How to Choose a Toilet
A toilet is one of the few things in your bathroom you’ll use every single day for the next 15–20 years, yet most people spend less time choosing one than they do choosing tiles. The good news: once you understand four things: the style, the trap set-out, the flush technology and the water rating, the decision almost makes itself. Here’s how we walk customers through it at our Malaga showroom.
Step 1: Pick your toilet style
Modern Australian bathrooms use four main styles, and your choice affects both the look of the room and what’s possible with your plumbing.
Back-to-wall toilets are the most popular choice in Perth renovations. The pan and cistern sit flush against the wall with no gap behind, which means no awkward dust trap and a much cleaner line. If you’re replacing an older close-coupled toilet, a back-to-wall suite is usually a straightforward swap. Browse our back-to-wall toilet range to see the styles available.
Wall-hung toilets float above the floor with the cistern concealed inside the wall. They make small bathrooms feel bigger and make mopping underneath effortless, but they need an in-wall cistern frame, so they suit new builds and full renovations rather than quick replacements. See our wall-hung toilets.
In-wall (concealed cistern) toilets pair a floor-mounted or wall-hung pan with a cistern hidden behind the wall, operated by a flush plate. You get the minimalist look with more pan options. Our in-wall toilet range covers both configurations.
Close-coupled toilets, the traditional style with the cistern sitting on the pan, are still the budget-friendly workhorse, and fine where the look isn’t a priority.
Step 2: Check your trap set-out (before you fall in love with anything)
This is the step that catches people out. The trap is the bend that connects the pan to the waste pipe, and it has to match what’s already in your bathroom:
- S-trap: the waste pipe goes through the floor. Most common in Perth homes. Measure the “set-out”: the distance from the finished wall to the centre of the waste pipe.
- P-trap: the waste pipe goes through the wall, common in apartments and some two-storey homes. Here the set-out is the height from the floor to the centre of the pipe.
Many modern suites are universal or offer adjustable set-outs, but always check the specification sheet against your measurement before ordering. If you bring your set-out measurement into our Malaga showroom, we can tell you on the spot which suites will fit.
Step 3: Go rimless if you can and look for tornado flush
Rimless toilets replace the traditional hollow rim, where grime loves to hide, with a smooth pan edge and a directed flush that washes the entire bowl. They’re noticeably easier to keep clean, and the price difference has all but disappeared. Our Jesi and Alzano rimless back-to-wall suites are proof of how affordable rimless has become.
The step up from standard rimless is tornado flushing. Instead of multiple jets, water enters through a single inlet and sweeps the entire bowl in a swirling cycle. Quieter, more thorough, and more water-efficient than a traditional multi-jet flush. Our Radiant Toilet Suite and Lucent Toilet Suite both feature Tornado Rimless single-hole flushing in a back-to-wall design, with soft-close quick-release seats and S-trap or P-trap compatibility. A genuinely premium flush without the premium price tag.
Step 4: Understand WELS ratings (your water bill will thank you)
Every toilet sold in Australia carries a WELS star rating. A 4-star suite with a 4.5L/3L dual flush uses less than half the water of the old single-flush units, a meaningful saving in a state as dry as WA. All toilets we stock are WELS rated and WaterMark certified for Australian plumbing compliance, so anything you buy from us meets WA requirements.
Extras worth having (and one worth thinking about)
Soft-close seats are now standard on most quality suites. No more slamming. Quick-release seats lift off for proper cleaning. Extra-height pans sit a few centimetres taller than standard, which makes a real difference for taller users, older family members and anyone with knee trouble. The Sienna Extra Height Tornado Back to Wall Suite combines the taller pan with tornado flushing, so you don’t have to trade comfort for cleaning performance.
And if you want to see where toilets are heading, smart toilets with heated seats, built-in bidet washing and hands-free flushing, like the Lafeme Crawford In-Wall Smart Toilet, are moving from luxury hotels into Perth homes fast. We’ve written a separate honest guide on whether a smart toilet is worth it.
Quick checklist before you buy
- Measure your set-out (S-trap: wall to pipe centre; P-trap: floor to pipe centre)
- Choose your style: back-to-wall for most renos, wall-hung/in-wall for new builds
- Go rimless for easier cleaning
- Check the WELS rating: 4 stars, 4.5L/3L dual flush is the benchmark
- Confirm WaterMark certification (automatic with anything in our range)
See them in person in Malaga
Photos never quite capture pan height, seat shape or build quality. Our showroom at Malaga has our full toilet range on display, and our team can match a suite to your set-out measurement while you’re here, at warehouse prices.
