Toilet Seat Buying Guide
You might think choosing a new toilet seat is easy, but when you're confronted with the endless style and colour choices you might find yourself not knowing where to look. That’s why we’ve come up with this handy toilet seat buying guide to answer all your questions.
Soft close toilet seat
Soft-close toilet seats are perhaps the most common type of seat in our days, because of their safety and lack of noise. With a slow close feature, it means no more trapped fingers and what’s more, no loud noises in the night or early morning, making them perfect for a busy family home.
Soft-close seats, however, can take their time to close and when in a rush it can be a pain waiting for the seat to close before flushing the toilet.
Standard close toilet seat
A standard close was once the most popular type of toilet seat but even though the soft close seat has come into fashion, a standard close toilet seat is perfect for those of us that still like to physically close the seat. What’s more, unlike soft close toilet seats you can close the seat instantly, meaning no waiting for the lid to slowly close before flushing the toilet.
Toilet seat material
Toilet seats not only come in a variety of shapes and designs, they also come in a wide range of colours and materials, from more traditional wood designs to antibacterial thermoplastic. You’re guaranteed to find the perfect toilet seat for your bathroom in a large collection, here at Plumbworld.
Wood
A wooden toilet seat is a perfect fit for more traditional bathrooms, giving a classic feel. Wood can also help to create a natural feel to an otherwise potentially plain and sanitary room, adding some warmth to your décor.
Plastic
Plastic toilet seats are the most common choice for bathrooms around the world, most likely due to their easiness to clean. There are many different types of plastic used to make toilet seats. Some are made from thermoplastic, a resin used to increase the durability of your toilet seat, helping it to withstand day-to-day use in a family household.
Others however are made from polypropylene, an equally hard wearing corrosion resistant plastic material, making it highly durable.
Some plastic toilet seats even feature anti-bacterial properties helping to protect you and your family from germs such as Salmonella, Listeria, MRSA, and even E-Coli. Whilst others feature special UV protection, helping to prevent your toilet seat from discoloration over time, especially useful for bathrooms with windows.
Toilet seat shapes
Coming in all shapes and sizes it’s essential you choose the correct toilet seat to fit your toilet. Keep reading to find out more.
D shape
D-shaped toilet seats are perfect if you’re looking for something a little different from a classic round seat but don’t want to go as far as a square toilet seat. The name speaks for itself, a D-shaped toilet seat is as you might have guessed a similar shape to the letter D.
Square
If you’re looking for something a bit different then a square toilet and toilet seat might be the way to go. Square toilet seats are fast becoming a popular option in modern and contemporary bathrooms, creating a wonderful standout feature.
Round
Round toilet seats were at one time the most common type of toilet seat but as people move towards more contemporary bathrooms, square and even D shape toilets are becoming more popular.
A round toilet seat tends to curve round from the seat fixings to form a classic curved finish.
Toilet seat fixings
Toilet seats come in a couple of different fixings, top and bottom fix, but how do you know which one will best suit you?
Let’s face it, cleaning the toilet isn’t the most glamorous of tasks but it has to be done. So, the question is how you can make it simpler. Well, look no further than a quick fix or easy clean toilet seat.
A quick-release toilet seat does exactly what it says on the tin, it allows you to fix and remove your toilet seat quickly and easily. This makes it perfect for creating easy access to both your toilet and toilet seat when completing the weekly or daily toilet clean.
Top fix toilet seats are in most cases very similar to quick release toilet seats, as they provide easy access for cleaning and only take a few seconds to remove.
Bottom fix toilet seats on the other hand provide a more permanent solution to fixing your toilet seat to the toilet. To fit you will need to secure the toilet seat in place using bolts, therefore a bottom fix toilet seat isn’t suitable for use with wall-hung or back-to-wall toilets.
Types of hinge
Toilet seats come with a variety of hinge options and materials, one of the most common these days is plastic, however for a sturdier solution you can still get seats with stainless steel, brass, and even zinc hinges.
Plastic hinges are mainly seen on soft close plastic toilet seats, matching the colour and material of the seat.
On the other hand, stainless steel, brass, and zinc hinges can be found on both plastic and wooden toilet seats. As these are more robust materials, they tend to last longer than a plastic hinge so if you are looking for a toilet seat with strong hinges that are going to really stand the test of time, especially in a family bathroom then metal hinges might be best for you.
Coloured toilet seats
If you’re looking to give your bathroom a more colourful feel, then why not choose a coloured toilet seat. They come in a wide range of colours from smart and classic navy blue to bright red and even pink. So, if you're looking to match your toilet seat with the rest of your bathroom décor then take a look at our range of coloured toilet seats.
Matching bathroom furniture
Some of our toilet seats can even be matched with our bathroom furniture such as vanity units and bathroom cabinets, making it simple for you to create a truly beautiful bathroom.
For information toilets and toilet seats take a look at the following posts - How to Replace a Toilet Seat - Are Toilet Seats a Standard Size? - How to Measure for a Toilet Seat.
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