Toilet Renovation Vol.4: Toilet Removal Pt.3

u270fufe0f Originally published: January 5, 2017 / ud83dudd04 Rewritten: May 8, 2026

u270fufe0f 2026 Update from DIY Dad: The Full Picture of the Toilet Renovation

After the kitchen, it was on to the toilet. The toilet renovation sequence is: remove old toilet u2192 repair floor u2192 replace flooring u2192 finish walls u2192 install new toilet. The toilet removal itself turned out to be surprisingly heavy work! (Lol) ^ ^

What DIY Dad Did in the Toilet Renovation

• Toilet removal (broken down into 3 pieces: tank, seat, and main body)
• Floor repair (subfloor patching)
• Cushion floor replacement
• Wall finish (diatomite plaster)
• New toilet installation
• Water supply line and shutoff valve connection check

How to Remove a Tank-Type Toilet

1. Turn off the shutoff valve (turn clockwise with a flathead screwdriver)
2. Empty water from the tank and bowl (scoop with a bucket and wipe dry with rags)
3. Disconnect the water supply hose from the tank
4. Unbolt the tank from the bowl body (2 bolts)
5. Remove the toilet seat
6. Unbolt the bowl body from the floor anchor bolts (2u20134 bolts)
7. Lift and remove the bowl body (heavy! 20u201330 kg)

Lifting the bowl alone can hurt your back. DIY Dad always makes sure to have at least two people for this step. m(_ _)m

Handling the Drain Opening After Removal

Once the toilet is removed, foul-smelling sewer gas rises up through the exposed drain pipe. Temporarily plug it with a plastic bag or rags. Forgetting this step makes working conditions miserable. (Lol)

As a Landlord: Comfort Is What Seals the Deal

After 15 years as a landlord, I can tell you that a toilet’s cleanliness and comfort are directly tied to whether people sign a lease. Replacing an old toilet with a brand-new one makes it noticeably easier to get applications u2014 even if you raise the rent by u00a53,000u20135,000/month.

A washlet (heated bidet seat) is non-negotiable. It’s the standard for rentals today. Properties without one simply don’t get picked. DIY Dad has installed washlets in every single one of his properties. ^ ^

ud83dudebd For Anyone Considering a Toilet Renovation

Even just replacing the toilet bowl can dramatically change the feel of the space. Going from a tank-type to a tankless toilet in this property gave the room a completely different sense of spaciousness. ^ ^

Water leaks and clogs get worse if ignored u2014 call a professional right away when trouble strikes.

24-Hour Emergency Plumbing Service u2014 Toilet & Water Trouble u00bb

Hi there, it’s DIY Dad. ^ ^
I’m still in a holiday fog after all the eating and drinking over New Year’s. u03c3(^_^;) Time to snap out of it and get back to it! Only two more days and there’s another long weekend, which helps. ((o(^u2207^)o))

Continuing on with the 1st-floor toilet renovation. Next: removing the toilet bowl itself. Fair warning u2014 this is not a pretty sight, so you may want to skip ahead. m(_ _)m

There are screw covers on the front of the toilet. Behind them should be bolts fixing the bowl to the floor. However, some kind of yellowish solid material had built up and was completely hiding the screw slots. (-uff61-; DIY Dad tapped the screwdriver handle with a mallet to get the tip seated in the slot. Careful not to crack the porcelain u2014 gentle taps. Once I could see the slot, I used an impact driver to loosen the bolt. These bolts were incredibly stubborn. uff1e_uff1c I pushed hard to keep the bit seated and stop it from camming out. The bolt came free. ^ ^

Now I just had to lift the bowl and it should pull straight out. But first, I bailed out the remaining water from inside the bowl. With most of the water out, I lifted u2014 hmm? (u0e51u2022u0ac5u3141u2022u0e51) It came up a bit, then stopped. Something was catching. I couldn’t see what, so I just put everything into it and yanked. It came free! ^ ^

It turned out that the seal (packing) on the drain joint fitting had stuck to the bottom of the bowl. All that remained now was the drain joint itself.

u2191 The drain joint. The outline left by the old toilet bowl is stamped clearly onto the floor. (uffe3u25c7uffe3;) No wonder it smelled. u03c3^_^;

I removed the drain joint by loosening the fixing bolts with the impact driver, then lifting it straight up. Out it came. ^ ^

u2191 The drain pipe. I wrapped the pipe opening to keep the smell from coming up. Still not great in there. ^^;

The removed toilet bowl needed somewhere to go, so I moved it to the entryway.

u2191 The toilet with nowhere to go. A toilet just sitting in the entryway is quite a surreal sight. (uffe3u25bduffe3) Now u2014 how exactly do I dispose of this thing? (u30fbu30fb?) I’ll ask Google. d(^_^o) I’ll deal with that later. For now, back to work! That’s all for today! (^^)/~~~

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