The Dos And Don’ts Of Caulking Around The Toilet Base

Caulking around the base of your toilet is important for your washroom for multiple reasons. Firstly, calking around your toilet base makes your washroom look more put together and elegant. This is because after caulking, there is no awkward gap between toilet base and the washroom floor. Instead, your toilet base seems to be firmly attached to the washroom floor and actually looks like it belongs there.

Secondly, caulking around the base of your toilet is also crucial because it prevents water from getting to areas underneath the toilet base. It is very normal for your washroom floor to be wet due to water spills or mopping. However, if this water on your washroom floor seeps into the base of your toilet, it can cause unpleasant odors in your washroom permanently. This is why it is better to seal the base of a toilet with caulking to ensure the water spills in your washroom remain on the floor.

Simple Tips for Caulking around the Toilet Base

Now that we have you fully convinced about the benefits of caulking around the base of your toilet, let’s discuss the basic dos and don’ts of this simple job.

Always Choose a High Quality Caulk for the Job

In order to make this caulking last for longer periods of time, you must buy the right product to caulk the base of your toilet firmly onto the floor. Since the floor of a washroom is often wet, only a product that was specifically manufactured to withstand moist conditions will work. Otherwise, the seal will easily wear off with time due to the constant wetness of the floor.

For this reason, we suggest you to only buy a caulk that is specifically labeled for “tub and tile” or “bathroom” use. A 100% Silicone caulk is generally thought to be the best choice for this task. The price of this tube usually ranges from $5-$12 so it’s overall an affordable purchase.

Furthermore, you can also buy a toilet caulk tape to do this job with greater ease. The application of a toilet caulk tape is considered to be much faster and simpler therefore beginners often use this tape instead of caulk. It also doesn’t create the usual mess caulking otherwise does so you don’t have to deal with the aftermath of cleaning.   

Moreover, a flexible vinyl edge trim is also helpful for this job. A flexible vinyl edge trim is perfect for indoor applications because they don’t absorb water or start to smell bad.

Try to Pick a Caulk Whose Color Matches Your Toilet Fitting

The last thing you want is the color of your caulk to be visibly noticeable against your toilet fitting. One of the main reasons people like to caulk around the base of a toilet is to make their toilet look better-fitted into the flooring. If the color of your caulk stands out against the toilet, it will appear unsightly.

This is why you should aim to buy the right color of caulk which is similar to or closely matches the color of your toilet fitting. White is undoubtedly the most common color of toilet fittings and this is why white caulks are easily available. On the other hand, if you have a uniquely colored toilet fitted into your bathroom then finding a perfect color match in caulks can be tricky. We suggest you to talk to the staff from a paint supply store for help in this regard.

Remember to Clean the Surface Thoroughly before Applying a Silicone Caulk on it

While silicone is the best thing to seal a gap from water, it also requires a clean surface to stick properly. This is why the first thing to do before applying caulk around the base of a toilet is to clean the surface the caulk has to stick on. You can use a solvent like a lacquer thinner to clean the surface properly.

Moreover, it is important to choose the solvent for cleaning cautiously. Some solvents can be damaging for your bathroom flooring or toilet fitting so it is better to be mindful of this. You must choose a cleaning solvent that is well-suited for the finishing of your toilet fitting.

Use a Tape to Mark the Surface Area Accurately

After you have cleaned the surface you want to apply the caulk to, you can cover the rest of the nearby flooring with a tape. Doing this will help you avoid getting the caulk on unnecessary areas. This way, you know exactly till where to put the caulk and you won’t go overboard.

Get Enough Caulk inside the Gaps

One important point to remember while caulking is to make sure you apply enough of the caulk to fill the gaps. Initially, the caulk will ooze out of the gaps but you should continue applying it generously as it will eventually settle down when you press it.

Don’t Wait too Long to Press the Caulk Down

Don’t forget that silicone caulks start to get tacky within a few minutes and once this starts it becomes difficult to press them downwards into the gap. This is why you should never wait too long before beginning to press the caulk down to fill the gaps in the floor.

Clean Up After the Job is Done

Once you are done caulking, wait for a few minutes for the calk to dry off. After this you can remove the tape you applied on the floor to mark the area. Remember to clean away any excess caulk you got on unwanted areas with the cleaning solvent.  You can also use a razor blade to scrape off tough caulk stains on your bathroom floor.

Give the Caulk Enough time to Dry

The last tip we have for you is to keep the caulk around your toilet base dry for the next 24 hours.  This is why it’s better if you don’t use this washroom for a day. If the caulk gets wet before it properly dries then it might not continue to stick properly.

We hope the simple tips explained above help you learn how to caulk the base of your toilet properly. As you now know, caulking is a simple job you can definitely manage to do on your own so don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty!

Author Bio:

Greg Amundson is the founder and creator of InstaTrim & have been working in the home construction industry for 30+ years and have always had a passion to make DIYers’ life easier by developing products like brown PVC corner trim, white caulk tape, grey PVC corner trim, etc.