All Bathroom Fixtures Explained

Introduction

So, you want to renovate your bathroom, but you don’t know what you need, what you want or even what could be cool to have.

Well, don’t worry! In this article we are going to explain all the different bathroom fixtures that you need, you probably want and even the ones that would be a luxury to have.

Let’s dig in!

 

The Essentials

There are a few essential bathroom fixtures that every home needs. Let’s take a look!

 

Toilet

First of all is the toilet. The toilet is essentially a seat that collects and disposes of human refuse. It does this through a flush mechanism that uses water to wash away any contents left in the toilet into the sewers.

A specific formation of pipe known as a trap is connected to the end of the toilet and contains water which prevents any smells from the sewers entering the home via the sewers. It also prevents the smell of any recently deposited refuse billowing around too much.

Naturally, every home needs a toilet because every human excretes waste in some degree and most people do so in a way a toilet can help with.

There are several kinds of toilet, which we will briefly break down here:

Type Of Toilet	Description Of Toilet
Close Coupled Toilet	The classic toilet design with an exposed bowl and cistern.
Wall Hung Toilet	A modern design with a hidden cistern and a bowl that doesn’t touch the floor.
Back To Wall Toilet	A modern design with a hidden cistern and a bowl that does touch the floor.
Comfort Height Toilet	A toilet design with a high seat that is easier for some to sit on.
Toilet With Basin On Top	A toilet design with an attached sink in the cistern that recycles water.

 

For more information, check out our article explaining everything you need to know about toilets.

Toilet Seat

Something you need if you have a toilet is a toilet seat. A toilet seat is a detachable element that has multiple purposes. The main purpose is that the toilet seat acts as a comfortable place for you to sit when using the toilet. As well as this, toilet seats have a lid that can be closed while flushing the toilet to prevent the spread of germs.

Typically, toilet seats are very simple affairs, but we do also provide more developed toilet seats, such as our soft close toilet seats and quick release toilet seats.

Soft close toilet seats close very slowly and quietly, to prevent anyone accidentally slamming the toilet seat and causing damage or excess noise.

Quick release toilet seats can be attached and unattached extremely quickly and effectively, which is extremely useful when cleaning the bathroom.

 

Basin

Next on this list, we have basins. Basins are bathroom sinks, made up of a body and a vessel that holds and catches water when released from a tap. Wash basins are vital for cleaning yourself, brushing your teeth and many other crucial tasks.

You need at least one in each bathroom, to accompany the toilet, as it is important to always use the basin to wash your hands after using the toilet.

There are several types of basins available to you. Let’s break them down.

Type Of Basin	Description Of Basin
Counter Top Basin	Counter Top Basins are affixed on top of surfaces.
Semi-Recessed Basin	Semi-Recessed Basins are partially embedded into surfaces.
Wall Hung Basin	Wall Hung Basins are mounted onto the wall.
Pedestal Basin	Pedestal Basins stand on their own and in some instances do not need to be connected to the wall.
Cloakroom Basin	Cloakroom Basins are compact wash basins designed to fit in small areas.
Double Basin	Double Basins are large wash basins capable of being used by multiple people simultaneously.

For more information on bathroom basins, check out our article explaining everything you need to know about basins.

Taps

Taps are what adorn your basins and you cannot have a basin without a tap. Typically, there are at least one or two taps accompanying a basin. Whatever tap configuration you choose, you need to be able to summon both hot and cold water. You can do this separately, by using two regular taps or by employing modern mixer or monobloc taps that can summon either hot or cold water depending on your input.

Waste Plugs

Every basin will need a waste plug of some description. A waste plug is an item that is placed into the basin hole to block water from entering. Through the use of a waste plug, you can fill the basin with water.

There’s a big variety of waste plugs, but the main thing to keep in mind is that there are slotted basin waste plugs and unslotted waste plugs. You can only fit a slotted waste plug in a basin with an overflow and you can only fit an unslotted waste plug in a basin without an overflow.

If you install the wrong plug in the wrong sink, you can break both. So be careful!

Basin Traps

Basins, like most plumbing fixtures, need traps. Unlike the toilet which has an in built trap, you will often have to choose and attach your basin trap yourself. We recommend using bottle traps when possible as they feature a removable container that can prevent clogs and catch lost items.

However, if a basin doesn’t connect to the wall, you can’t use a bottle trap, so keep that in mind.

 

Shower

Another necessity you must have in your bathroom is a way to fully clean yourself. Unlike a basin which is great for more specific measures, you need a fixture that can give you a full body deep clean. One of your options is a shower.

A shower is a fixture that rains hot or cold water on you, allowing you to clean yourself with the use of gels and shampoos.

Showers are made of three main parts, shower enclosures, shower heads and shower trays.

Let’s break them down!

Shower Enclosure

The shower enclosure is the dividing line between what is shower and what isn’t shower in your bathroom. They are typically glass, as glass is waterproof and allows a lot of light flow to make your bathroom feel roomier.

Glass shower enclosures come in a vast number of different shapes, including rectangular shower enclosures, quadrant shower enclosures, pentagonal shower enclosures and more.

Here’s a brief summary of the types of showers enclosures:

Type Of Shower Enclosure	Description Of Shower Enclosure
Square Shower Enclosure	A box shaped shower enclosure that is shaped with evenly sized glass panels.
Rectangular Shower Enclosure	A box shaped shower enclosure that is shaped with glass panels of different sizes.
Quadrant Shower Enclosure	A curved shower enclosure that fits in the corner.
Pentagonal Shower Enclosure	An angular shower enclosure that fits in the corner.
Walk In Shower Screen	A singular glass panel used to divide the walk in shower and the rest of the bathroom.

For more information on shower enclosures, shower trays and more, check out our article on everything you need to know about showers.

Shower Doors

Naturally, an enclosure needs a door of some sort. (Unless you have a walk in shower screen of course).

Shower doors are also typically made of glass and come in a variety of forms, let’s take a look.

Type Of Shower Doors	Description Of Shower Doors
Hinged Shower Door	A shower door that can swing open one way.
Pivot Shower Door	A shower door that can swing open both ways.
Bi-Fold Shower Door	A shower door that can fold open one way.
Sliding Shower Door	A shower door that can slide open one way.

 

Shower Head

Shower heads are the mechanisms that summon the water from the pipes for you to wash yourself with.

Shower Tray

Shower trays are the platform you stand on when using the shower. They are designed to catch and then drain away the waste water. It is important to always match the size of your shower tray to the size of your shower enclosure and make sure you use the same shape too. A quadrant shower tray won’t fit a rectangular shower enclosure.

Alternatively, to shower trays, you can in some instance employ a linear shower drain. This is a large drainage system installed in the floor, so the floor can be used as the shower tray. These linear shower drains are mostly used for walk in showers, so they can forego the need of a shower tray.

 

 

Bathtub

Alternatively, to showers, you could instead choose a bathtub. Bathtubs are giant vessels that you fill with water and soak in.

Bathtubs are great for a long bathing experience, but aren’t ideal for an expedient wash.

There is also a great selection of bathtubs available to you. Double ended bathtubs make baths comfortable for multiple people to use, and roll ended bathtubs make baths even comfier.

 

The Good To Have

Now that you have the essentials down, let’s look at the nice additions you can make to your bathroom.

Bathroom Storage

Having extra storage in your bathroom can be a great feeling. You can make do with just storing your toiletries on the side of your basin or your toilet paper on top of the cistern, but having that extra, dedicated storage can really free up your bathroom and make it feel lived in, but not cluttered.

Let’s look at some different types.

Type Of Bathroom Storage	Description Of Bathroom Storage
Bathroom Shelves	Surfaces that are mounted to the wall and can have things stored on them or embedded into them.
Towel Racks	Wall mounted bars for towels to be hung over.
Robe Hooks	Wall mounted hooks that bath robes, towels and more can be hung off.
Basin Vanity Units	Storage units that are attached to the base of basins and sit underneath them.

 

Mirror

Self-awareness is key to a happy life. Having a mirror so you can actually see yourself is also pretty useful. Mirrors are glass panels that are chemically treated so that they reflect the light that shines on it. This means that if you stand in front of a mirror, you can see a reflection of yourself. This is extremely useful in the bathroom, as it allows you to shave, moisturize and more with much more control than trying to do so without a mirror.

There are also more modern, technologically capable versions of the mirror such as our anti-fog mirrors. Anti-fog mirrors use demister pads and LED lights to cut through shower steam and prevent the mirror from ever fogging up from bathroom use, which is a massive problem for regular mirrors.

 

The Luxury

Finally, we arrive at basin fixtures, furniture and technology that are great luxuries that aren’t that common in the UK but greatly improve the quality of life for those who have them. Let’s take a look!

 

Bidet

A bidet is a washing mechanism that cleans the user after they have used the toilet. This is a gentle process that uses clean, refreshing water. Through the use of bidets, you can completely cut out the need for toilet paper, which is a much more uncomfortable and overall more costly way of cleaning yourself.

Bidets are very common in Europe and Asia, so get ahead of the curve and embrace the international bathroom luxury.

 

Interior Sliding Doors

Do you want your door to be accessible, quiet and stylish? Then you want interior sliding doors. These doors, like bidets, are not as common in the UK compared to their traditional counterparts the hinged door. However, they provide a much higher quality of life, as they are easy to use, extremely modern looking and can help increase the usable space available both in and out of your bathroom.

 

Smart Technology

You may have noticed lots of fixtures and furniture have modern variations, such as anti-fog mirrors and soft close toilet seats. In a lot of ways, these more technologically advanced variants of bathroom fixtures are great luxuries that any bathroom would be lucky to be equipped with.

 

Final Thoughts

You have lots of options when designing a bathroom and hopefully this article has demonstrated to just how much you can customize your bathroom. There are the essentials that every bathroom needs, but all of these can be customized and personalized. There are also lots of extra fixtures and furniture that can be installed in your bathroom to make it as beautiful and useful as possible.

For more details on any of the subjects we touched on today, then please check out our blog where we write comprehensive how to guides, fixture explanations, bathroom décor advice and more.