Back to wall, wall hung, close coupled or skew pan? Choosing a toilet for an older Brisbane home

For an older Brisbane home, the right toilet is usually decided by the waste pipe you already have, not by the look you want. If the pipe comes up through the floor in the usual spot, a back to wall or close coupled suite with an S-trap is the easy path. If it comes out of the wall, look for a P-trap. If it sits off to one side, a skew pan may be the only floor suite that lines up without moving pipes. Wall hung toilets look the cleanest, but they need a frame and an in-wall cistern built into the wall, which is a bigger job in a timber-framed house.

First, find your trap

Before you fall for a shape, lift the lid on the plumbing. There are three things to note, and your plumber can confirm them in a few minutes.

• Floor or wall? A waste that goes down into the floor suits an S-trap pan. A waste that goes back into the wall suits a P-trap pan.
• How far from the wall? For floor wastes, the distance from the finished wall to the centre of the pipe is the set-out. Suites list the set-out ranges they can reach, and our guide to adjustable link toilet suites and set-out lists them for each suite we sell.
• Is it centred? If the waste sits to the left or right of where the pan would naturally go, a standard suite may not line up.

Write those three answers down and bring them when you choose. They narrow the field faster than any photo.

Back to wall: the tidy all-rounder

A back to wall suite sits flat against the wall, so there is no gap behind the pan to collect dust. You will find a wide choice in our back to wall toilets collection, and the style suits a lot of renovations where the waste stays put.

Fienza lists its back to wall suites with trap choices on each product. The Fienza Isabella Back-to-Wall Toilet Suite, for example, comes with a P-trap or two S-trap ranges (90 to 160 and 160 to 220), and an R&T or Geberit cistern where configured. Check which range your set-out falls into before you add it to the cart.

Close coupled: the practical replacement

A close coupled suite has the cistern sitting directly on the back of the pan. It is often the simplest swap in an older bathroom because the cistern does not need to be built into the wall. The close coupled toilets collection includes suites such as the Fienza Stella, which Fienza offers in separate S-trap and P-trap versions with a rimless flush and soft-close seat.

If your existing toilet is an older close coupled suite, this style lets you replace like for like with the least disturbance to tiles.

Skew pan: when the pipe is off to one side

Older homes sometimes have a waste that has been moved, patched or simply placed off centre. A skew pan has a trap that angles left or right to reach it. Fienza makes the Petra close coupled suite with a left skew trap and a right skew trap, both listed in our skew pan toilets collection.

The way to pick left or right is to stand facing the toilet and note which side the waste sits on, then confirm with your plumber. A skew pan can save you lifting floor coverings or cutting into timber to move the pipe.

Wall hung: lovely to clean, more work to fit

A wall hung pan floats off the floor, so you can mop right underneath. The trade-off is what happens inside the wall. The pan hangs on a frame, and the cistern sits behind the wall lining with a flush plate on the front.

The Fienza Koko Tornado Flush wall hung suite shows how many choices are involved: Fienza lists it with an R&T, Viega V-02, Viega V-04 under counter or Geberit Sigma cistern option, or pan and seat only, P-trap only, and the flush plate is sold separately. In a timber-framed Queenslander or post-war home, that frame has to be built in before the wall is lined and waterproofed, so it is a decision for the start of a renovation, not the end. Browse the wall hung toilets collection to see the options.

Wall faced: the middle ground

A wall faced pan sits on the floor and is pushed back to the wall, with the cistern concealed in the wall. You get a clean look without hanging the pan. Fienza lists the Koko and Aluca wall faced suites with P-trap or S-trap options and several in-wall cistern choices, again with the flush plate sold separately.

A quick decision path

• Waste in the floor, centred, and you want a simple swap: close coupled or back to wall with an S-trap in your set-out range.
• Waste in the wall: a P-trap suite.
• Waste off to one side: a left or right skew pan.
• Full renovation with walls opened up: consider wall hung or wall faced with an in-wall cistern.

Whichever suite you land on, a licensed plumber should connect it in line with the manufacturer's installation instructions. The suite only works as well as its connection to the pipe.

Little extras that matter later

Look at the seat. A soft-close, quick-release seat, which Fienza lists on many of its suites, makes cleaning the hinge area easier. Look at the flush too: rimless pans have no hidden rim channel to scrub. And if the suite needs a flush plate, choose it at the same time so it matches your tapware finish.

You can compare every suite in the Fienza range, which covers all of the styles above.

Bring your measurements to Loganholme

Toilet shapes are hard to judge from a product photo, especially the depth of the pan in a narrow room. At our bathroom showroom in Loganholme, Shop 4, 1 Bryants Rd, Loganholme QLD 4129, you can stand beside a suite and picture it in your space. We are part of the City of Logan, so for older homes in Underwood and Springwood it is a short trip to check your trap type and set-out against the suites before you commit.