I like those. But I'm still not sure they will work, as the closet flange itself is below the tiled floor. I tried a rubber gasket, but it's not thick enough. And the reno kit left the w.c. wobbling 3/4" above the floor. In the end--just finished--I used one of the reno kit rubber spacers and the rubber gasket. Voila! Now, to patch the ceiling I didn't have to break in the first place. :(

That's true, I didn't consider that it might be cast iron. If's its in a basement, and the floor is easily replaced, it may be worthwhile to take up the flooring, open the slab and dig a little. Messy, labor intensive operation though. I guess the solution will depend on the location of the affected appliance and the tools/skill level of the homeowner. I think lazypups idea of using the sheeted PVC to make a shim in the shape of the bottom of the bowl is probably the simplest solution. You could probably easily fashion one yourself (plywood?) if you can't find the material locally.

We don't have any plans to put a rug in where the transition area is. The area rug we had in there before was on the old wood side. There really won't be anything covering that space. On the step up area (which you don't really see in the picture), we also had some new wood laced in with the old (from the removal of a pony wall). The wood flooring extends from the end of the tile in the kitchen through the rest of the house. There are 2 boards width plus the step down edge and they actually blend a bit better. I assume part of the problem is the large space. @Jan Moyer - this is a great room, and other than the tile kitchen, the rest of the house is wood flooring (sans bathrooms). The step does suck, but we're living with it. The potential to change the stain on the great room floor would accentuate that there is a level change. There are, what I believe, are sander marks anyway, so re-sanding probably needs to happen. Going with some test stain patches is the best way forward I think. At least we'll have a better idea of what we'll have to live with. I'm just hoping we can get some warmth in the floor color without the more dramatic transition change (it is a bit more than what the picture shows but the picture does demonstrate the change).

Its a compression fitting that's easily removed with a wrench and a pipe or fitting extension added. A previous owner of my house replaced a toilet valve and it failed and flood the bathroom so you might want to call a plumber. You also might be able to cut the paneling around it and install a larger escutcheon or omit it. There is usually enough space behind a toilet for paneling and cellular PVC T&G paneling is usually 1/2" thick. A base board the same height as the pipe might allow a tight fit with no escutcheon or extension. Horizontal paneling would be easier to install and I think its more attractive. If you do vertical paneling you will need something behind the drywall to nail it to. You definitely need to replace that crappy shut-off valve. You should only need to turn it a quarter turn to operate it.