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Understanding the Differences: 2 Piece/ Close Coupled vs Back to Wall vs Wall Hung Toilets [2024 Updated]

Choosing the right toilet for your bathroom can significantly impact both its functionality and aesthetic appeal. With options like close coupled, back to wall, and wall hung toilets, understanding the differences between them is crucial. Each type of toilet offers distinct advantages in terms of design, functionality, and installation requirements. In this post, we'll explore the unique features of each toilet style, helping you make an informed decision that suits your bathroom’s needs and layout perfectly.

Close Coupled Toilet

When it comes to enhancing the look and functionality of your bathroom, close couple toilets are an excellent choice. Known for their balance between traditional aesthetics and modern convenience, these toilets are a practical and stylish addition to any bathroom.

Design and Appearance

Close couple toilets are renowned for their classic yet versatile design. These toilets feature the cistern and the bowl as a combined unit, with the cistern mounted directly on the back of the toilet bowl. This design choice not only maintains a cohesive look but also offers a seamless integration into various bathroom styles.

Compact Integration: The close coupling of the cistern and bowl creates a compact, streamlined appearance, making it ideal for both contemporary and traditional bathroom designs.

Versatile Aesthetic: Whether your bathroom leans toward a classic, modern, or eclectic style, close couple toilets can seamlessly blend in, enhancing the overall look of the space.

This design ensures that the toilet fits well in different bathroom layouts, offering a neat, unified appearance without overwhelming the room.

Features and Benefits

Close couple toilets come with a variety of features and benefits that cater to modern bathroom needs:

Ease of Installation: The straightforward design makes installation easier and quicker compared to other toilet types. It’s a practical choice for both DIY enthusiasts and professional plumbers.

Efficient Water Use: Many close couple toilets are designed with dual-flush systems, allowing you to conserve water by choosing between a full or partial flush depending on the waste.

Improved Hygiene: The fully enclosed design of the cistern and bowl means fewer crevices for dust and dirt to accumulate, making it easier to clean and maintain a hygienic bathroom environment.

Affordable Luxury: Close couple toilets offer a luxurious feel at a more accessible price point. They combine quality and aesthetics without the higher costs associated with some other toilet designs.

Ideal Use Cases

Close couple toilets are perfect for those seeking a practical yet stylish bathroom solution:

Family Bathrooms: With their easy-to-use design and efficient flushing system, close couple toilets are well-suited for busy family bathrooms. Their robust design can handle frequent use, making them a durable option for households.

Guest Bathrooms: Close couple toilets are an excellent choice for guest bathrooms, providing a clean, polished look that will impress visitors without requiring extensive maintenance.

Renovation Projects: If you’re renovating an older home and want to update the bathroom while maintaining some traditional elements, a close couple toilet is a fitting option. It balances modern functionality with a timeless aesthetic.

These toilets work best in settings where a balance between style, functionality, and cost-effectiveness is desired. Whether you’re outfitting a family bathroom, updating a guest suite, or tackling a full-scale renovation, close couple toilets provide a reliable and attractive solution.

Back to Wall Toilets

When you're thinking of revamping your bathroom, back to wall toilets present a distinctive combination of function and style. This type of toilet offers a seamless look that can make any bathroom feel more modern and spacious.

Design and Appearance

One major advantage of back to wall toilets is their sleek and modern design. The toilet pan sits flush against the wall, which does a fantastic job of hiding the cistern and pipework. This not only keeps unsightly plumbing out of view but also contributes to a more streamlined and sophisticated look. If you want your bathroom to appear contemporary and clutter-free, back to wall WC's are an excellent option.

Features and Benefits

Back to wall toilets come packed with various features and benefits that make them popular choices for many households:

• Space-Saving: These toilets are perfect for small to medium-sized bathrooms. By hiding the cistern inside the wall, you save precious floor space.

• Streamlined Look: Without visible cisterns and pipes, the bathroom appears less cluttered and more aesthetically pleasing.

• Ease of Cleaning: With fewer exposed surfaces, cleaning becomes much simpler. There's no need to scrub around awkward curves and pipes.

• Hidden Cistern: This feature can improve the overall noiselessness of the toilet flush and offer a cleaner bathroom layout.

Ideal Use Cases

Back to wall toilets are suitable for a variety of locations due to their versatile and functional design:

• Contemporary Bathrooms: If you’re aiming for a modern, sleek look, a back to wall toilet is an ideal choice. It adds a sophisticated edge to the bathroom decor.

• Minimalist Spaces: In bathrooms where a minimalist style is preferred, the hidden cistern and concealed plumbing help maintain a clean and simplistic aesthetic.

• Small to Medium-Sized Bathrooms: Their space-saving design means these toilets are perfect for bathrooms where space is at a premium.

This type of toilet is especially favoured in settings where both functionality and design are important.

Wall Hung Toilets

When it comes to elevating the look and functionality of your bathroom, wall hung toilets are a top-tier choice. Known for their sleek and modern design, these toilets bring both sophistication and practicality to any space.

Design and Appearance

Wall hung toilets are famous for their modern and stylish design. Imagine a toilet bowl seemingly floating on the wall without any contact with the floor. This striking floating effect not only looks contemporary but also adds a touch of elegance to the bathroom.

• Floating Effect: The seamless integration into the wall makes the toilet appear to float, giving the room a less cluttered and airy feel.

• Minimalist Look: The bowl's clean lines blend perfectly in modern bathroom designs, complementing minimalist and high-end styles.

This design choice ensures that your bathroom looks like something straight out of a designer magazine. The absence of a base touching the floor introduces an uncluttered, streamlined appearance, perfect for anyone looking to maintain a spotless bathroom with ease.

Features and Benefits

Wall hung toilets come with a range of features and benefits designed to cater to modern living:

• Adjustable Height: You can install the toilet at a height that’s comfortable for you, making it easier for both adults and children to use the bathroom comfortably.

• Ease of Floor Cleaning: With no base touching the floor, cleaning becomes much easier. No more working around the nooks and crannies of traditional toilet bases; simply mop or vacuum right under the bowl.

• Space-Saving: Ideal for small bathrooms or powder rooms, because they keep the floor area clear, making the space look larger.

• High-End Look: Adds a sense of luxury and sophistication to any bathroom space with its sleek, flushed appearance.

Ideal Use Cases

Wall hung toilets are perfect for those seeking to upgrade both the function and style of their restroom:

• Luxury Homes: If you're designing a luxury home and want to include cutting-edge, elegant features, a wall hung toilet is a prime candidate. The high-end aesthetic makes it an attractive addition.

• High-End Commercial Spaces: Hotels, upscale restaurants, and modern office buildings benefit from the sleek, clean lines of a wall hung toilet. These settings demand a contemporary and refined look that aligns with their sophisticated design ethos.

• Small Bathrooms: Even the coziest bathrooms can appear larger thanks to the space-saving design. The floating effect can make a small room feel more expansive and open.

These toilets fit best in settings where a modern and airy feel is desired, and functional floor space needs to be maximised.

Comparative Analysis

Understanding the differences between close coupled / or 2 piece, back to wall, and wall hung toilets can help you find the perfect match for your bathroom. Each type has its own advantages and considerations regarding installation, cost, and space utilisation. Let’s explore these differences in detail.

Installation and Maintenance

Close Coupled Toilets:

• Installation Complexity: These toilets are quite straightforward to install. The cistern and the bowl are combined into one unit, making plumbing simpler because everything is in a single place.

• Maintenance: They are easy to maintain since all components are directly accessible.

Back to Wall Toilets:

• Installation Complexity: Slightly more complex than close coupled because the cistern is concealed. This necessitates some wall modification or the use of a furniture unit.

• Maintenance: Access panels need to be included in the design for furniture use with a small flush button, but if installing behind the wall you can access via the flush plate for maintenance purposes. The thing to remember is if you a small flush button you need an access panel, if you are using a flush plate, then you have access through that.

Wall Hung Toilets:

• Installation Complexity:They require a wall hung frame within the wall to support the suspended toilet. Many manufacturers now produce these and it's a very common installation among professionals and DIY enthusiasts.

• Maintenance: A lot easier than many think, it simply requires the removal of the flush plate to access the cistern. Check out these videos here to see how simple it is to do maintenance or fix a wall hung cistern

Cost Considerations

Close Coupled Toilets:

• Initial Purchase: Generally the most cost-effective option. Their simpler design and fewer installation requirements keep costs down.

• Installation: Lower installation costs because they involve straightforward plumbing work.

• Long-Term Maintenance: Maintenance costs are typically lower due to easier access to all components.

Back to Wall Toilets:

• Initial Purchase: Low to Medium cost range. The concealed cistern its self can be bought relatively cheaply , then it will depend on which toilet you choose, which flush plate or button, if it's going in furniture , what the unit will cost etc.

• Installation: Installation is now easier than ever, as it is now extremely common for concealed cistern to be installed, most professionals will now be able to install concealed back to wall systems quickly and easily

• Long-Term Maintenance: This is one of the most common misconceptions around , that as it's behind the wall or in furniture you can't access it or fix anything if it goes wrong, maintaining and fixing any issues is very easy and access will be either through a front or top panel in furniture and through the flush plate behind the wall.

Wall Hung Toilets:

• Initial Purchase: Probably the most expensive option due to their advanced design and need for a durable support frame

• Installation: Wall Hung is now an extremely common installation, most professional installers will be able to fit these, many manufacturers such as Geberit, TECE, Grohe produce frames with cistern in, which are designed to take the weight, for example the Geberit wall hung frame is tested to 400kg!

• Long-Term Maintenance: Easy and relatively cheap to maintain once it's installed, all parts are accessible via the flush plate and can readily be found online or in your local plumbers outlet.

Space and Aesthetics

Close Coupled Toilets:

• Space Impact: They do take up some visible space since the cistern and bowl are one unit but are relatively compact.

• Aesthetics: Classic look suitable for traditional and modern bathrooms, but they don’t hide any plumbing.

Back to Wall Toilets:

• Space Impact: Efficient use of space, especially since the cistern is concealed, freeing up visible space.

• Aesthetics: Offers a contemporary and uncluttered look. The hidden cistern creates a cleaner line within the bathroom.

Wall Hung Toilets:

• Space Impact: Best for saving space as the floor area remains clear. Ideal for smaller bathrooms, as the floating effect gives an illusion of spaciousness.

• Aesthetics: Very modern and elegant. The floating toilet bowl adds a unique and high-end feel to any bathroom.

Conclusion

Selecting the right toilet type—close coupled, back to wall, or wall hung—can significantly impact both the functionality and design of your bathroom. Close coupled toilets are straightforward and cost-effective, ideal for classic and simple designs. Back to wall toilets, with their concealed cisterns, offer a sleek and modern aesthetic, making spaces appear uncluttered. Wall hung toilets provide a high-end, contemporary look and save space by keeping the floor area clear.

Choosing the right toilet involves considering your specific space, design preferences, and installation feasibility. Consulting with a professional can ensure that you make the best decision tailored to your bathroom's unique needs.