Choosing the Right Toilet Seat and Toilet Seat Care

Choosing the right toilet seat for your toilet is more complicated and more confusing than many people realize. Then again, you may have already come to this conclusion...so you arrive here and are looking for some assistance...

The two most common sizes for toilet seats are Round (also known as Regular) and Elongated. A round seat is approximately 16-1/2 inches long, while an elongated seat is about 18-1/2 inches in length. These measurements can be found on this handy Toilet Seat Sizing Guide. It should be noted that toilet seats are measured from the center of the hinge to the front of the seat with the lid closed. This is important as your measurements may be off by an inch or two if you are only measuring the seat or lid!

Another common seat measurement is the bolt distance: the distance from the center of one hinge/bolt to the toilet seat or the distance between the bolt holes. Most toilet seats will have a bolt distance of 5-1/2 inches -- this is essentially the current industry standard.

Finally, caring for your toilet seat is rather simple. Most seat manufacturers recommend cleaning your toilet seat with warm water and dish soap. This is because harsh chemical cleansers, bleaches, and scrubbing agents can cause the paint on wooden seat to bubble and peel and discoloration of plastic toilet seats.

Here is a list of commonly asked questions and answers regarding toilet seats; an FAQ of sorts, from PaulSupply.com:

Let’s talk about color, please. How can I make sure I get the correct color?
The easiest way to get the correct color is with Church’s Color Direct Toilet Seat. When you purchase the Color Direct Kit, you are paying for a toilet seat (Either the 300TC Round Front or 380TC Elongated Front) and shipping and handling up front. However, before you get the actual seat, you receive a color booklet with Church’s entire color catalog of 94 colors. The kit allows you to compare the colors with that of your toilet seat (this is much easier than holding your monitor next to the toilet bowl!) and walks you through the sizing and ordering of your seat. It’s quick, simple, and ensures that your new seat matches the color of your toilet perfectly.

I have an off-white toilet, but I am not sure if I need Biscuit, Natural, Bone, or Almond. What’s the difference between them?
First, they are, in order of lightest to darkest: Biscuit, Natural, Bone, then Almond.
Eljer toilets were only manufactured in the colors Biscuit or Natural. Meanwhile, Kohler toilets were made in either the Biscuit or Almond colors. Mansfield toilets, on the other hand, are available in the Biscuit, Bone or Almond colors.
A better interpretation of these colors would be: Biscuit is comparable to the color of an egg shell – only slightly darker than pure white. The Bone and Almond colors could be considered beige in nature. When deciding between these two colors, check to see who manufactured the toilet and eliminate one of the choices based on their color history. The Natural color is essentially Bone or Almond with a mild pink undertone.

How do I measure my Toilet Seat?
Toilet seats are sized with two measurements: 1) The bolt distance describes the distance between the center of the two holes where the seat attaches to the toilet bowl and 2) Length is measured from the tip of the front to the center (between the two bolts/holes) of the rear.

How do I know if I need an Elongated or Round/Regular front toilet seat?
A few simple measurements will allow us to determine whether you require an elongated or round front toilet seat. Common measurements for elongated seats are a bolt distance of 5 ½ inches bolt distance and 18 ½ inches in length. A round seat is 5 ½ inches bolt distance and 15 ½ inches in length.

What if my bolt distance is greater than 5 ½ inches? Or, What seats will fit my older American Standard toilet? Or, My bolt distance is 10 inches, now what?
Some toilets have a bolt distance of 10 inches. The 10 inch bolt distance is common for American Standard toilets and does require a different seat. We carry three seats for American Standard toilets with a bolt distance of 10 inches: EL270 - Elongated Seat, Premium Plastic ; LC212 - Elongated Seat, Premium Plastic ; NW209E10 - Regular Seat, Molded Wood .

Wait, my bolt distance is not 5 ½ or 10 inches, it is 7 inches. What do I do now? Or, Which seats will fit my Case toilet?
Case toilets have a 7 inch bolt distance and a length of 19 inches for round front toilets or 20 3/8 for elongated fronts. If you have a Case toilet, you need to look at the 800CCP (fits Case 1000) - Regular, Premium Plastic or 1900CCP (fits Case 1100) - Elongated, Premium Plastic.

I have an Eljer Emblem toilet, which seats will fit? Or, None of these seats look quite like the one I have…can I still get the correct seat from you?
Of course we have a toilet seat for you! If your toilet seat does not look like any of the other round or elongated front seats you have seen and instead appears to be squared-off in front, look to see if it says “Eljer” anywhere on your current seat or toilet. If it does, the solution is simple: All you need to do is determine whether your toilet is elongated or regular front, decide if you want a wood or plastic seat, and then check out our Eljer Emblem Toilet Seats!

What’s the difference between wood and plastic seats? Why is wood cheaper?
Wooden toilet seats are cheaper as they tend to wear at a more rapid pace than plastic seats. With time, wood seats will crack or their paint will chip. Wooden seats are also more prone to denting than plastic.

What in the world is a Coralink toilet seat? How is it any different than premium plastic?
Good question! There is a seat manufactured by Church which is made with Coralink plastic, it is called the Alesio. The Coralink plastic is much heavier and sturdier than premium plastic toilet seats. It has unsurpassed surface durability and is scratch and scuff resistant. Furthermore, the Alesio seat is entirely fireproof and is more resistant to harsh chemicals in cleaners. The coloring is solid and evenly distributed throughout, so any scratch or scuff does not show up as a different color. Also, the Alesio has a load capacity of 500 lbs…and it still looks and feels more like porcelain than any other plastic.

Does my new seat come with installation hardware, or do I need to keep my old hardware?
All toilet seats shipped out of our warehouse come complete with installation hardware. Feel free to discard the old hardware!