How to Anchor a Toilet into Tile

Insert the closet flange’s collar into the waste pipe in the bathroom floor to see if the collar needs to be trimmed so the flange rests firmly on the bathroom’s finished floor. Measure the gap, if any, between the bottom of the flange and the bathroom floor. Remove the flange’s collar and trim the same amount off the bottom of the collar using a hacksaw.

Reinsert the flange’s collar in the waste pipe in the floor. Mark the locations of the screw holes in the flange on the bathroom floor using a marker, and then remove the flange again.

Drill guide holes in the tile floor where you marked the flange’s screw holes, using a drill with either a carbide or diamond-tipped bit. Stop drilling once the bit reaches the subfloor.

Reinstall the flange back in the drainpipe and line up the holes in the floor with the holes in the flange. Drive the anchor screws through the flange and into the floor, using the guide holes, until the screw heads sit flush with the flange.

Place a wax ring, with the flat side down, on the toilet flange. Insert the closet bolts into the slots in the flange and slide nylon washers over them. Lower the toilet over the flange and thread the bolts through the holes in the toilet’s base.

Sit on the toilet bowl without rocking it, applying pressure so the base of the toilet touches the tile floor on all sides. Tighten the nuts on the closet bolts with a wrench, stopping once you feel resistance. Trim the tops of the bolts with a close-quarters hacksaw, leaving about three threads above the tops of the nuts.