Professional Builders Merchant

Wall-hung holds many aesthetic advantages. Devoid of clumsy pedestals and ugly pipe work, the ceramics seem to float effortlessly above the ground, creating a look that’s stylish and simple. Floor-mounted ceramics create visual barriers for the eye and compartmentalise the space, making the bathroom seem smaller. Fitting a wall-hung toilet and washbasin creates a clean, uninterrupted profile that helps to maximise a feeling of space.

Systems such as Geberit’s Duofix frames make installing a wall-hung WC, washbasin, bidet and urinal a quick and easy job, and therefore easy to explain to customers in a merchant setting. The frames are supplied with all the necessary parts to connect to the wall and floor and to make the plumbing and drainage connections and can be used to wall-mount the vast majority of sanitaryware, regardless of the brand. In order to aid installation the Geberit System rail is fixed to the wall and the frame simply clicks into position, ready for the sanitaryware to be slotted into the frame.

The refurbishment market is another area where wall-hung sanitaryware is beginning to take off. This is something that merchants have traditionally been reluctant to promote, largely through a lack of understanding of how the conversion from conventional to wall-hung is carried out. Geberit offers solutions with the S bend, which eradicates the need for moving existing foul drainage connections, and the Monolith sanitary system, which enables the conversion to take place without the need for re-tiling or re-plumbing the entire bathroom.

The Monolith is a slimline module incorporating a wall-hung frame and integrated dual flush cistern that can be installed using existing connections and drains. The system covers any wall-fixing marks from previous floor-standing pans and there is no need to alter the soil stack. This means that installation of the entire system can be completed in a single operation. Furthermore, as it incorporates the same framing system as is used for new wall-hung installations, merchants can feel confident in offering guidance to their customers whether they’re working on a completely new project or a refurb.

Another advantage of persuading customers to opt for wall-hung sanitaryware is that merchants then have the opportunity to sell them a flush plate too. With the flush plate being the only bit of the entire system left on show and a wide variety of designs to choose from, it is an integral part of the sale and a great way to increase profit margins.

Wall-hung sanitaryware can have so many advantages for the merchant, installer and homeowner that it really does pay to gain a little understanding of how things work behind the scenes in order to gain the confidence and reap the benefits of up-selling from conventional sanitaryware to wall-hung.

Victoria Willis is Product Managerat Geberit.

» For more information regarding Geberit products visit their website at www.geberit.co.uk/