Greetings all
My father has discovered an odd stain on his bathroom linoleum floor that seems to be coming from the base of the toilet. The stain seems to be on the surface of the linoleum and steadily grown larger over the last couple months.
The house is 18 yrs old so I initially thought the toilet seal was leaking but there is no water or any moisture around the base. The spot seems to be solid so I don’t believe the floor is rotten. There are no stains on the ceiling below the toilet. My mother has scrubbed the stain with all kids of cleaning agents that didn’t work.

Any ideas to the cause? Fix?

Thanks

Good pix,that helps us all to see the problem.

I believe this to be the wax ring on the base of the toilet,it has been leaking slowly for a time and the sub-floor is now wet,being a small leak it won't show on the surface,but rot the underside, staining the vinyl.

Pulling the toilet up and replacing the wax ring isn't difficult,just a little awkward.

When the toilet is removed(remove the old wax ring with a scraper) you can look at the sub-floor edge, pealing the flooring up some to see the extent of the damage.

Replace the sub-floor as far as needed with same material thickness as the original,and replace the vinyl(even a patch would work,but not advised,a new vinyl floor should be installed to insure no future water seepage.

Replace the toilet using a new wax ring,one with a flange built in,and placement of the unit must be even and firm,squishing the wax ring down to form the new seal.

Also,new toilet base bolts to replace the old ones as they might also be a culprit in the leak problem,once a toilet is used for many years,it tends to rock a little,compromising the wax rings' seal,making a small leak,new base bolts tightened only till snug,and further maintenance(tightening in the future as necessary)will help the settling of the new seal.

Hope this was helpful,

Ken

I have the same type of stain by my toilet, but mine is like a bluish gray and is a bit larger in size. I am planning to have the linoleum taken up within the next few months and replace to a tile floor. Is this a pressing issue to address or something that can wait? Home Depot contractors worth the cost in case there is more of an issue?

Hi Bandit and welcome to The Plumbing Page at AskMeHelpDesk.com You are responding to a 5 year old dead thread Please check the date before you post. Thanks,
Is there moisture at the base? Do you use those blue packets in your tank to keep your bowl clean?
If you're planning on tiling the floor they will have to pull the toilet to do it, There will be a new wax seal, Request one whit a funnel and I think your problem will be solved. Good luck, tom

I have a cadet three I put in in 08 I believe along with new linoleum floor. We got some blueish gray stains on floor near toilet. We did use the blue packet drops. I found out later you are not suppose to as they can damage rubber rings and washers/seals. The flooring was fixed in 2011... new wax ring etc., thought it was corrected. The spots are back..! even not having the blue tablet in the toilet for a years I still saw sweat blue drops this summer now and then! I want to repace all the rubber seals, flank washer and tank seal etc. I looked at them and they look beat! I had to just cleane and put back in as Home depot doesn't carry Cadet 3 parts (although the toilet was bought there). I would like floor fixed one more time. They have to piece it in, but if I replace all the toilet seals should this take care of the problem?
Mann thanks!
Barry