Originally Posted by
Joe Griffin
The two jonnie bolts do well to hold the rear down, leaving the front with no means of securing other than caulking.
Those anchor bolts are *all* that is needed to properly and securely secure a toilet to the floor flange ... provided that the toilet is set properly. If the toilet rocks or is unstable due to an uneven floor or uneven tile, then lead shims can be fashioned to be wedged in under the base of the toilet to properly level and support it (and not damage the china in any way).
Adhesive caulk *will not* secure a toilet down. That "is pretty much a no brainer.", yes.
If you need to stabilize a toilet, what I've always used (and I got this tip from many different plumbers) is to take sheet lead (like used for the old shower pans, I would just use a lead vent flashing and cut it into a sheet), cut a strip about a couple of inches wide and maybe 6" long, fold about 1" or more over onto itself at one end, hammer it down tight, fold that over onto itself again, hamming it down tight, and continue doing so until it is thick enough to 'not quite slip in under the toilet where the floor is low'. Cut that off the remaining part of your strip and tap that lead shim in under the toilet base. The lead, even hammer to compaction, will deform enough to fit in under the base, use a hammer and a block of wood, tapping it in until the front of the lead shim is even with the edge of the base, then just a little more to leave room for caulk/sealant.
If the floor is really uneven (like some tile is), you may need to do this at more than one location around the toilet base. But the anchor bolts *are* all that is needed properly secure a toilet down to the floor flange, which should itself be properly secured down to the floor.