How to Install a Toilet Flange Extender

The first step to installing a flange extender is finding an extender that fits your situation. There are many different brands and types, and you want to be sure the product fits your toilet before you gather the rest of your supplies and learn how to install it. Installation steps vary depending on the type of extender you buy, but the process is similar for all types.

1. Turn Off the Water

   Shut off the water supply. Before removing the toilet, all water should be drained from the tank and bowl.

   • Turn off the toilet’s water supply valve—a single shut-off valve usually located near the floor on the bottom left side of the toilet tank—by turning the valve clockwise until it stops.
   • Flush the toilet to empty it.
   • Remove the tank lid and get any remaining water out of the tank and bowl by mopping it up with a sponge and squeezing the excess water out in a bucket, until everything is dry.

2. Remove the Toilet

   Remove the toilet from the drain and set it aside to access the toilet flange. This is done by removing the nuts holding the toilet onto the tank's bolts, then carefully prying the toilet away from the flange. You may want to first remove the tank from the toilet bowl to make this easier.
   

   Tip

   Be careful when removing or moving a toilet; the porcelain is fragile and can crack.

3. Clean the Flange

   Clean the top of the old flange to ensure that the flange extension can sit neatly in place. If there is old wax on the flange, scrape it off with a putty knife, then remove the residue with mineral spirits and a rag.

4. Test Fit the Flange Extender

   Check the fit of the flange extender, using one or more spacers, if included with the extender. The bottom of the flange extender should be flush with the finished floor or no more than 1/4 inch below or above the floor surface.

5. Install the Flange Extender

   Remove any screws securing the old flange to the subfloor. You will likely use some or all of these screw holes for securing the flange extender.

   Apply a liberal amount of silicone caulk along the bottom lip of the flange extender. Alternatively, if the flange extender comes with a rubber gasket, apply the gasket as directed by the manufacturer. Set the flange extender into place over the old flange, including any spacers, as needed.

   Align the screw holes in the extender with the open holes in the old flange. Fasten the extender to the subfloor with the provided screws.

6. Reinstall the Toilet

   Replace the toilet with the flange extender now in place. It is generally best to use a new wax ring when reinstalling the toilet. When using an extender, set the toilet using a deep-seal wax ring fitted to the horn of the toilet.

   When the toilet is in place, run a bead of silicone caulk along the seam between the base of the toilet and the floor. Once the toilet is reconnected to the water supply line, open the toilet's shutoff valve by turning it counterclockwise all the way and letting the toilet tank fill up. Flush the toilet to make sure everything is working properly.