removed from the floor. If the toilet is installed on a tile, it should be cleaned (to roughen) and treat both surfaces (toilet and tile) with a degreaser or acetone.
Two-component epoxy is recommended as the adhesive. This composition has been tested over the years and can guarantee the strongest fixation of the product.
The prepared mass is applied to the inside of the toilet leg (with a layer of about 4 mm). The product is installed in its permanent place, pressed tightly and left for at least 12 hours. After the final hardening of the glue, they begin to connect the toilet.
Installation on cement
Let's consider another alternative method by which floor-standing toilets can be installed. Reviews of experts say that if there was no suitable glue at hand, installationfaience can be produced using cement mortar.
For this you will need 3-5 kg of cement, sand and a small container. Work is performed in the following order:
• The floor is cleared of debris. If the toilet will be installed on a tile, a notch is made in it.
• Cement mortar is mixed. If there is sand available, both components are taken in a ratio of 1: 1, if there is no sand, you can only get by with cement.
• The cement mass is laid out on the floor, and a toilet bowl is installed on top of it. The product is pressed firmly to the floor.
• The outlet of the toilet bowl and the place of its joining with the cast-iron pipe are smeared with excess cement. If the sewer pipe is made of plastic, use a cuff and silicone sealant.
Taffeta mounting
This toilet installation method is most often used in rooms with wooden floors. The taffeta is used as a lining of durable wood, which is mounted between the floors and the faience product.
The thickness of the substrate should be within 28-32 mm. So that taffeta does not quickly become unusable under the influence of dampness, it is impregnated with drying oil. In construction stores you can buy a finished product. Most often on sale you can find taffeta made of thick oak boards or rubber.
The substrate is fixed to the base with thick screws or glue. For maximum reliability, anchors can be attached to the back of the lining. You can also drive in a few nails in a checkerboard pattern. Nail tips must protrude at leastby 3 centimeters.
The niche for installing the toilet is poured with concrete and a wooden lining is installed there so that it is flush with the floors.
The toilet bowl is installed on the fixed substrate. It is pulled together with the base using standard mounting bolts, in the manner that we described at the beginning of this article.
Cost of work
At the end of the topic, I would like to touch on the financial component of this issue. Indeed, for many, repair work seems too troublesome and tedious, so they prefer to entrust this matter to real professionals. In this case, all you need to do is find a company that provides services such as installing a toilet. The price for the work of experienced craftsmen depends on the methods of fixing plumbing.
Most of the companies install toilet bowls only with standard fasteners. The cost of this service (depending on the city of residence) starts from 1200 rubles and reaches 3000 rubles.
A cheaper price tag can be offered by novice private masters, but in this case the quality of the work will be in question. Therefore, if you cannot afford such expenses, the best solution would be to install the toilet yourself. In this case, there will be no price for the work, and the purchase of the necessary materials will not require you to spend a lot of money.
We hope that in this article you have found all the answers to your questions. Quick and easy repair for you!
