How to screw toilet to floor

I fitted one on the ceramic tiled floor of the loo in my workshop by seating it on a generous dollop of silicone caulking. No screws at all. Still holding firm 7 years later :)

Andrew

It shouldn't move with the fixings in place unless it is screwed into something that moves.

Use stainless steel screws - anything else (except brass) is likely to rust over time, especially the screw head. Possibly not too much of a problem until you want to remove the pan for maintenance purposes

Run a bead of silicone around the edge where it meets the floor - this will stop substances where the aim is not too good from running under the pan where you cannot clean. It will also help holding the pan in position.

Pan fixing kits often come with a plastic sleeve for the screw so that the screw treads don't touch the porcelain and a plastic cover that hides the screw head once fixed.

In message , alan_m writes

The one I removed a couple of weeks ago was held by four brass screws only, and had been solid in use, since 1979. The screws came out easily, and the pan itself then just lifted off the floor. Were I replacing it, I would, as Alan suggests, run a bead of silicone around the base.

I once bought some brass screws to fit a toilet pan to find years later that the were brass plated screws (or brass coloured metal plated) and the heads under the plastic cover were so corroded that the head had to be drilled out.

In message , alan_m writes

Brass plated screws are horrible things. The ones I removed from the pan are real brass and will go through my little tumbler for reuse, good as new.

replying to leenowell, Iggy wrote: All good advice so far. The "trick" with screwing toilets is to just get them solid, this is far from as tight as the screw can go and really just snug. Thick Washers are a must and just start by sending the screws (pan heads) in to where they start to snag the washers, this is likely all you will need for a rock solid toilet. You'll have a few turns left in each screw, that won't threaten the porcelain, for any future re-tightening.

Thanks very much all.

Rubber washer or plastic cup/dome under the screw head is always used. You should have got some with the loo - but tap washers work. Don't go mental and use brass or stainless screws.

But my loo has a very long (>12") and wide base. I would not fancy it with a small footed lav.

Yes, check with a magnet.

Cheers

the Burgh Police Scotland Act requires four brass screws ............. but things have gone down the toilet since then ...

having had a few too many down the pub, the bloody bowl still wanders all over the place. Funnily enough, the fault usually corrects itself by morning.

Nick

But even real brass screws will corrode in the presence of bleach, and slotted ones are a PITA if they get chewed. These days I *always* use Pozidrive stainless.

Mine is fitted with brass screws (1976) into the chipboard floor. Not sure if there is a noggin below, but judging by the creaking noise from that area, I suspect not.

Always keep a small magnet to check such things.

I am now checking all my 1p and 2p pieces and saving the non-ferrous ones for potential DIY usages.

PS I tried to put a 10p piece into the auto cash machine in the supermarket yesterday and after much whirring it spat it out.

Tried time and time again but no success.

Today I looked more closely and although it looks like a 10p piece, it says AUSTRALIA !!. It's a 10 cent piece but fooled me.

I replaced a sink waste today - complete PITA - it was held with a single slotted screw where the slot was so shallow that the screwdrivers wouldn't hold/grip. I had to resort to long nodes pliers rammed down the holes in the strainer and some water pump pliers the other side of the sink to turn the fitting. All done with the sink still in situ.

This is a Victorian house, and any form of cross head screw just looks wrong. I have used them though, where they can't be seen, but for any with the head visible, I use slotted, brass if possible. Having said that, I often use Pozi initially, then change to cross head brass, because the Pozi is easier to drive initially.

Where do you get cross head brass? I've been looking...

I used 6mm st. st. coach screws with hex. head. Carefully filed the head to a dome, leaving enough hex. for a good box spanner (socket has lead-in, so needs more hex.) to fit on to. From above it looks like a round-head screw but with no slot or cross.