How I finally tracked down that mystery water around my toilet base

I did almost the same thing last winter with the toilet in our half bath off the garage. Toilet paper taped around the base, waited two days. Mine came up damp on the left side only, right where the water supply line comes up through the floor. Turned out the nut on the supply line where it meets the fill valve had backed off just enugh to weep, and the drop ran down the line and pooled at the base. A quarter turn with a wrench and it never came back. So if your damp spot lines up with the supply side, check those connections before you even think about pulling the bowl. I had allready bought a wax ring and everything. Also, when I did finally reset the toilet a year later for a diffrent reason, I found the flange sat about a quarter inch below the finished tile, which explains why the original ring never sealed great. A double-thick ring fixed that. The paper trick is honestly the best first move, it saved me from yanking a toilet that was fine.

Adding one more to the pile. Mine kept showing up at the front after mopping. Turns out the previous owner had caulked all the way around the bowl, so any water on the floor wicked under the toilet and sat there with nowhere to go. I pulled the caulk at the back, let it breathe, and the damp spot quit showing up. Now I leave a small gap at the back on every reset so the base can dry out. Also check that the toilet isn't rocking, a bowl that tips even a little will work a ring loose over time.

First time posting here, mostly lurking, but this thread pushed me to reply. Our upstairs toilet did the toilet paper test thing and the damp spot only showed up after the kids used it, which took me way too long to figure out. Turned out the bowl rocked a tiny bit on the uneven tile and every time someone leaned back it squeezed the wax down and let a little water sneak out. I shimmed it so it stopped moving, and the paper has stayed dry since. So if yours only seems to leak when the toilet actually gets used, give the bowl a push from side to side and see if it moves at all.

Same here with the rocking bowl thing, that reply coud have been written about my hall bath. Ours sat on a hump in the old tile and would shift maybe a hair if you leaned forward to stand up. I put two plastic shims under the front, trimmed them flush, and dabbed grout over them so you can't see anything. Six months now and the base has stayed bone dry. What got me was how small the movement was, you couldn't even see it, but the paper test caught it every time til I fixed the tilt.