Best toilet pros near Fountain, MI

Yes, you should screw your flange to the subfloor, including cement. The best way to get this done is to predrill holes into the concrete using a hammer drill and a ¼-inch concrete bit. Be careful when you’re ready to bolt your flange down, as you can accidentally crack it. You can avoid this issue by not installing the screws too deep. Or, you can opt for a flange with a stainless steel ring so you don’t have to worry about cracking the plastic.

A standard toilet flange should fit snugly into the outflow pipe and sit level with the subfloor. Installing a new one without first removing the old one will make it impossible to form a seal and keep the toilet bowl bolted securely in place. 

However, if you’re dealing with leakage or wobbling because you’ve installed a new type of bathroom tile (making the floor taller), you may be able to avoid fully replacing the flange by opting for a toilet flange extender. Extenders typically come in kits for easy DIY installation, fit over the existing flange, and bring the drain connection higher.

There are several ways to save money on a bathroom remodel through proper planning and savvy design strategies. To reduce costs, consider the following:

• Purchase your own materials: Buy your own bathroom fixtures, hardware, and other materials to avoid contractor upcharges and delivery fees.

• Shop smart for big-ticket items: Save on pricey items like tiles and tubs by shopping sales and at discount stores.

• Avoid major layout changes: Keep plumbing in its current location. Opt to replace fixtures rather than moving them to avoid significant renovation work.

• Focus on high-impact, low-cost updates: Make affordable but impactful smaller changes, such as upgrading hardware, installing new lighting, and adding stylish but economical accessories.

• DIY where possible: Handle easier parts of the remodel yourself, like painting or installing light fixtures, to save on labor costs.

• Time your remodel strategically: Consider remodeling in the spring, which tends to be a lower-demand time of year and may result in lower costs.

Yes, you can install a basement bathroom without breaking concrete by using an upflush toilet system, which includes a macerator pump. These systems sit on top of the concrete floor, so you don't have to drill into it to install plumbing. The macerator pump breaks up waste until it is soft enough to pass through a discharge pipe to the main sewage line. This method saves you time and money by bypassing the need to break concrete to connect drain pipes.