Hubby is getting a urinal in his toilet room off the master bath. Our architect says that he has put a urinal in all 7 of the last 7 homes he has designed. If you have the space, and if your wife doesn't have to look at it, go for it!

There was a urinal in our home when we first moved in. It and the toilet were in a small enclosure (4 X 6 or so) off of the master bathroom. I couldn't wait to get rid of it. As a woman, I think it looked disgusting and commercial. I have to admit that rationally, it is no more "gross" than a toilet, but I, and all of the women that saw it, hated it. Maybe it was worse because it was 2 feet from my knees while sitting on the toilet. So, I would say that a urinal is okay if it is in its own separate enclosure off of the master, separate from the toilet. Notice that pamelah also said "where your wife doesn't have to look at it". Even if there are no women in your home now who mind it, it is a factor for resale.

Men urinate standing up -- why should he be embarrassed about it? And why should his urinal have to be hidden away as if it is some kind of pornographic fixture?

Dinkledoodle, another forum member said it best, "There's a reason Men's rooms have urinals. They are far more convenient than aiming for a puddle in the middle of the floor. It seems that men can find bathroom conveniences everywhere EXCEPT their homes."

Not sure about lids. I mean isn't its objectively "grosser" sitting on a toilet seat than looking at an un-lidded urinal?

But if lids are a factor, certain models do come with lids.

Example 1

Example 2

KC.

I read a long article about why women hate urinals when we first started designing our house 2 years ago. I think it was in the New Yorker. The bottom line was women have gross recollections of deliberately- or by necessity- using a Men's Room which reeked of urine and other unpleasantries. So, when we see a urinal we get grossed out. Simple as that. I also think it would be exponentially more offensive to have to sit on a toilet facing a urinal a few feet away at my eye level. UGH.

Ugh - most women think urinals are disgusting because they splatter, and most men do not clean the bathroom (yes, I am perfectly aware there are exceptions). There is a reason men's room smell the way they do - the urine splatter has soaked into the flooring and cannot be removed. I would consider a urinal in my house only if:

1) It was in it's own separate bathroom with good ventilation
2) The flooring and walls were impermeable
3) The man of the house cleaned it every day so as not to ruin the room. Since my kids are out of diapers, I no longer clean up other people's urine.

My husband has suggested it many times since we have 2 young sons. I would consider it if they had their own bathroom away from where guests would see it (or me), but they don't so I have vetoed the idea every time.

There is just the "ick" factor and it would make resale harder (and I am a r.e. agent, so have some insight there). I also am not fond of bidets and have yet to find a buyer who professes an interest in one. Most say they would rip one out asap, in the thankfully rare cases where we see one in a house.

There is no delicate way to make a urinal look good. I vote strongly against them in residential houses. I know it may not be rational or logical, it just is.

I am sure men don't like standing in front of a toilet to urinate and look into a trash bin filled with rolled sausages of feminine hygiene productsÂseems like people are being a little selfish with their ews and yucks.

KC.

Covered trash here. Further, neither I, nor any female I know, have ever asked a man to STEP IN or SIT ON used feminine hygiene products, nor splatted them on the walls, nor left drips on the seat. Appropriately disposed-of items are not precisely the same thing as inappropriately splattered urine. Splattering a bathroom is not manly - it is more animal, like a dog marking a tree (I wouldn't let the dog pee in the house, would you?). Humans are fully capable of cleaning up after themselves.

aliceinwonderland_id, if you read the comments, you will see that most find simply LOOKING at a urinal offensive, hence my analogy.

Using a urinal does not necessarily entail splattering. Women hover in public restroom and splatter everywhere. It's all in how you use it.

KC.

Putting it in our master bath. Toilets are yucky for men, splashing, aiming etc.

PHARAOH, Thanks. Have you decided on a brand / model?

No, I havent yet. Probably a toto or duravit. I have only seen photos. I need to see it in person to get an idea how it will fit into the master bath. Saw an architect designed home recently that had a urinal in the master bath.

Having cleaned both men's and woman's public bathrooms, at least in the sense of public being a restaurant or an office, it has been my (limited) experience (but one that has been backed up by both male and female co workers), that at least in terms of public bathrooms, women's were equally, if not more, unkempt than men's.

That said, I would not want to sit on a toilet that put a urinal in close proximity to chest level.

All I can say is yucck to the idea of a urinal.

constantinople,
how about this one from toto? Affordable and not too commercial looking. The automated flush is pricey but nice.
It uses only .5 gpf! Wonder how complicated the plumbing is.

{{gwi:1468710}}

Nice design, still a resounding "no". Ugh.

I think this calls for yet another link to this site.....

Perhaps then, women would be more approving of home urinals....

My previous home had a small lidded urinal in the main floor powder room,
even after a large party/gathering, it was always fresh and clean, the aim must have been perfect. Or no one used it, I never asked, lol.... lol......

When we sold the home, I asked what people's reaction was to the urinal,
and he said once they knew what it was, it was not a big deal.

Constantinople - I saw an episode of Bathtastic on the DIY network that installed one and my DH was so jealous! It's a Sloan waterless version and it has a tiny cartoon bee to aim at (which apparently reduces spillage by 80%) - and it's odorless (uses a cartridge vs water). It's shown here w/ an instructional video on how the cartridge works. http://www.airdelights.com/waterfree_urinal.html

Diynewbie,

Thanks for the tip. I will try find that episode.

I have read some critical comments from plumbers about the waterless type, specifically that they end up with corroded pipes due to mineral buildup. I have also read complaints about the cartridges, that they are pricey. The regular water type supposedly avoids the pipe corrosion problem since the water washes the stuff away.

Anyone else know anything about the waterless type?