Help! Discovered Chip in New Toilet--One Week After Installation

[Qs Laptop]

We are in the midst of a remodel of our master bathroom. The project is on hold as we await the shipment of a custom vanity we had made.

We are working with a general purpose handyman who is doing most of the work. He's been really great. Responsive, reasonably priced, on time, does excellent work--everything you'd want in a handyman. About a week ago he installed the new toilet. Last night when my wife was cleaning the floor she discovered a small chip in the ceramic at the base of the toilet. It's at the front of the toilet and hardly noticeable. We had gone a week without noticing it. Of course now that we know it's there we can't un-see it.





So, what to do? Wife wants the guy to replace the toilet. I'm hesitant to have an awkward conversation that could jeopardize our relationship with the handyman. As a lot of you know having a reliable handyman is like gold. I also think Home Depot might be reluctant to accept us returning the toilet. It has been installed and the box it came in has been defaced.

Obviously, I will bring up the fact that we found the flaw in the toilet base. Doing so without accusing him of damaging the toilet is going to be difficult, though. He's coming over today to install the floor baseboards.

I think I could paint the chipped area with some glossy white enamel paint. Successive coats would fill in the divot in the ceramic. Then when he caulks the perimeter of the toilet base it will be almost unnoticeable. Also, besides the wife and me, who is going to inspect the base of the toilet in the master bathroom?

Your opinions on what we should do are welcome.

 

[pb4uski]

It's hard to know if it was chipped when it came out of the box or whether it was chipped by the handiman when it was installed. Call Home Depot and see how much it costs for a new base only if you really want it to look right... they you'll have what you need to decide. It may be well worth the cost of a new base to keep a good handiman.

If it were me, I would try to patch/paint it as you describe and caulk around it and live with it.

When we had our flooring installed there was one spot that was flawed that always drew my eye... now I have trouble even finding it.

 

[Winemaker]

Call the handyman up and let him know what you have; there might be a more serious underlying crack. Also, he may have had to shim the commode to prevent the commode from rocking, the shim may have shifted. After he looks at it he may have a solution, or may use one of the many epoxy based repair kits with a small bottle of liquid. Should be a major problem but go through him first. He may just even replace the bowl. $hit happens.

 

[Qs Laptop]

It's hard to know if it was chipped when it came out of the box or whether it was chipped by the handiman when it was installed.

Yep, that's the problem. If it was chipped from the factory you would think he would have said something. If he chipped it during install...well he probably should have said something.

Call Home Depot and see how much it costs for a new base only if you really want it to look right... they you'll have what you need to decide. It may be well worth the cost of a new base to keep a good handiman.

That's what I'm thinking.

If it were me, I would try to patch/paint it as you describe and caulk around it and live with it.

Yeah. But I have to say something to him. Suggestions?

 

[Car-Guy]

I think I could paint the chipped area with some glossy white enamel paint. Successive coats would fill in the divot in the ceramic. Then when he caulks the perimeter of the toilet base it will be almost unnoticeable. Also, besides the wife and me, who is going to inspect the base of the toilet in the master bathroom?

Your opinions on what we should do are welcome.

All things considered, a little filler and white enamel paint should do it... Caulking (and/or a trim ring) should work perfectly, if it's still visible.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Call the handyman up and let him know what you have; there might be a more serious underlying crack. Also, he may have had to shim the commode to prevent the commode from rocking, the shim may have shifted. After he looks at it he may have a solution, or may use one of the many epoxy based repair kits with a small bottle of liquid. Should be a major problem but go through him first. He may just even replace the bowl. $hit happens.

If you look closely at the zoomed-in photo, you can see shims underneath the base. Good idea to ask him first, he might have a better solution than my paint repair.

 

[SecondCor521]

A third theory, that Home Depot or the handyman might bring up, is that you chipped the base after it was delivered and installed in perfect condition. Unlikely, I know, but possible.

So at this point I'd consider the cause of the damage indeterminate and then just move forward and decide if and how to fix it.

Sounds like it bugs you and/or your wife enough to fix it.

If it were mine, I'd probably buy an epoxy fill kit and/or epoxy paint and either DIY or pay your handyman to do the repair. Asking the handyman how he'd fix it would also be a good idea.

 

[Ready]

Home Depot will take back just about anything no questions asked. You can simply say it was chipped upon arrival. Whether it’s worth the hassle is another question. I would think there is a filler you could use to make it look reasonably good.

 

[Aerides]

If you go the patch/paint route, ask the Handyman to do it. Chances are he has more experience and will do it far more seamlessly. Lesson learned to rigorously inspect everything upon delivery....which is why I'm waiting on a new tabletop right now!

 

[finnski1]

If you look closely at the zoomed-in photo, you can see shims underneath the base. Good idea to ask him first, he might have a better solution than my paint repair.

When he installed those 2 shims he either saw that chip or caused it himself. Either way he should have pointed that out to you. Good handyman or not, I don't believe he handled that correctly.

This is one of many reasons why I am a hardcore DIY 'er.
It also seems like he could have shimmed the rear of the toilet rather than the front whore you can see the gap. I don't like caulk around a toilet base at ll. Gets dirty. hard to clean etc .

 

[Qs Laptop]

I broached the subject by saying, "my wife noticed this chip in the toilet base when she was cleaning the floor last night. Is it repairable? How would you suggest it be repaired?"

He said that a 2-part putty epoxy that can be moldable would be the best. By using rubbing alcohol on a soft rag any excess material can be removed and it can be shaped to exactly fill the chip. Then paint over it. Than caulk around the base of the toilet. (I'm not a caulk around the toilet base guy, but I can see the advantage here.)

Thanks to all that replied and I appreciate the quick responses too. This place is a great resource.

 

[Aerides]

As much as I'd be in the same initial camp as your wife, the hassle of removing, returning, getting a new one, and then paying for a new install would probably far surpass the value of a refund. And yes it was probably done during install...

 

[Sue J]

I have actually returned a used toilet to Home Depot. It wasn't a chip like yours. We had the toilet about 6 months and it never flushed well. I took a mirror and checked out under the rim and saw that some of the holes that should allow water to come through when flushed were not made correctly, the holes didn't go through. So flushing only sent water through about half the holes.

I did not have the receipt or the box. All I had was a credit card statement. And a toilet that we had used for 6 months!

I took it in expecting to have to do explaining and negotiating, etc. Nope, they looked up the UPC and credited the credit card, no questions asked.

The problem with painting your chip is that there are a few hundred different "white" colors. Unless you have a sample that you can take it to get matched, it's hard to get it right. Can you take in the tank cover for a match?

But it's your new bathroom. You shouldn't have to settle for a chipped toilet base.

 

[aja8888]

Patch/paint it...call it a character mark. As things get older (us included) character marks mysteriously appear in things. My classic car is an example!

 

[RetireeRobert]

You need to point it out to handyman. Do it in non-accusaotry manner, just tell him you noticed this chip. See if he has any solutions. See if Home depot might do a replace at no cost to you, or if handyman offers to bear the cost.

But it bugs you and your wife. I would otherwise just suck it up and just buy a replacement. Consider it the cost of experience.

 

[JRon]

Patch/paint it...call it a character mark. As things get older (us included) character marks mysteriously appear in things. My classic car is an example!

^^^^ This ^^^^

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I'd probably do this, to avoid the hassle. But that's just me.

 

[Walt34]

I'll echo others that if it is worth the bother to you, Home Depot is very liberal about taking back things. I've never done anything outlandish (and not saying this case is) but on a few occasions I've taken stuff back and there was never any discussion about "whose fault was it" or the nature of the defect, anything of the sort. And unlikely though it may be the worst thing that can happen is they say "no".

 

[wolf]

Very simple. Just return to Home Depot. And get another one. Last year, was doing
a remodel. Contractor, noticed a crack on new toilet. (before install). I just returned it
to Home Depot. Got refund. Then bought new one.

Removing and installing a toilet. Especially, the 2 piece ones, very easy. NO big deal.
I have done it many times. For handyman/contractor. Removing and installing toilet
simple.

Hardest part, is the time, it takes to go to home depot, do the return/buy, and get back to your place. (easy 1-2 hours).

If it were me. I'd offer to return the damaged one, and pick up a new one. Install,
only takes 15-20 minutes. Tops. Good luck...

 

[zinger1457]

I would contact the manufacturer and ask them the best way to repair it, many of them have repair kits that will color match your toilet. Not the same material as a toilet but I had an American Standard tub that I installed in my bathroom remodel and a 4" crack developed along the top flat section during install. Contacted American Standard and they sent someone out to repair the crack, after using their repair kit the crack completely disappeared and blended in perfectly, eight years later I still cannot see any sign of a previous crack.

 

[Koolau]

Honest to goodness - I started to read this thread, thinking THIS TIME THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR - computerizing a toilet! YMMV

 

[Amethyst]

I've found that many such flaws will "surface" to my eyes within a couple days after a new installation. Nobody - not even the installer - can see everything at once.

It's best to report flaws in a low-key, factual fashion. "I don't know if you noticed this, but there's a chip out of the toilet base, what do you suggest?"

If you wait to report it, it will be harder to associate with the installation.

 

[Jerry1]

By the time you mess around with filling that chip, any good installer can have the toilet swapped out. Just swap it out and be done with it. If it was in there for months and then it happened, that would be different, but you have a window to fix it right and I would do that. It’s a toilet. Couple bolts and a wax ring. Even if it cost me a few bucks to have it done, I’d do it.

 

[jollystomper]

Honest to goodness - I started to read this thread, thinking THIS TIME THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR - computerizing a toilet! YMMV

It would be a heck of a way to truly analyze the household diet...

I would mention it to the installer. Whether or not I would exchange it or have it patched would depend on the effort to exchange and my patience. In similar situations my response has varied based on those factors. That is, of course, assuming that the flaw is cosmetic and not structural.

 

[triangle]

I broached the subject by saying, "my wife noticed this chip in the toilet base when she was cleaning the floor last night. Is it repairable? How would you suggest it be repaired?"

He said that a 2-part putty epoxy that can be moldable would be the best. By using rubbing alcohol on a soft rag any excess material can be removed and it can be shaped to exactly fill the chip. Then paint over it. Than caulk around the base of the toilet. (I'm not a caulk around the toilet base guy, but I can see the advantage here.)

Thanks to all that replied and I appreciate the quick responses too. This place is a great resource.

I would think some caulk is warranted regardless of the chip, since the floor is not perfectly level or smooth. IMO if it was touched up you would not really notice it. Just some white that matched the glaze of the toilet would go a long way. A person coming to use the toilet has other priorities in mind and are not looking down under the toilet bowl.

If you or your wife are concerned about it maybe you could contact HD and indicate that you are going to try and touch it up, but that if you don't like the result you plan to bring it back, and see what they say. If I were doing the work for myself I would try to touch it up rather than hauling a heavy used toilet back to the store and reinstalling a new one.