Commericial Bathroom Partitions

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 $$
Angle (Hinged) Required when components do not meet in straight lines or right angles $$

via: Ironwood MFG