What to do when it comes to the loo? It's a major question for those looking to renovate their bathroom.

Finding a prime piece of porcelain for your space might require a bit more consideration than you may think. Good news, we're here to make sure you don't flush your time and money away.

In this guide, we lift the lid on this bathroom essential so you have all the knowledge you need to make the right choice.

Toilet installation styles

One of the biggest factors in picking a toilet for your new bathroom is how it's going to be installed. Depending on your budget, you might not have the wiggle room to splash a lot of cash to switch up your plumbing.

Here are a few of the most common styles:

• Close coupled toilets are arguably the most prevalent type of toilet in Australian homes. Because of that, they're often the easiest and most cost effective to install, as they likely will require little-to-no plumbing or flooring changes. They leave a bit of space behind the cistern and the wall.
• Back to the wall toilets are exactly what they sound like. These go straight up, flush (no pun intended) against the wall. They're great for maximising space in your bathroom reno.
• Wall hung toilets can be even better for the space conscious. With wall hung toilets, the pan attaches straight to the wall and hangs above the ground. The cistern is hidden within the wall. Very sneaky.
• Wall faced toilets are similar to wall hung toilets, except they're not hung. Instead, the pan (or bowl) sits on the ground, while the cistern is still hidden.

Toilet pan styles

Having a grasp of the ABCs (or at least the Ps and Ss) of toilet pan styles is also key to reno success. Understanding this style can help you figure out what's possible with your existing plumbing.

Here's a breakdown of toilet pan styles to give you an idea of what's what.

• P-trap pans (aka back entry pans) connect directly to the wall behind the toilet. For example, a CLARK Round Back to Wall Toilet Suite - Back Entry is a back-to-wall toilet with a P-trap pan with plumbing that extends behind the toilet and into the wall.
• S-trap pans (aka bottom inlet pans) connect to the ground below. A good example is the CLARK Round Back to Wall Toilet Suite - Bottom Inlet which features plumbing that extends out the bottom of the cistern and into the floor.
• Skew trap pans connect to a wall beside the toilet.
• Universal trap pans can act as P-trap or S-trap pans, and are found in wall-facing toilets.

The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme

The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) ratings lets you know the impact of each and every flush on the environment – and your bills.

WELS ratings operate on a six-star scale. The more stars, the more water efficient your toilet is.

Each WELS label for a toilet will have a star rating, as well as the litres of water used per average flush, full flush and half flush.

Generally, it's good to aim for a minimum of a four-star WELS rating on your toilet. It'll help the environment and also keep your water bills lower. Win-win!

Bonus tip!

Many toilets these days are locked in with a silicone sealant instead of concreted in. Because of this, it's now a lot easier to swap out your toilet without having to rip up the floor beneath. That means you're free to go forth and dream big when it comes to changing your toilet.

Find a CLARK stockist today and find the perfect toilet for your next reno!