A complete toilet buying guide.

About this guide

Buying a toilet is a 20-year decision made in 20 minutes at the hardware store.

Most people buy whatever’s on sale at Home Depot. Then they live with it for two decades. This guide is for the small minority who’d rather spend an extra hour up front than be irritated daily for the next 7,000 days.

We break the decision into the eight choices that actually matter, in the order you should make them. Each one links to a deeper explainer once you decide.

• Rough-in size — the distance from your wall to the center of the drain. Get this wrong and the toilet won’t fit.
• Bowl shape — round vs. elongated. Different fit, different price, different feel.
• Piece configuration — one-piece vs. two-piece vs. wall-hung.
• Height — standard (15″) vs. comfort height (17″+).
• Flush type — single, dual, pressure-assisted, gravity.
• Water usage — 1.28 GPF vs 1.6 GPF, WaterSense certification.
• Skirted vs non-skirted — cleaning ease vs. installation flexibility.
• Brand and warranty — Kohler, TOTO, American Standard, and the rest.