"Ended up trimming shims and caulking around the base to hide the mess. It's stable enough now, but honestly, every time I sit down I'm half-expecting it to wobble again..."
Yeah, I went the shim route once too—worked okay-ish for a while, but eventually had to bite the bullet and redo it properly. Honestly, caulk can hide a lot of sins, but it's not exactly a long-term fix if the floor's uneven underneath. Have you checked if there's any moisture damage causing that dip? Had a similar weird dip in my bathroom floor and it turned out there was some slow leak rotting the subfloor. Not fun to discover, trust me. Might be worth pulling up a tile or two just to peek underneath before things get worse...
Had a similar shim-and-caulk adventure myself—worked fine for maybe six months, then the wobble came creeping back. Turned out my flange was cracked underneath, and the uneven floor just made things worse. Did you happen to check if the flange itself is still intact or properly mounted? Might save you a headache later... wish I'd checked mine sooner, would've saved me a weekend of frustration.
"Did you happen to check if the flange itself is still intact or properly mounted? Might save you a headache later..."
Gotta second this advice. A few months ago, I was helping my uncle with his bathroom remodel, and we had a similar wobble situation. At first, we tried shimming it up and caulking around the base—seemed solid enough at first, but sure enough, the wobble came back. Turns out his flange wasn't cracked exactly, but the screws holding it down had rusted through and loosened up over time. We ended up pulling the toilet again (ugh), replacing the screws with stainless steel ones, and adding a flange repair ring just for good measure. Rock solid since then.
Honestly, it's worth pulling it up just to double-check what's happening underneath. Better to spend an afternoon now than deal with water damage or worse down the road... trust me on that one. Good luck!
"Honestly, it's worth pulling it up just to double-check what's happening underneath. Better to spend an afternoon now than deal with water damage or worse down the road... trust me on that one."
Definitely agree here—been down this messy road myself more times than I'd like to admit. Ever had tenants call you at midnight because the toilet decided to become a rocking chair? Not fun.
One thing I'd add: when checking the flange, make sure the subfloor around it hasn't softened or started rotting out. Even a tiny leak can slowly turn your bathroom floor into oatmeal, and no amount of shimming or caulking is gonna fix that. Learned that the hard way after trying to shortcut repairs in one of my rentals. Ended up having to replace half the bathroom floor—my wallet still cries thinking about it.
So yeah, pull that toilet, inspect the flange and screws, but also poke around the flooring itself. Catching it early makes all the difference between a quick fix and a full-on remodel. Good luck—hope your disaster stays minor!
"Even a tiny leak can slowly turn your bathroom floor into oatmeal, and no amount of shimming or caulking is gonna fix that."
Haha, "oatmeal" is painfully accurate—been there myself. Good call on checking the subfloor; it's easy to overlook when you're focused on the flange and wax ring. I'd also suggest:
- Inspecting the wax ring carefully when you pull the toilet. Even minor imperfections can cause sneaky leaks.
- Checking bolt tightness—too loose and you get rocking, too tight and you risk cracking porcelain (ask me how I know...).
- If the flange itself is damaged or rusted out, don't hesitate to replace it entirely. Temporary fixes rarely hold up long-term.
Sounds like you're already on the right track though. These things always seem worse at first glance, but once you dive in, they're usually manageable. Hang in there—hopefully you'll be back to normal soon enough.
