From types to the trends of 2021 and technical characteristics. Our guide to choosing bathroom sanitaryware
Featuring topics:
- Bathroom sanitaryware: types
- How to choose bathroom sanitaryware
- Classic or modern style?
- Ercos Ponsi sanitaryware
Bathroom sanitary fixtures: when it’s time to change them, whether for a major renovation or a simple replacement, the choice is influenced by a number of factors. From the size of the room to its architectural limits, from convenience to functionality, without forgetting aesthetics of course: each of these factors needs to be evaluated.
Here is a brief guide to help you make the right choice when purchasing bathroom sanitaryware. Let's start with an initial and necessary premise: relying on recognised brands such as Ercos Ponsi is in itself a guarantee of satisfaction.
Bathroom sanitaryware: types
Wall-mounted, flush-to-wall and spaced floor-standing sanitaryware. These are the three main types of sanitaryware available on the market.
Wall-mounted sanitary fixtures
These are not supported by the floor and their drains must be inserted in the wall. They have an attractive design and imbue the bathroom with harmony and overall lightness. In addition, they provide greater light diffusion.
They take up less space and provide maximum hygiene, especially when the distance from the floor allows a vacuum cleaner or mop to pass underneath. On the other hand, the “disadvantages” are usually a higher cost (but this is not always the case) and more masonry work. Important: in the case of thin walls (the classic 8 cm partitions made of perforated bricks) they cannot be installed: at least 12 cm are needed, unless a supporting wall is constructed.
Flush-to-wall sanitaryware
These rest on the floor and do not require any distance from the wall. They are easy to install in bathrooms with both wall and floor drains. For many, they are still the ideal solution, because psychologically they offer greater “solidity” (even though this is not true). On the downside, they are more difficult to clean, especially around the perimeter of contact with the floor, which is often sealed with silicone that tends to blacken over time.
Spaced floor-standing bathroom sanitaryware
These fixtures do not offer the same aesthetic quality as the previous ones, cleaning is more difficult and the total space required increases (due to the centimetres of spacing). The advantage is that they are easy to install, also because they do not require any work on the drains.
How to choose bathroom sanitaryware
Before choosing sanitary fixtures, you need to consider a few technical aspects of your bathroom. The first is the positioning of the sanitaryware, which should be close to the waste pipe. The second is the correct distance between the toilet and the bidet (never less than 20 cm) and the free space in front of them, which must be at least 60 cm to ensure comfortable movement.
Next you need to consider:
The position of the drain
If, for example, the drains are embedded in the floor and cannot be moved, wall-mounted sanitaryware cannot be installed.
The dimensions of the bathroom
This is an essential element in the choice. Let’s start with a basic rule. Where there is plenty of space, the choice is purely aesthetic. In smaller bathrooms, however, bathroom sanitaryware should also be chosen for its size.
While spaced floor-standing sanitaryware is the least effective choice – in terms of aesthetics, hygiene and space – sanitaryware flush with the wall and wall-mounted sanitary fixtures are technically no different in terms of the space they occupy. It depends on the individual model, and there are some space-saving models with reduced dimensions (45/48 cm compared to the standard 55 cm). As already mentioned, wall-mounted sanitaryware certainly gives the bathroom more lightness, and can even lighten up tight spaces.
Water saving
This is an increasingly decisive factor and one that is being addressed by manufacturers, who have developed eco-friendly technologies aimed at producing systems with a reduced environmental impact. Not least because toilet use can account for up to 30% of a home’s water consumption. Modern dual-flush systems guarantee a saving of up to 50% compared to the old systems (which used to consume about 9-10 litres per flush), but the latest technologies further reduce toilet water consumption to 4 litres maximum / 2.6 litres minimum.
Aesthetics
Here we enter the realm of subjectivity. Between square or curved lines and different colours, there are solutions for all tastes. The overall style of the bathroom should guide the aesthetic choice of sanitaryware.
Classic or modern style?
Here’s the good news. Both classic style bathrooms and more contemporary solutions appear under the heading “sanitaryware trends in 2021”. In the first case, these are vintage solutions reinterpreted with a modern eye. Harmonious, retro lines are embraced, providing personality and impact.
In the second case, wall-mounted sanitaryware is the most popular trend, although pedestal models with high aesthetic impact also exist. Finally, the rediscovery of colour will be appreciated by the bolder customer.
Ercos Ponsi sanitaryware
As is so often the case, it is the details that make the difference. Ercos Ponsi solutions have all it takes to stand out in terms of design, exclusivity and technology.
A few examples. The quick top fastening system for example, as well as the reduced flush volume and the quick release and slow-closing “soft close” seats. Finally, rimless technology eliminates the so-called rim (the cavity from which the water flows out to flush the toilet), guaranteeing total hygiene and a complete flush of the entire toilet, without splashing and with a much more precise jet.