This article covers some basics of commercial bathroom stall design, emphasizing material, configuration, and hardware options.
Commercial Bathroom Stall Design
Designing commercial bathroom stalls involves many objectives, including:
- Privacy: Privacy is essential in commercial bathroom stalls.
- Aesthetics: The stalls should match the overall design of the restroom while complementing the theme of the building.
- Durability: Commercial bathroom stalls must be appropriately sturdy for the expected use.
- Accessibility: Bathroom stalls must be accessible for people with disabilities and compliant with relevant codes, such as the ADA.
- Hygiene: The design should be easy to clean and maintain.
- Costs: The design needs to be in line with the project cost objectives.
Successfully factoring these objectives into your toilet partition design requires knowledge of the available options.
Bathroom Partition Material Considerations
| Material | Suitable For | Sample Applications | Advantages | Relative Price |
| HPL (High Pressure Laminate) | Typical Use | Hotel, Restaurant, Theater | Wide variety of colors and patterns; relatively low cost | $ |
| Compact Laminate (Phenolic) | Hard Use | Public School, Gym, Store | Wide variety of colors and patterns; moisture resistance; durability | $$ |
| Wood Veneer | Light Use | Law Office, Nice Restaurant | Natural beauty; stain to match | $$$ |
| Quartz | Typical Use | Museum, Casino, Church | Natural beauty; homogeneous throughout; moisture resistance; durability | $$$$ |
| Solid Surface | Typical Use | Airport, Hotel | Beauty; moisture resistance; homogeneous throughout; repair-ability | $$$$ |
| Metal / Stainless Steel | Typical Use | Store, Theater | Low cost; quick availability (limited color options) | $ / $$ |
| Solid Plastic (HDPE) | Hard Use | Public School, Gym, Store | Durability; homogeneous throughout; quick availability (limited color options) | $$ |
Partition Door Style Considerations
Note that panels can also be built in these styles.
| Door Style | Features | Relative Price |
| Flat Panel (Slab) | Clean, single plane look; lowest cost. | $ |
| Louver | True stile and rail construction; overlapping louver slats for privacy; optional midrail | $$$ |
| Molding | Standard or custom profiles; least expensive upgrade | $$ |
| Captured Panel | True stile and rail construction; inexpensive upgrade | $$ |
| Captured Panel with Molding | True stile and rail construction with panel edge molding | $$$ |
| Barn X | Distinctive look; true stile and rail construction | $$$$ |
| Door Lite – Frosted Acrylic | True stile and rail construction; translucent acrylic insert | $$ |
| Door Lite – Designer Insert | True stile and rail construction; semi-custom acrylic or glass insert | $$$ to $$$$ |
| Engraving | Engraved pattern on flat component; standard or custom design | $$$ |
| Inlay | Inlaid material on a flat component; standard or custom design | $$$ |
| Custom | Custom laminate, custom shape; custom combination of any options | $$$ to $$$$$ |
Partition Mounting Style Considerations
| Mounting Style | Advantages | Disadvantages | Relative Price |
| Headrail Braced | Structural stability; lowest cost | Visible headrail hardware (powder coating or headrail material choice can reduce this) | $ |
| Floor to Ceiling | Structural stability (if ceiling height is not over 10′) | Requires backing in the ceiling; more pilaster material required | $$ |
| Floor Mounted | Aesthetic appeal of aligned component tops | Floor must accommodate 3″ deep holes; poor structural stability which may require extra pilasters; poor privacy | $$$ |
| Ceiling Hung | Aesthetic appeal of aligned component bottoms; ease of cleaning | Ceiling allthread required, poor partition stability – may require extra pilasters | $$$ |
Partition Height Considerations
The height of commercial restroom partitions has the greatest impact on privacy.
| Door / Panel Heights | Considerations | Relative Price |
| 58″ | Traditional height; requires at least 12″ floor gap below to give reasonable privacy at the top; least expensive | $ |
| 71″ | Modern privacy norm; typically combined with 9″ floor gap, but smaller gaps are possible; watch for ADA requirements | $$ |
| 84″ | High privacy; watch for ADA floor gap requirements; watch for lighting and fire suppression requirements | $$$ |
| Custom | Custom height to meet design requirements; some heights (like 61″ or 73″) have poor material yield and can be surprisingly expensive | $$ to $$$$ |
Toilet Partition Hardware
Toilet partition hardware options include materials, finishes, privacy, and functionality. The range of selection in each of these areas is limited.
Hardware Material Options
All necessary hardware thicknesses and lengths may not be available in certain materials, which may limit project-specific options.
| Material | Finish | Properties | Considerations | Relative Price |
| Cast Stainless Steel | Brushed Semi-Shiny (Silver) | High strength | *Most components are available; no full-length brackets; can powder coat | $$ |
| Stamped Stainless Steel | Brushed Semi-Shiny (Silver) | High strength | *Most components are available, full-length available; can powder coat | $ |
| Die Cast Zinc (Zamac) | Polished Bright Shiny (Silver) | **Medium strength | *Most components are available; no full-length; no powder coat | $ |
| Aluminum | Clear Anodized (Gray) | Medium strength | Usually paired with HDPE material; full-length available | $ |
* “Most components are available” means wall brackets, hinge brackets, strikes, keepers, latches, hooks, stops, and door pulls are typically available in this material.
** Zamac is not suitable for large or heavy components.
Hinge Hardware
| Hinge Type | Considerations | Relative Price |
| Surface Mount | Compatible with zero sightline system; visible on outswing doors | $ |
| Vault Pivot | Distinctive visual style; not suitable for heavy doors; swings in or out; visible on both sides of the door | $$ |
| Full Length | Suitable for heavy doors; blocks line of sight into stall on hinge side | $$ |
| Inset Pivot | Distinctive visual style; not suitable for heavy doors; swings in or out; visible on both sides of door | $ |
| Concealed | Inset into door and pilaster; small gaps on hinge side of door; minimal gap with no sightline into stall on hinge side | $$$$ |
| Continuous Geared | Suitable for very heavy doors, such as quartz or solid surface; no self-closing feature included in the hinge | $$$$ |
Other Door Hardware – Strikes, Keepers, Slide Latches, Pulls, Bumpers, Hooks
| Hardware | Details | Price Range |
| Strike and Keeper | Selection is usually determined by the manufacturer based on the material and option choices for the bathroom stall partitions | $ |
| Slide Latch | Range from simple sliding bars to mechanical indicator latches to electronic latch/indicator combinations | $ to $$$ |
| Pull | Range from basic “D” type pulls to long and sometimes pricey bar pulls | $ to $$$$ |
| Bumper | Range from single function to combination hook and bumper | $ |
| Hook | Usually simple , but there is a broad market and a wide range of possibilities | $ to $$ |
Bracket Hardware
| Bracket Type | Considerations | Relative Price |
| Stirrup | Suitable for most partition applications; least expensive; leaves gaps between components | $ |
| Continuous (or Full Length) | Suitable for larger, heavier panels and pilasters; eliminates gaps; larger visual presence | $$ |
| Angle (Hinged) | Required when components do not meet in straight lines or right angles | $$ |
We’re Happy to Help
If you would like to discuss any of the above or have questions, feel free to contact us at Ironwood.