Whether you are building a new bathroom from scratch or renovating an old bathroom, you are probably the most focused on the floors, the walls, the tub, the toilet, and everything else of that nature. With that being said, one of the things that many people seem to neglect is the toilet paper holder.
Now, of course, it isn’t the most important part of a bathroom, but it still makes a difference, especially in terms of aesthetic appeal. Right now, we are going to talk about all of the different types of toilet paper holders out there based on their materials, mounting mechanisms, post style, and overall design.
Types of Toilet Paper Holders by Material
The first thing that we want to do here is to take a look at all of the different types of toilet paper holders based on the materials that they are made out of. Of course, there is more than one material that a toilet paper holder can be made of.
Plastic
The first material that a toilet paper holder can be made out of is plastic. Now the big upside with plastic toilet paper holders is of course that they usually don’t cost all that much. This is generally the cheapest kind of toilet paper holder that you can get. Moreover, although plastic isn’t the number one most durable material out there, it should be more than durable enough for basic use, and furthermore, it’s also resistant to rusting and corrosion. However, if you drop it hard enough, it might break.
Now, a plastic toilet paper holder might not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but with that being said, you can find ones that do have some pretty cool designs on them.
Metal
The next material that a toilet paper holder could be made out of is metal. Right off the bat, metal toilet paper holders are going to cost a bit more than plastic toilet paper holders, and a big reason for this is their aesthetic appeal.
There are various toilet paper holders made out of various metals and some of them do indeed look pretty nice, and some may even have some really cool patterns ingrained into them. Moreover, metal is of course extremely durable and impact resistant. With that being said, if you don’t get a stainless steel toilet paper holder, it will probably rust after a while.
Wood
Although this is of course a very old school choice, you may still be able to find some toilet paper holders that are made out of wood, and here we mean real solid lumber, not some engineered wood.
Of course, the biggest benefit that you get with wooden toilet paper holders is that they look extremely nice. There is generally nothing that looks better than solid wood. Moreover, solid wood is decently durable, but with that being said, if it wasn’t properly treated, it may end up rotting and getting moldy. It’s definitely not overly water-resistant. Moreover, wooden toilet paper holders won’t be that cheap either.
Types of Toilet Paper Holders by Mounting Mechanism
Now that you are aware of all of the different toilet paper holder materials, let’s take a look at the varieties based on their mounting mechanisms.
Wall-Mounted
In terms of mounting mechanisms, the first type of toilet paper holder you can get is the classic wall-mounted toilet paper holder. As the name implies, this type of toilet paper holder is mounted directly to the wall. Now, the biggest advantage that you get here is the fact that you can always have your toilet paper on hand and within reach, at least if there is a wall nearby.
Using a wall-mounted toilet paper holder will allow you to place it exactly where you need it. Moreover, you can also place it at hand level. With that being said, you do of course actually have to mount the thing first, which in itself can be somewhat difficult, and furthermore, you do also need to have a wall nearby that you can actually mount it to. Of course, this might not always be an option.
However, this is generally the most common type of toilet paper holder out there, mainly because most toilets have at least one wall either in front or beside them. People also sometimes like these wall-mounted toilet paper holders, especially when compared to the freestanding models because they can’t fall over.
Freestanding
The next type of toilet paper holder in terms of the mounting mechanism that you can get is one that you don’t have to mount at all, or in other words, a freestanding toilet paper holder. These can be very beneficial because you can place them wherever you see fit. You could place them beside or in front of the toilet and this can come in especially handy if you don’t have a wall nearby for a wall-mounted toilet paper holder.
The disadvantage with freestanding toilet paper holders, however, is that they can fall over. Moreover, because they come with a stand, they do also have more components that can get dirty and need to be clean. Generally speaking, freestanding toilet paper holders do require the most amount of maintenance. However, one of the big advantages of this type of toilet paper holder is that you can get some very ornate ones that look very cool.
Toilet-Mounted
In terms of the mounting mechanism, the other type of toilet paper holder that you can get is the one that is mounted on the toilet. Generally speaking, these will be mounted on the toilet bowl to the left or the right of you. Some may also be mounted on the rear of the toilet beside the tank.
Now, these are generally convenient if you don’t have much space to spare, you don’t want a freestanding model, and you don’t want to damage a wall with a wall mount toilet paper holder. With that being said, toilet-mounted toilet paper holders are somewhat inconvenient because you always have to reach backward in order to grab toilet paper. For some people, especially those with physical disabilities, this might not be possible.
Types of Toilet Paper Holders by Post Style
We want to take a look at now are the various types of toilet paper holders by post style. The post is what holds the toilet paper in place.
Spring Loaded Post
In this sense, perhaps the most common type of toilet paper holder is the spring-loaded post. The spring-loaded post is a simple mechanism that features a spring in the middle that allows you to push the post together to remove it from the toilet paper holder, so you can put toilet paper on the post.
This is a very easy-to-use type of toilet paper holder post and it works well enough, but beware that those springs can eventually break. This type of toilet paper holder may very well need to be replaced more often than others, but they are extremely user-friendly.
Pivoting Post
The next type of post that your toilet paper holder might come with is the pivoting post. This type of toilet paper holder features a hinge with a bar on it that pivots up and down and locks into the other side of the toilet paper holder.
These might be a little harder to deal with than spring-loaded posts, but with that being said, they do also tend to be a bit more durable. That metal hinge tends to be more durable than a spring-loaded post. What is also important to note is that pivoting post toilet paper holders are very often made out of either metal or wood, so they do usually look pretty nice.
Slide-on Post
The simplest post style for any toilet paper holder out there is the slide-on post. Now, this looks more or less like a hanging hook that you simply slide a toilet paper roll onto.
These are definitely the easiest to work with and the most user-friendly, but with that being said, the disadvantage is that sometimes toilet paper rolls can slip off of them. However, we do think that they actually look pretty nice.
Types of Toilet Paper Holders by Capacity
The final thing to consider here is how many rolls of toilet paper that the toilet paper holder in question can actually hold.
One Roll
If you are just one person or even a small family, then a one-roll toilet paper holder should be more than enough. Most home-based toilet paper holders are designed to hold one roll.
Two Rolls
If you are running a big establishment or just have a big family, then you may want to consider getting a dual roll toilet paper holder so you don’t have to keep adding new toilet paper every time one roll runs out.
More
If you own a large business that sees a lot of traffic, then you may want to get a commercial multi-roll toilet paper holder that can hold up to four separate rolls.
Summary
Now that you know quite literally everything that there is to know about choosing toilet paper holders, you should be able to choose the exact one that suits your needs the best.