Wall-hung toilet installation in Batumi: installation frame and bowl

Frame on the slab or on the finished floor

In a wall-hung toilet installation in Batumi, the legs of the installation frame stand either on the floor slab before the screed goes down, or on the finished floor. They extend with plenty of range: on a Geberit Duofix, for example, from 0 to 20 cm. If we are doing the screed, the frame goes on the slab: we anchor the legs into the concrete, and the screed then locks them in at the base.

In a white frame apartment, the developer has already poured the screed, and sometimes it is sandy and crumbles under the drill. An anchor holds poorly in screed like this, so we drill through it into the slab and use longer anchors. If the screed sounds hollow where the frame will stand, we break out that section.

Fixing to the wall: concrete, block, plasterboard

The frame carries the weight of a person sitting on a wall-hung toilet down to the floor through its legs, while the top brackets stop it tipping forward. These fixings work in pull-out, so we choose them to suit the wall material. In cast-in-place concrete and solid block we use the anchors supplied with the frame. In aerated concrete and hollow breeze block, an expansion anchor works a little looser every time someone sits down, so these walls need a chemical anchor, and in hollow block also a mesh sleeve, so that the resin doesn't run off into the cavity.

In a plasterboard partition, the frame is built into the partition's own framework: its mounting plates are fixed to the wall studs, and we space the studs next to the frame closer than usual. We board such a wall and the boxing by the same rules as other plasterboard structures, only with moisture-resistant board.

Finished floor level, centre line and outlet

The frame has a mark from which the manufacturer measures the height of the bowl and the flush plate. We set it to the finished floor level, that is, allowing for the screed, adhesive and tiles. Forget the thickness of the finish, and the toilet ends up a couple of centimetres lower than planned. We transfer this level to every wall of the bathroom with a laser level, and the basin and floor drain are later set from it.

We tie the centre line of the frame to the tile layout and to the neighbouring fixtures. In our experience, the centre line of the toilet should be at least 35–40 cm from the side wall or the basin, otherwise it feels cramped. We connect the frame's outlet bend to the drain pipe with the adaptor from the kit, with a fall towards the riser. Water reaches the cistern through a rigid pipe up to the angle valve inside the cistern: a flexible hose behind the tiling can't be replaced without opening up the wall.

Checks before cladding

Once a frame is closed in, redoing it means taking the boxing apart and laying new tiles, so before the boards go on we:

• hold the cistern supply under pressure and photograph the pressure gauge;
• trial-fit the bowl on the studs: this shows whether they are long enough and whether the bowl's outlet lines up with the bend;
• sit on the trial-fitted bowl and watch for any movement in the legs and top fixings;
• photograph the frame with a tape measure in shot: the height of the mark, the centre line, the distances to the corners.

You get these photos before the boarding, and later they go into the handover file.

Boxing, tiles and the flush plate opening

We clad the frame with two layers of moisture-resistant plasterboard, screwing the board directly to the frame, and check the thickness of the cladding against the instructions. A single layer of thin board flexes under the bowl, and the tiles around the studs crack.

The flush plate opening is covered by the protective cap from the kit, which stays on until the tiling is finished, so that no adhesive or dust gets into the cistern. Here we cut the tiles precisely to the frame of the opening, because the valves are later replaced through it. The mounting frame for the flush plate adjusts to the thickness of the finish within its own limits, and for thick stone we check this range in advance. How tiles are laid on the boxing so that the cuts don't catch the eye is explained on the page about wall and floor tiling.

Hanging the bowl and handover

We hang the bowl once the grout on the boxing has dried. We cut the studs and connector pipes to the thickness of the finish and fit a sound-insulating pad between the bowl and the wall. We tighten the nuts smoothly, without jerking: a crack in the ceramic from overtightening doesn't appear straight away, but a month or two later.

Then we run full and half flushes several times in a row and check the outlet joint through the flush plate opening. We usually don't run silicone around a wall-hung bowl: the pad closes the joint, and without sealant the bowl is easier to remove if it ever needs to come off.

Replacing a floor-standing toilet with a wall-hung one

This swap can't be done without tiling work. We remove the old toilet, open up the wall behind it, move the outlet to the frame and bring water to the cistern. Then we tile the boxing and cover the floor where the old base stood. If there are no tiles left from the same batch, the floor is relaid or an insert in a different colour is made.

When more than half the tiles have to be replaced, it makes more sense to order a complete toilet renovation straight away: the riser, boxing and floor then follow one schedule. If you would rather not touch the floor and wall, it is simpler to fit a new floor-standing toilet on the old outlet; this job is in the section on fitting toilets, basins and mixers.

How much wall-hung toilet installation costs in Batumi

Fitting the frame and wall-hung toilet costs from 270 to 360 ₾ for labour. The frame, toilet and boxing are not included in this price. A turnkey set with equipment and fitting costs 1,500–2,160 ₾, depending on the brand. Plasterboard boxing with tiling is priced separately, at 300–420 ₾.

When a floor-standing toilet is being replaced, its removal is added, at 57–72 ₾, plus moving the outlet and water, which is priced by plumbing points at 96–145 ₾ per point. A frame in aerated concrete, or in plasterboard that needs reinforcing, and a frame on weak screed cost more. The cheapest option is a frame on the slab against a structural wall next to the riser. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed.