Choosing the best toilet for your bathroom depends on your space and individual needs. We’ll show you how to choose the right toilet for you based on popular features such as bowl height, size and water efficiency. Whether you’re looking to replace your existing toilet or installing one in a new powder room, learn how to measure the rough-in for your new toilet and read about different toilet types and features, such as bowl shape, flushing capacity and toilet seats for your lifestyle and needs.
Best Toilet for Your Bathroom
How to Choose a Toilet
When choosing a new toilet, keep a few key considerations in mind. Here are four factors to consider when buying a toilet:
1 Bowl Height and Shape
Bowl height on a toilet fixture can vary from product to product. Today, most standard toilets are 15-inches in height. “Comfort” toilets are often higher, ranging from 17-19 inches at seat height. These can be useful for individuals with disabilities, elderly people or anyone who simply prefers a taller seat.
Toilet seat shape also varies, with round, elongated and compact elongated designs being the most commonly available choices. Elongated designs are increasingly popular for larger bathroom spaces, while round styles are utilized in traditional bathrooms and smaller areas. Compact elongated designs offer a more modern look with a slightly smaller footprint.
Concealed trapway toilets feature a skirted base to hide the S-shaped pipe typically seen on traditional toilets. These models are easier to clean since they don’t trap as much dust and are ideal for modern bathrooms with a sleek look.
2 Toilet Size for Your Bathroom
Toilets come in a range of sizes, from large styles to space saving designs with minimal footprints. The size of your bathroom should dictate the size of your toilet.
Standard toilets are roughly 27-30 inches deep, with a height of 20-32 inches. Taking these measurements and marking them on the floor and wall using painter’s tape can help you envision any particular toilet in your space.
3 Flush Maintenance
Maintenance isn’t something most people think about when choosing a toilet, but hard-to-source or special order parts can make basic repairs more difficult. They can also be more expensive.
When shopping for a toilet, ask about replacement parts. Toilets that utilize a range of common parts are often easy to repair since parts are more readily available.
4 Water Efficiency
When it comes to water efficiency, not all toilets are created equal. Older toilets can use up to seven gallons of water for a single flush.
Today’s modern toilets use about 1.6 gallons of water per flush. WaterSense fixtures use even less, sending only 1.28 gallons of water through your pipes with each flush.
Water efficient toilets can save you money in the long run, particularly in high-use spaces. They also help reduce your carbon footprint.
Measuring for a New Toilet
The distance between the floor drain and the wall, called the rough-in, is one factor to consider when selecting the best toilet for you. The standard distance is 12 inches, while 10 inches or 14 inches are occasionally found in older homes. You can determine the rough-in on an existing toilet by measuring from the wall behind the toilet to the middle of the bolts on the base.
Which Toilet Bowl Shape is the Most Comfortable?
Choosing the right toilet shape, including round front, elongated and compact elongated toilet bowls should be based on your comfort needs. Here’s how the most common toilet bowl shapes stack up when it comes to comfort:
Round Toilet Bowls
- More affordable.
- Fits into small bathrooms.
Elongated Toilet Bowls
- Provide more sitting room and increased comfort.
- Larger water surface area provides a more powerful flush.
Best Toilet Height for You
What is a standard toilet height vs. a comfort height toilet? The comparison below will help you determine which toilet best suits your needs.
Standard Toilet Height
Standard toilet height is 14-15 inches and may be preferable for children and shorter people.
Comfort Toilet Height
Comfort toilet height is 16-17 inches and is better for taller people or those with back, leg or joint problems.
Toilet Seat Features to Consider
Not all toilet seats are the same, and while they all serve the same purpose, you do have a few options. Here are a few popular toilet seat features to consider while you’re shopping.
Types of Toilets
Toilets come in various shapes and sizes to fit any size area or accommodate individual needs. Refer to the descriptions below to help choose the best toilet for your space.
Different Types of Toilet Flushing
A vital indicator of a quality toilet is the overall flush performance. A toilet with a higher flush performance will ensure that all waste is cleared within one single flush and mitigate the chance of clogging.
Maximum Performance (MaP) scores measure that the toilet will perform as expected and remove the waste levels indicated. What you choose should suit your needs based on the grams of waste expelled by the typical user. From 350 to 1000 grams of waste per flush, the rating system will ensure the toilet you choose is right for you and your family.
Water-Saving Toilets
Advancements in flushing technology have enabled water conservation without sacrificing flush performance. Most provinces require a maximum single flush capacity of 6 litres. The Home Depot is proud to only offer toilets that meet this efficiency requirement. In addition to adding comfort and style, replacing old, inefficient toilets will save a significant amount of water over time.
Older model toilets use considerably more water than today’s designs. Upgrading with water efficiency in mind can help you save money on your monthly bill, especially considering the fact that each person averages five flushes per day.
Low flow toilets utilize 1.6 gallons or 6 litres or water per flush. Compare that to a standard toilet that may use between 5-7 gallons of water and you can easily see the difference. WaterSense Toilets use even less water, requiring just 1.28 gallons or less per flush.
