Bathroom renovation is exciting, but such a project requires careful planning and decision-making to have a functional and appealing bathroom. Among the essential decisions to make include how to tile a bathroom floor around a toilet.
You can tile around your toilet in different ways. For instance, you can remove the toilet before tiling or tile without removing the toilet. Fitting tiles around your toilet without removing the toilet requires more patience and skill since it entails cutting the tiles correctly.
This post covers both options and answers whether the tiles go under or around the toilet, flange, or water line.
How To Tile A Bathroom Floor Around A Toilet (8 Steps Outlined!)
This section provides comprehensive steps for laying tiles that involve taking out the toilet.
1. Cut The Water Supply
You cannot lay tiles around your toilet with water flowing into the tank, so turn off the toilet’s shut-off valve. Also, empty the tank by flushing it before you start working. This will help prevent making messes.
2. Take Out The Toilet
If your toilet is a two-piece model, undo the bolts holding the bowl and tank together, then remove the tank. Take out the toilet bowl’s retaining bolts, disconnect the supply line, then gouge the caulk using a utility knife.
Rock your toilet gently to loosen the caulk further, then lift the bowl. Your toilet may continue leaking water after lifting it; that shouldn’t raise any concerns.
3. Clean The Bathroom Floor
Cover the drainage pipe of your toilet before cleaning the bathroom floor to avoid blocking it with debris. The floor needs to be dry and clean before laying the tiles.
4. Lay The Tiles
Lay the tiles on the floor encircling your toilet. Cut the tile pieces using a tile cutter to ensure they surround the toilet’s retaining ring, leaving a gap of utmost ¼ inch.
5. Apply Adhesive
Once you confirm the tile’s accuracy, apply adhesive and give it time to dry entirely. After that, put grout but make sure you do not grout the space between the retaining ring and the tiles.
6. Put A New Wax Ring
Center the new wax ring goes on top of your toilet’s flange.
7. Reinstall Your Toilet
Carefully put the toilet back in place (over the toilet flange), then press the toilet down to create a tight seal with the wax ring. Be careful when lifting and installing the toilet to avoid breaking it; you can even have someone help you.
Insert the toilet washers and nuts into the bolts and secure them using a wrench. Don’t tighten the bolts excessively to keep the toilet from cracking.
If you have a two-piece toilet, reinstall the tank securing the bowl and tank with the bolts.
8. Restore Water Supply
Reconnect the water supply pipe, then flush your toilet.
How To Tile Around A Toilet Without Removing The Toilet
Follow these steps if you want to avoid the hustle of removing the toilet before laying tiles around your toilet.
- Cut a thin cardboard or paper piece of a similar size as the tiles you want to install
- Cut around ¼ inch (5 to 10mm) wide slits into the paper. Make sure the slits are longer than what’s obstructing the tiles
- Position the paper with the slits beside the obstruction. Leave some space for the grout
- Fold each strip, ensuring it creases against your toilet
- Create an outline along the toilet’s shape using a pencil or pen. Cut the people along the line you marked to develop the tile template
- Double-check the dimensions and size by placing the template on the area surrounding the toilet
- Place the template on top of a tile and secure it using tape, then use a pen or pencil to mark along the template’s edge
- Use a tile scribe to scratch along the line. Doing so will help you achieve a clean cut of the tile
- Take off tiny chunks of the tile using a tile nipper. Do so gradually until you get to the marked outline
- Smooth over the tile’s edge using fine sandpaper or a tile file
- Wipe the tile to eliminate any debris
- Position the tile over its intended space, and if everything is right, apply adhesive and place it into the space, then gently press it
- Install the rest of the tiles by repeating the steps above
Do You Tile Around The Toilet Or Under It?
Tile under your toilet if you are using ceramic tiles. On the other hand, you can lay the tiles around your toilet when using vinyl tiles because they are thinner, so they might give into the weight of the toilet, thus breaking.
On the other hand, ceramic tiles are much thicker hence capable of handling the toilet’s weight. There are compelling reasons to consider tiling under your toilet.
- Toilet flanges typically sit above the tiles because that makes it easier to attach the bolts
- It makes fixture replacement and repairs easier
- Tiles look better when installed under rather than around the toilet since it creates a more uniform, simplistic, and elegant look
- Getting the dimensions is easier when tiling under the toilet compared to around it since the process doesn’t entail resizing and reshaping the tiles
- It minimizes leaks, thus making cleaning the bathroom easier
Does Tile Go Under Toilet Flange?
The tile typically goes under your toilet flange since this positioning allows you to secure the flange using bolts. Placing the flange flush with your bathroom floor or under the tiles can lead to drainage issues.
This commonly causes leaks, a problem you don’t want to deal with after renovating your bathroom.
Final Remarks on How To Tile A Bathroom Floor Around A Toilet
Removing your toilet before tiling around it is considered a better approach since it is timesaving and eliminates the need to cut the tiles to the appropriate shape and size.
Nonetheless, both approaches achieve a similar result, so choose the one you consider more manageable and will provide a more desirable look.
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