Bathroom stalls are essential elements of a public toilet. They provide users with much-needed privacy in a facility that is otherwise public. This article explores the various components of a bathroom stall and the various configurations that allow these components to function effectively.
Hardly anyone considers learning more about bathroom stalls unless they are required to do so, maybe because there is a need to sell or install them. Anything other than that, the only time anyone would want to know more about a bathroom stall is if it was covered in graffiti.
Bathroom stalls provide a safe, private place for restroom users to carry out their business in an environment that is for public use. It may not appear so, but a great deal of effort goes into properly building bathroom stalls and Commercial Restrooms Concrete Sinks and Countertops so that they serve their function effectively. A standard toilet stall is composed of many components, and if any of these components are designed or would be installed incorrectly, the user’s protection and privacy inside the bathroom stall can be jeopardized.
The Different Components of Bathroom Stalls
Headrails, pilaster shoes, pilasters, brackets and hinges, panels, latches, and doors comprise bathroom stalls. These components function in tandem to protect bathroom users against snoopers.
Architects and contract workers must adhere to ADA codes when designing and preparing the installation of these components. There are many requirements regarding public bathroom dimensions that need to be taken into account. These codes are followed to ensure that such potential problems do not occur:
• The bathroom stall door should not make contact with the toilet bowl.
• There must be adequate space between both the bathroom stall door as well as the toilet to allow users convenient legroom while using the bathroom.
• It is important to eliminate gaps among the panels, the pilasters, and the doors. Any gaps must be kept to a minimum.
• Bathroom stalls must have adequate room for the user to move about – in other words, enough space for anyone to enter and leave the stall.
Headrail
The headrail is the partition’s highest point. In public restrooms in the United States, the headrail will only be attached to the stall’s pilasters. The headrail, the panels, and the door should all have a very minimal gap between them.
However, this arrangement is unusual in UK public bathroom layouts. Usually, headrails are attached to both the panels and the pilasters, leaving little to no gap between them.
The minimal gap that can be seen in the US design is intended to facilitate proper ventilation inside the bathroom, ensuring that no unpleasant odors or gasses accumulate in a single stall.
Pilaster
The pilasters are known as the bathroom stall’s “legs” or “columns”. These are the only pieces of a bathroom partition that touch the ground in the majority of public bathroom layouts. This creates a gap between the partition door and its panels as well as the floor. As is the case with the distance between the headrails, panels, and doors, this little gap allows for improved air circulation inside the bathroom.
Additionally, the gaps in these stalls are helpful in the case of an emergency. For example, if there is a fire, one can escape safely by crawling through the little gaps at the bottom.
Pilaster Shoe
Pilaster shoes are essentially considered the anchors that secure the pilasters to the ground. They work in conjunction with the brackets to prevent the bathroom stall from wobbling or even collapsing.
Pilaster shoes are typically made of stainless steel since they must be sturdy and robust in order to preserve the upright and stable position of the bathroom stalls. Pilaster shoes could also be made with Zamac and come in all sorts of finishes.
Hinge and Bracket
Public bathroom door hinges must be extremely sturdy to secure the stall occupant. This helps avoid unwanted stall door opening. Even if a door’s latch has a mechanism that incorporates an “occupied” function, some individuals overlook this feature and still attempt to pry open these doors. Together with the latches, hinges assist in keeping these doors locked even under the most strenuous of pulls.
On the other hand, brackets secure the bathroom stall panels to the restroom walls, providing extra support to the stalls.
Panel
The panel will be what divides the bathroom stalls. This component of the bathroom partition is really what ultimately secures each stall’s privacy. To do so effectively, they must be built of durable materials. The following are some of the most frequently used materials for bathroom stalls:
• Plastic Laminate
Plastic laminate is created by immersing thin Kraft paper layers in an ample amount of melamine resin. This is then hardened by subjecting it to high pressure and temperatures.
Plastic laminate stalls are available in a variety of colors and patterns. It is quite easy to customize. Before it is saturated and hardened, the decorative paper could be used as the topmost layer – on top of the Kraft paper’s initial layers.
The best advantage of all, this material is the least expensive of all the bathroom stall materials that are available.
• Solid Plastic
Solid plastic is referred to as high-density polyethylene or HDPE. It is a robust, moisture-resistant product that would take a great deal before it can be destroyed.
Vandalism is not an issue with HDPE bathroom stalls because they are resilient to slight scratches or even graffiti.
• Stainless Steel
Not only do stainless steel partitions appear to be solid, but they also appear to be luxurious. Owing to its sleek look, this material is often in high demand.
• Phenolic
Solid phenolic is one of the best materials used for bathroom stalls. It is manufactured from several layers of Kraft paper that have been fused with an ample amount of phenolic resin using an extreme heat and pressure process.
Despite its higher cost, this material is favored because it effectively safeguards stalls from vandalism. It is also resistant to water and graffiti.
Door and Latch
Lastly, the bathroom stall’s door and latch. These safeguard the user’s security by preventing the door from being accidentally opened by other restroom users.
Latches come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Simplistic public restrooms are usually fitted with only a bolt lock mechanism on their bathroom stall doors. The stall lock is another common form of lock. Stall locks are available with either a slide or a mechanism known as the thumb turn lock.
The majority of architects and contractors prefer indicator locks for bathroom stalls because they provide a greater measure of protection for users. These indicator locks have an “occupied/vacant” indicator that alerts other bathroom users when the stall is currently occupied or vacant.
Leave a Reply