LESLIE: Now we’re going to Nebraska with Morgan who’s looking to remodel a bathroom.
Morgan, how can we help you?
MORGAN: I’ve got a strange question for you. My wife and I have just purchased a house and, for the first time, I’m going to be able to decide what my bathroom looks like.
LESLIE: Isn’t that a great feeling?
MORGAN: And what I want to find out, I want to find out what do I need to watch for. It’s got a standard-sized toilet and a standard-sized sink. What do I want to watch out for? What do I want to do to put in taller ones? Is there anything I need to look for; anything I need to do different?
TOM: Taller sinks and taller toilets? No, those are pretty universal. Now the bathroom that you’re putting these in, is there tile in the wall or any of that kind of thing where the sink attaches that’s going to be an issue?
MORGAN: No, it’s actually a pedestal sink.
TOM: Oh, well then that’s easy. That’s a piece of cake.
MORGAN: Good.
TOM: Yeah. All you need to do is be careful that you attach the sink properly to the wall because part of it hangs on the wall and the other part sits on the pedestal. And when you tighten up that porcelain sink or the porcelain toilet to the floor, don’t over-tighten it. Because unlike other things that you may have holes in them for bolts, the porcelain is not that strong and you’ll crack it. You just want to get it tight enough to be secure or snug but don’t over-tighten it.
In terms of the toilet on the floor, you’re going to have to make sure that you have the O-ring, which actually gives you the seal between the old floor and the new toilet. And if you find that the bolts are too short, which they often are when you buy a new toilet, you can go out to the hardware store and get elongated toilet bolts that basically attach to the flange that’s in the floor and come right up and secure it into the toilet bowl itself.
Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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