Handy Homeowner: Band-aid repairs unethical, unwise

I called a plumber and then a contractor who told me I would have to remove the toilet, the vinyl and some of the floor to make repairs.

All I can see is a light stain that could just as easily be from water from the tub next to the toilet. I did not plan on spending hundreds of dollars for a new bathroom floor just to sell my home. Do you have any idea how I can fix the floor or cover the stain so I can sell my home?

Answer: Covering a known defect with a Band-Aid-style repair is unethical and is most likely illegal. In most states, a full disclosure of known defects is required whether you are working with an agent or selling a home on your own.

What the home inspector discovered is not that unusual. A loose toilet bowl damages the wax ring that seals the bowl to the main sewer pipe. This often goes unnoticed for several years, and all the time water is saturating the wood flooring under the toilet. Over time the wood decays, the bowl is now looser than before and more water is released. Mold may start to grow because it is part of the decaying process. If wood did not decay, our planet would be hundreds of feet deep in dead trees by now.

The mold also forms in between the vinyl floor covering, which is a waterproof barrier, and the wood subfloor. To keep the mold from spreading, the vinyl flooring needs to be removed and a new floor covering installed. These expensive repairs are needed because a $1 wax ring failed to seal.

To check other toilets in your home, simply face the toilet with your legs astride the bowl. Grip the bowl with your knees and try to move the bowl from side to side. If the bowl moves or slides, the bowl needs to be removed and the wax ring replaced before more flooring is damaged.

Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, P.O. Box 14091, Evansville, IN 47728, or send him e-mail at d.barnett@insightbb.com.