"foam seals can work surprisingly well even with slight unevenness."
I get your point, and prep work definitely matters, but honestly I've seen foam seals fail more often than wax rings when there's even minor unevenness. Wax is more forgiving because it molds better to the imperfections. Sure, foam can hold up if everything is prepped perfectly, but real-world installs aren't always ideal... especially in older homes. I'd still lean towards wax for peace of mind, especially after a toilet disaster.
especially in older homes. I'd still lean towards wax for peace of mind, especially after a toilet disaster.
Yeah, gotta agree here. I've had foam seals fail on me a couple times too, especially in older rentals with uneven floors. Wax rings just seem to mold better to imperfections. After dealing with a nasty leak once... wax all the way for me.
Wax rings are my go-to as well, but honestly, foam seals aren't always the villain. I've had decent luck with them on newer installs. But yeah, older floors with dips and bumps... wax just molds better and saves headaches later. Learned that the hard way myself.
"wax just molds better and saves headaches later. Learned that the hard way myself."
Yeah, I recently tackled my first toilet install in our older house—floors were definitely not level. Thought I'd give foam seals a shot since they seemed easier for a newbie like me. Followed every step carefully: cleaned flange, positioned seal, tightened bolts evenly... still ended up with leaks after a week. Switched to wax, and it's been dry ever since. Foam might work fine on newer floors, but for uneven surfaces, wax seems safer from my limited experience.
Had a similar experience myself. Our bathroom floor is pretty uneven (old house, joys of homeownership...), and I initially went with foam because it seemed less messy. It held up fine for a couple months, but eventually started leaking again. Switched back to wax, and it's been solid since. Foam seals might be convenient, but wax just seems more forgiving when dealing with imperfect surfaces. Lesson learned, I guess.
