What is the difference between cheap and expensive toilets etc?

neverdespairgirl

Looking at new kitchens and bathrooms, I can see the difference between a £40 kitchen cupboard and a £400 one.

What is the difference when it comes to bathroom fittings? What is the difference between a cheap-as-chips toilet, basin and bath, and a very expensive one? Do they last longer, clean more easily, or what?

Hintza

You have ad no replies and I probably won't help much.

From a blokes perspective you want a bog of decent quality with a decent seat that is of reasonable seat width (some the seats are very narrow) and you want a seat that doesn't move.

We lived for 5 years with poor after market seats that all moved and eventually worked loose, generally just a pain.

I also wanted one that looked well planted to the floor and solid.

With the expensive ones you should get slightly better valves and less plastic parts.

From my other half's persepective any bog will do.

If I was looing for basic but reasonable quality I would be looking at ideal Standard or Armitage Shanks.

I went for this monster:-



Laufen LB3

spadoosh

Quality of the ceramic, thickness material of bath. In b&q youll find 6mm acrylic baths which are on the thin side (lower quality) you can almost see through some of them. Then you can get steel baths which are more expensive but tend to be harder wearing.

Things like taps effect the quality of a bathroom suite. Some places do plastic taps with a chrome finish (really cheap) others have metal taps with many attachments.

What do you want from your bathroom?!

Barneysmom

Our suite was well over £1000 when we got it, inc taps/waste etc the quality and size of the suite is so much better than the cheaper ones.
The bath is fibre glass so if it ever gets a scratch we can just polish it out with some T-Cut, where you wouldn't be able to do that with a (bog-standard) cheaper one. The bath's quite deep and wide too, it cost £529.
The loo and sink were £400.
The sink is huge.
It's also looking like new after nearly 9 years.

I think it makes the difference between having a bath and luxuriating..:)

bobhawke

I stayed in Japan overnight, the toilets there did everything; played music, released scent, couldn't skid mark them. I wish I had a japanese toilet.

moonrakerz

I bought two new loos when I refitted my current house. One was a "bog standard" (just had to ) B & Q model, the other an expensive one - also from B & Q.
Chalk and cheese ! The expensive one flushes beautifully and always empties the bowl, the ceramic doesn't stain and the flat surfaces make it a doddle to clean.
You will get what you pay for..............

foxymum1977_2

we have bought our bathroom suite and downstairs toilet from Bath store, to me the quality and style out weigh other DIY shops, also have soft close toilet seats which are essential in my opinion with young kids, esp boys :-)

neverdespairgirl

spadoosh wrote: »

Quality of the ceramic, thickness material of bath. In b&q youll find 6mm acrylic baths which are on the thin side (lower quality) you can almost see through some of them. Then you can get steel baths which are more expensive but tend to be harder wearing.

Things like taps effect the quality of a bathroom suite. Some places do plastic taps with a chrome finish (really cheap) others have metal taps with many attachments.

What do you want from your bathroom?!

I want it to be nice to use, easy to clean, and last a very long time without needing to do it again, to save hassle.

Replacing taps would be OK, I suppose, but doing the whole lot seems like a major PITA.

neverdespairgirl

thanks all, much appreciated

MX5huggy

On 1 cheep B&Q Basin I fitted the area where you keep soap did not drain so there was 2 pools of manky water there all the time.

de1amo

thing i noticed--the design! if you want up to date you pay extra whereas standard as not fashionable is cheaper!