The received wisdom appears to be that whereas it's ok to place a toilet on top of laid vinyl flooring, if using ceramic floor tiles the toilet should be positioned first and the tiles cut around the toilet base.
Is there any particular reason for this? Is it just a case of the weight of the toilet (plus a person sat on it!) could crack the tiles?
DIY
China bogs are not made to the highest standards and the bottom is likely to have high spots on it. Hence a bum of size sitting on it could exert pressure in the tons range on a tiny area under it and break a ceramic. Any sort of cushion will cure this or not putting the tiles under it.
I wonder where you received that advice from. I have never found any problem after fitting a toilet onto ceramic tiles, they will not break or crack if fitted correctly. It looks much untidier if tiled after (in fact it mostly looks bodged ).
I don't believe that is normally the case, and I'm not sure I've ever seen it done this way.
Only reason I can think of is that the plumbing is already fitted and the tiler doesn't want to have to modify it to raise the toilet by 15mm (or whatever).
Am I right in assuming that even when the bowl is refitted on top of the floor tiles...you would still finish it with sealer. ? If you are going to do that anyway.... then the tolerances on the cuts would be quite achievable by even the newest of newbies. I spent ages marking..measuring cutting..marking measuring cutting and eventually achieved a very neat (though I do say so myself) almost perfect edge only to seal it anyway, knowing what men are like when they pee ! .....well its hardley sniper quality is it ? All because I also thought that the tiles would crack quite easily under the bowl.
Thanks for that - and to everyone else who responded. I'll put the ceramic tiles down first and then the bowl on top!
DIY
You can use an offset pan connector for fitting the bowl and you could also use some plumbers mait for seating the bowl on the tiles (non setting putty)
In message , DIY writes
One other consideration as happened to me. 20 years ago I tiled the cloakroom floor. Beautiful ceramic tiles, expertly laid and precisely cut around the bottom of the toilet.
8 years ago SWMBO sees the loo of her dreams, German, push button and very expensive. Out comes the old loo and guess what, the new loo doesn't cover the hole in the floor tiles, I can't get new tiles and I don't have enough spares to fill the hole.The only solution I could come up with was to cut a piece of plain vinyl flooring material to cover the hole which I filled with mortar and sit the new loo on the vinyl. It actually looks quite good.
No need for the offset pan connector - there is a long run of freely suspended waste pipe behind the loo (which I will be boxing in) and that will allow enough 'lift' for the depth of the tiles. I will certainly be using plumbers mait however.
DIY
A simple and inventive bit of diy that saved you money and the back breaking task of removing and replacing!
Having a bathroom renovate my toilet was fitted after the tiles was laid.This was planned at that stage with the plumber. Allowance made by fitting a tile underneath, connecting the plumbing and then removing toilet for the floor tiler. A bit long winded but very clean and hygienic. The plumber sat the toilet on spots of clear mastic. jd
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