Wall Mounted Vs Floor Mounted Toilets: Quick Comparison

Written by

Paulk Webb

FACT-CHECKED BY

Freddie J. Hagopian

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wall mounted vs floor mounted toilets

At first, you may think that choosing a toilet is an easy task. It will all change once you find all the options. You’ll likely spend some time thinking over wall mounted vs floor mounted toilets. A wall-mounted toilet is mounted on the wall and doesn’t touch the floor. It’s elevated for a few centimeters and the tank is hidden in the wall so it can save you some space in your bathroom.

A floor-mounted toilet is situated on the bathroom floor. Screws, bolts, and glue are used to attach the toilet to the floor. It’s either a one-piece to a two-piece with the tank above the bowl. Read on so you can compare these toilets further.

Wall Mounted Toilets

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After you install a wall mount toilet, only the bowl is visible in the bathroom. This setup gives a clean, streamlined, and clutter-free appearance. Though you’ll only see the bowl and seat, other parts are the tank and a flush actuator or the water flow controller. The best ones are Duravit Starck 3, Swiss Madison Concorde, and Cerastyle Lila.

There are different models and some have an actuator button for conserving water and a dual-flush cistern. An actuator button can help you save water as it works as a dual flush. There are two buttons you can choose from based on the necessary amount of water.

PROS

  • For the sake of aesthetics

A wall-mounted toilet is sleek and a space-saver. Thus, it’s ideal for small bathrooms since only wall-hung toilet depth needs to be allotted a space. This can also be called a floating toilet because a leg space can give a spacious look to a bathroom.

  • Adjustable height

There’s no standard height for a wall-hung toilet from the floor as it’s adjustable. You have to determine the comfortable and ergonomic height for the users. The elderly and individuals with mobility restrictions can have this toilet mount higher or lower.

  • Easy to clean

A wall-mounted toilet doesn’t have a base that can accommodate bacteria since it doesn’t touch the floor. Hence, it’s easy to clean.

CONS

  • Complex flushing and drainage

Are wall-mounted toilets a good idea? Yes, as there are several advantages. However, comfort and convenience have some consequences. It starts with the installation that can’t be done directly on the floor. Extensive and complicated installation is required to complete a complex flushing and drainage system.

Because of its requirements, the floating toilet cost is high, especially if you need to build an extra wall for a thousand dollars. There’s a certain thickness that is necessary to hold the toilet. The bolts and brackets of this toilet may get loose so frequent maintenance is essential.

Floor Mounted Toilet

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The floor mounted toilet has a bowl and tank that are linked together. But it can either be a one-piece toilet or two-piece toilets. Good examples of one-piece toilets are Kohler Santa Rosa, Swiss Madison St Tropez, and American Standard Champion, while TOTO Drake, Kohler Memoirs, and American Standard Cadet Pro are excellent two-piece toilets.

Floor mounted WC with concealed cistern is also available like Kohler Veil and Swiss Madison St Tropez Back to Wall Toilet. Floor-mounted toilets are common in white and ivory. Nonetheless, they can be in other colors and various designs. The bowl seat can be elongated, circular, D-shaped, and square.

PROS

  • Easy installation

Floor-mounted toilets are common and available in any market. Thus, they’re not only easy to find but installation is straightforward as well. Most homes are built with plumbing and drainage that are compatible with these toilets. The holes and pipes should be aligned with the toilet. The required system spreads under the floor and continues to the ground.

When these toilets need some repairs, components and replacements are accessible. It can even be a DIY project so you can save some money.

  • Stability

Once a floor mounted toilet is installed correctly, it’s stable because it’s attached to the floor.

CONS

  • Needs more space

The dimensions of the floor mounted toilet will likely take up much space which is not ideal when you have a small bathroom. Unlike residential wall mount toilets, you can’t lower or raise them. Those who have difficulty moving around would need to install bars in the bathroom walls to easily access the toilet.

  • Thorough cleaning

Unfortunately, bacteria and mold can form on floor mounted toilets. The build-up usually occurs on the base. Thorough cleaning is needed as bacteria can get through bolts and wax rings. You have to remove bolt caps and scrub them. Cleaning a floor-mounted toilet is difficult in this sense.

Which is One for You: Wall Mounted Toilet or Floor Mounted Toilet?

Compare these two types of toilet so you can decide which one is best for your needs and bathroom setting. Think about the following factors.

1. Appearance

Unlike a floor mounted toilet with an external tank, the bowl of a wall-mounted toilet only protrudes while the tank is concealed in the wall. Hence, the latter is modern and minimalistic. It doesn’t take up a lot of space so the bathroom appears to be clean and airy.

If you’re into contemporary design, the wall-mounted toilet is right for you. Still, you can find a classy one from a wider range of floor mounted toilets that would surely fit your preferred bathroom décor.

2. Space saver

As mentioned, a wall-mounted toilet is a space saver. It allows you to add other items in your bathroom like a towel rack and sink. Based on the requirements set by The National Kitchen & Bath Association, there must be 24 inches of clearance in the front of the bathroom.

Most codes mandate a 30 inches gap from the middle of the toilet with other toilet fixtures. A wall-mounted toilet doesn’t have problems with these directives. Due to the concealment of the tank in the wall, you can save 10 inches of space when you have a wall-mounted toilet. Also, its height can be adjusted from 15 to 19 inches, depending on your preference.

Besides, you also can discover an article about the size of rough in the toilet.

3. Toilet height

Floor-mounted toilets have fixed height based on the required 17 to 19 inches. But you can make adjustments with wall-mounted toilets which can be as low as 15 to 16 inches. You can lower or raise it depending on the users’ needs, whether they’re children, elderly, or disabled.

4. Installation

When it comes to installation, the floor-mounted toilet wins over the wall-mounted toilet. Installing the latter is not only complex but costly. The tank needs to fit well in the wall. In some cases, an extra wall is essential for reinforcement, or a wall needs to be removed or modified.

You may need a professional to do the installation for these toilets. But a two-piece, floor mounted toilet can be installed by the user with the help of a manual guide.

5. Repairs

Since the tank of the wall-mounted toilet is embedded in the wall, it will be hard and time-consuming to resolve the issue, if there are any. But some models have an access panel that doesn’t necessitate breaking the wall just to get into the tank. Fixing floor mounted toilets is still more straightforward. You may only need to buy some components and make the replacement.

6. Noise

If the flushing noise is bothersome in the middle of the night, you should opt for a wall-mounted toilet for obvious reasons. The flush that it makes is quieter since its tank is within the wall.

7. Cleaning

Two reasons make wall-mounted toilets easy to clean. Firstly, there’s enough space for you to access its bottom part as it doesn’t touch the floor. Secondly, the tank is in the wall so there are no corners where dirt and dust accumulate that you need to clean meticulously.

With both bowl and tank exposed on floor mounted toilets, you need to clean more areas. There are nooks and crevices on a two-piece toilet so you must spend more time digging the dirt and dust.

8. The price

The convenience that a wall-mounted toilet can offer comes at a higher price. You’ll have to pay more when you purchase it and during installation. There’s a price increase since the tank and bowl are sold most of the time separately. Wall-mounted toilets have various shapes and designs so the price can range from $500 to $2,000 or more.

While you spend several hundred dollars or even thousands on a wall-mounted toilet, a floor mounted toilet can only cost $100 to $350. You may pay around $180 if you have it installed by a professional. But it can double to $350 when it’s for the installation of a wall hung toilet.

Summing it Up

You now know the pros and cons of wall mounted vs floor mounted toilets. The wall-mounted toilet is the right one for you if you want to save some space and contemporary design. It’s sleek and modern with adjustable height. A floor mounted toilet is still a good option as there are wonderful companies who make quality models. You can save a lot when buying this toilet compared to the wall-mounted type.

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