Wallpapering bathroom

I'm wallpapering my bathroom. My next piece (which I'll be putting up Monday evening) will be around the toilet, which is not surprisingly tucked into a corner. Cutting around it will be a real pain in the neck and I can almost guarantee I'll f it up, but it's too tight against the wall for the paper to just slip behind it. If I loosen the bolts that fasten the toilet to the floor will I be able to rock the toilet just far enough forward to slip the paper behind, or am I just going to break pipes and flood my bathroom? For purposes of this discussing, assume (a) that if there's a good chance something will go wrong then it will and (b) I'm lazy and will probably try to avoid cutting around it either way.
Thanks!

[Dick the Bruiser]

You won't break a pipe but you might break a seal. It may or may not reseal when you screw it back down (i dunno). You CAN however remove the tank from the seat. My lawyer advises me to remind you to to be sure the tank is empty before disconnecting.

Better advice is to ask the people at Home Depot, they do know their stuff. Besides, do you really want to trust actuaries for plumbing advice?

[Shrek]

I'd count on breaking the seal if you tried "rocking it". If you're even thinking about it, git yerself down to the local hardware store and pick up a ring before you begin (pick up 2 they're cheap.) I'd go along with Jake's idea, it's much easier. After you reattach the tank, throw a gallon of water in it before turning the water back on to check for leaks.

Jake, why assume actuaries lack any mechanical skills?

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by Top Cat

Jake, why assume actuaries lack any mechanical skills?

Actuaries may be so bad at plumbing know-how that they don't even know they are incompetent in that field. :o

As it happens, my high school gave us a battery of aptitude and preference tests that supposedly showed what career choices would fit each of us best. I distinctly remember that "plumber" was the lowest-ranked one on mine.

Anyway, would you ask your plumber to help you set valuation assumptions?

[Elston Gunn]

One of the few things I don't mess with is wallpaper. I have absolutely no patience for it. Having said that, I had my bathrooms wallpapered a short while back and she was able to get behind my toilets with no problems. They are flush against the wall as well and I have no idea how she got the paper back there. Point is though she did. I would agree with a prior poster who recommended Home Depot except I would go to Lowes. I think they are more helpful, knowledgeble and their prices are better. JMO.

FYI, for anyone intimidated by plumbing projects/problems, don't be. The basics (toilets, sink, etc) are a breeze. More advanced things (septics, sprinkler sytems, shower and bath installation, etc) are pretty easy to deal with as long as you do your homework.

[wally world]

Ury - Just remove the toilet altogether and put it in the middle of the bathroom, put up your wallpaper (it will be much easier this way), and put the toilet back. It's not hard at all.

If I loosen the bolts that fasten the toilet to the floor will I be able to rock the toilet just far enough forward to slip the paper behind, or am I just going to break pipes and flood my bathroom?

There are no "pipes" between the toilet and the drain. Your toilet essentially just sits on top of the sewer pipe. It's bolted to the floor. The only thing connecting your toilet to the sewer line is the aforementioned wax ring. If you rock your toilet forward a little bit, what you might do is break the existing wax seal between the toilet and the drain thus causing future leaks. I wouldn't recommend doing this.

Taking the toilet off, replacing a wax ring, and reinstalling the toilet should take you no longer than 10 minutes even if you don't know what the hell you are doing. If you can hang wallpaper, you can do this.

[Retired Bookworm]

Originally Posted by wally world

Taking the toilet off, replacing a wax ring, and reinstalling the toilet should take you no longer than 10 minutes even if you don't know what the hell you are doing.

And anyone who has ever tried doing something we "don't know what the hell [we] are doing" knows to plan to take 3 days (for buying the wrong parts and putting it together missing a piece AND still have it leak all over the floor, or perhaps all 3 ) and to have a spare bathroom available.

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to go with pulling the tank off and leaving the base right where it is. I looked it over last night and found the bolts where it's attached - looks pretty easy. (famous last words)

[Retired Bookworm]

Originally Posted by urysohn

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to go with pulling the tank off and leaving the base right where it is. I looked it over last night and found the bolts where it's attached - looks pretty easy. (famous last words)

No, the last words will be unrepeatable in polite company.

[Maine-iac]

You are missing the obvious solution, here.

Wallpaper over the tank!

(The lady who wallpapered our bathroom did not do this, but she did wallpaper the outlet covers. Even took pains to make sure the stripes lined up. I felt kind of bad ripping it back off the covers since she went to that much trouble.)