How To Hide Pipes Behind a Toilet (7 Easy Ways)

The sight of pipes behind a toilet may not suit the overall decor in your bathroom. Also, you may not want the protruding pipes if you’re aiming for a seamless appearance where all the fixtures should be flawlessly flush. Naturally, you have to figure out how to hide the pipes behind a toilet.

Here are 7 easy ways to hide pipes behind a toilet:

1. Consider painting the pipes for a chic appearance.
2. Use aesthetic pipe covers to complement the decor.
3. Position houseplants strategically to hide the pipes.
4. Buy or design a bespoke vanity or storage cabinet.
5. Install pipe chases if the alignment is conducive.
6. Box in the pipes around and behind a toilet.
7. Build a fake wall to hide all the pipes behind a toilet.

Bathrooms don’t have identical designs, and thus the plumbing alignments vary based on the layout of the essential fixtures. So, you have to shortlist the suggestions in this guide, depending on the pipes’ layout behind your toilet. Compare the 7 easy ways and select the best option. 

1. Consider Painting the Pipes for a Chic Appearance

Concealed plumbing is ideal for many themes, but you can work with exposed pipes to develop an elegant appearance. In recent years, exposed pipes have become vogue in many parts of the world. Also, you don’t necessarily abandon a preferred theme or type of decor.

Exposed pipes are considered an industrial design element. However, you can paint the pipes in your bathroom or behind the toilet to blend with or contrast the overall decor. 

For instance, an art deco-style bathroom can have painted, exposed pipes behind the toilet. You may opt for the color of copper, chrome, or another hue you like, whichever will suit the palette you choose for the bathroom. 

I remember watching a video of Stranger Things star David Harbour’s loft in New York. His chic bathroom has exposed copper pipes for the bathtub, and they look fantastic. 

Here’s that Architectural Digest video if you want to check it out:

Inside David Harbour’s Custom-Renovated New York Loft | Open Door | Architectural Digest

If you can paint the exposed pipes behind your toilet, you have an affordable and simple way to accentuate the decor. Besides, you won’t need to hide the pipes if they look great. 

2. Use Aesthetic Pipe Covers To Complement the Decor

Using aesthetic pipe covers is another affordable way to hide pipes behind a toilet. You can use anything from ropes to faux flowers and plants or other decorative covers to wrap the pipes. Some avant-garde home designers have even used embroidered pipe covers for an eclectic touch!

Other designers have opted for bamboo covers or themed covers such as candy cane stripes for a kid’s bathroom. The only limit is your imagination. The bathroom decor can serve as the color palette or theme for choosing such pipe covers. 

3. Position Houseplants Strategically To Hide the Pipes

The pipes behind a toilet may not have much space between the fixtures and the wall in many homes. So, you cannot readily wrap aesthetic covers or fake vines. If that is the case, you may consider houseplants. 

You can choose a tall houseplant with sufficient foliage to hide vertical pipes behind the toilet. If the pipes run horizontally near the floor behind the toilet, you can get short houseplants with shrubby foliage. There are enough houseplant varieties for you to find the perfect species. 

4. Buy or Design a Bespoke Vanity or Storage Cabinet

One of the most effective ways to hide pipes behind a toilet is a vanity or storage cabinet. But it isn’t an inexpensive solution. Readymade cabinets with shelves may not be a natural fit for your pipes or their alignment. And a bespoke tallboy or highboy will have a steep cost.

Hence, weigh your options by comparing the suitability, features, and costs of different furniture for the toilet and the pipes behind it. 

Take the example of this Spirich Shelf Over-The-Toilet (link to Amazon). The bestselling storage cabinet is specifically meant to save and utilize the space over the toilet. But it can also conceal the pipes. However, you have to check if this serves your purpose.

Another example is the AOJEZOR Small Bathroom Cabinet (link to Amazon). This vanity cabinet with doors and shelves has a slender profile. You can place these organizers and space-saving storage cabinets on one or both sides of the toilet. Also, you may stack them if needed. 

The eventual choice boils down to the pipes’ alignment behind the toilet, decor, and budget. 

5. Install Pipe Chases if the Alignment Is Conducive

Homeowners often opt for Pipe chases to conceal unsightly plumbing. A pipe chase is a false wall built to enclose pipes. You can consider a partial pipe chase for the portions behind the toilet. However, you may have to tweak the standard chases to suit the pipes and their alignment.

A pipe chase can be ideal if you have a line or more behind the toilet along the corner of a wall. Also, you may get a second chase for the other corner so that the first one doesn’t look odd.

6. Box in the Pipes Around and Behind a Toilet

A pipe chase has similarities with the concept of boxing in plumbing fixtures. But you cannot use a pipe chase for a secondary purpose. In contrast, you can box in the pipes behind the toilet to enable you to create shelves. Also, an elaborate design can offer storage space. 

Sometimes, boxing in only a portion of the wall behind the toilet may look odd. So, you can have a larger design to extend the woodwork or boards to other parts of the wall. Like the faux chase in the corner without any pipes, your box work can be uniform or symmetrical. 

Watch this video if you plan on boxing in the pipes behind your toilet:

How to make removable toilet pipe boxing

7. Build a Fake Wall To Hide All the Pipes Behind a Toilet

Last but not least, install a fake wall to hide every pipe behind the toilet. This option is basically a much larger version of boxing in the pipes. Also, building an entire faux wall isn’t inexpensive, even in a relatively small bathroom. 

Having said that, an extensive alignment of pipes behind the toilet may be beyond the scope of other ideas. In that case, a concealing wall will eliminate the need for further design alternatives. 

Key Takeaways

Consider painting, decorating, or modifying the pipes behind a toilet for an easy and affordable solution. Otherwise, get some houseplants and cabinets or boxes in the pipes. If you consider the faux wall idea, plan for some storage space and access panels in addition to hiding the pipes.

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