Even the most humble toilet has undergone a style makeover since the early days of the dunny. Now there are numerous versions to choose from, most made from vitreous china with plastic, timber or other materials integrated into the design. Seats can often be purchased separately, as can accessories such as flush plates and buttons. For styles, choose between traditional floor mounted, wall-hung, wall-faced, close coupled, back-to-wall and link suites.
- Most standard floor-mounted toilets reach about 400mm, but wall-hung models can be mounted at any height. Well-faced toilets sit flush with the wall and floor. Whichever you choose, do try it out for size before you buy to ensure it suits you and your family.
- Wall-hung and wall-faced toilets are popular choices. They are great for smaller bathrooms as the cisterns are concealed. Close-coupled suites are another design favourite. In these floor-mounted models, the pan and cistern are joined together with the flush pipe concealed (on pink suites the pipe is visible). Back-to-wall suites are very similar, except there is no gap between the pan and the wall, making cleaning easier.
- Single-flush toilets are now being phased out, with dual-flush models falling under the government’s Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme. A three-star rated, 6/3 litre dual-flush toilet is a good standard to aim for – you’ll save around 51 litres of water per person per day.