What Type Of Caulk For Toilet Base?
Caulking the base of your toilet is a must and should be done properly, or problems could arise that will affect the bathroom. You also need to use the right caulk for your toilet base to prevent the caulk from cracking and leaking. So, what is the right caulk to use for your toilet base?
When you purchase caulk for your toilet base, you need to buy silicone caulk and not latex or standard caulk. Silicone caulk is waterproof and will withstand moist conditions in your bathroom better than other caulk types. The color of the silicone caulk won’t change its effectiveness of it.
Why should you caulk the base of your toilet? What are some tips that can help you caulk your toilet base like a professional? We will find these answers and more below, so keep reading!
What Is The Best Caulk For Toilet Bases?
Caulking your toilet base in your bathroom is essential for keeping your home tidy. It’s very unlikely to come across a home with its toilet base not caulked to the tiles. When you need to caulk your toilet base, you need to choose the correct caulk for the job.
The best caulk to use on your toilet base is bathroom silicone caulk. This is a waterproof caulk that will hold perfectly in your bathroom.
Do not use latex or standard caulk around your toilet base. Bathrooms are considered a wet area in your home, and these other caulks will not handle the moisture in your bathroom well.
Should You Use Clear Or White Caulk Around A Toilet?
When you purchase the caulk for your toilet base, you will see that there are clear caulk options and white caulk options available. So, which color of caulk should you choose for your bathroom?
Clear and white caulk are acceptable options around your toilet base. As long as the caulk is waterproof bathroom caulk the color will not impact how the caulk works in your bathroom. The color is merely aesthetics and can be chosen to match your bathroom’s color palette.
For example, if the grout used for your floor tiles is white and the floor tiles themselves are white or gray, white bathroom caulk would suit your bathroom best.
Why You Should Caulk The Toilet Base
While you are out purchasing caulk or your toilet base, you might be wondering if caulking the base of your toilet is necessary or can you leave it as is when your toilet is installed.
There are two main reasons you should caulk your toilet base to the floor in your bathroom. The first reason is that you want to toilet to look like it belongs in your bathroom.
If you don’t caulk around the base, there will be an unsightly gap between your toilet base and the floor, making your toilet look out of place. The second reason is that you will inevitably get water on the floor in your bathroom.
This can be while you mop the floor, wash your hands, or even shower or bath. This water can become trapped between the toilet base and the floor. This water can then make its way under the toilet, and you won’t be able to clean it.
This can cause unwanted odors in your bathroom. Placing caulk at the base of your toilet to seal this gap will ensure this doesn’t happen.
Tips For Caulking A Toilet Base
When you are caulking the base of your toilet, you need to ensure you do it correctly, or the caulk may fail or even leak. So, once you have chosen the correct caulk for your toilet, you need to follow a few rules to caulk the toilet base correctly.
Below are guidelines you can follow to ensure you caulk our toilet base like a professional and that the caulk will hold without leaking or cracking for the next few years. If you follow these steps, your bathroom caulking will look perfect!
Remove Old Caulk First
If you are re-caulk your toilet base because the old caulk looks worse for wear, no matter how tempting it is to caulk over the old layer, you need to remove the old caulk first. If you apply a new coating of caulk over the old caulk in your bathroom, the new caulk won’t create a strong bond to the old caulk.
This can cause the caulk to crack and leak, putting your bathroom at risk for water damage, especially if the leak is not fixed quickly. So, you need to remove the old caulk using a caulk remover, which you can find at most DIY and hardware stores.
Use A Quality Caulk Gun For Application
When you caulk your toilet base, you should not skimp on the project and purchase a good caulking gun. A good caulking gun can be just as important as the caulk itself. Trying to caulk your toilet base without a caulking gun will be a long and tedious process that is easy to mess up.
A caulk gun will help you manage the flow of the caulk better and will result in a better-looking end product. You should look for a caulk gun with a durable plunger that can offer constant pressure when pushing out the caulk.
A good caulk gun will also have a thumb pressure release that will allow you to stop the flow of caulk quickly in case of a mistake.
Prepare The Area Before Caulking
Before you begin caulking your toilet base, you should prepare the area first. You should use some painter’s tape to section off the area where caulk will be applied to. This will help protect the floor tiles,and the toilet baseshould you accidentally wobble when applying the caulk.
You should also make sure that the floor tiles and toilet base and clean and dry, as caulk will not bond with wet surfaces, and having the area clean before applying the caulk will make the result look better.
Don’t Use The Toilet Until The Caulk Has Cured
After applying the caulk to your toilet base, you should avoid using the toilet until the caulk has cured or dried. Even though caulk can harden quickly, it’s still suspectable to damage and manipulation until it’s dried completely.
Also, remember that caulk does not bond well to a wet surface, so even if the toilet base and tiles were clean and dry when the caulk was applied, if you use the toilet, water can seep under the caulk and cause it to crack.
Learn more!! How Do You Fix A Toilet That Is Close To The Wall? and Should You Replace The Toilet When Remodeling?
Conclusion
Placing caulk at the base of your toilet is a must in your bathroom. The caulk you should use for this is bathroom caulk as it’s waterproof and will hold well in the moist conditions in the bathroom. You can choose clear or white caulk for your toilet base, as the color will not affect how the caulk works. When you caulk your toilet base, you need to use the right caulk, but you also need to apply the caulk properly. If you follow the tips in this article, the caulk you apply to the base of your toilet will look like professional work. Good luck caulking the base of your toilet!
