Choosing the right toilet seat for your bathroom is not a minor decision. The level of comfort and efficiency your toilet seat offers can set the tone for how you begin your day and interaction with your bathroom. A detail as minor as the overall toilet height or seat shape can either make your toilet time a comfortable experience or cause discomfort every time you vist to the bathroom.
Like all of us, you have not put enough thought into the type of toilet seat that perfectly suits your needs until now, and you do not know how exactly to make the best choice. Rest assured. Our bathroom remodeling experts and designers at Reico Kitchen & Bath can help you with your entire bathroom project, right down to selecting the right toilet seat for you. This blog post will walk you through toilet seat essentials, including parts and components such as the toilet seat cover mechanism, materials, shapes, and sizes, as well as more luxury custom features, such as ergonomic preference and heated seats with adjustable temperature controls. To find the best toilet seat, here are the features to consider to make an informed buying decision:
Toilet Seat Material Options
There are more varieties of toilet seat material in the market than you might realize. However, regardless of the type of the material there are two primary factors that determine your perfect choice: comfort and durability. Here are the different kinds of toilet seat materials:
-
Plastic toilet seats are the regular choice for most people. They are non-porous, resist wear, chips, and most stains, and are suitable for any bathroom. You can find a plastic toilet seat in more colors than just white to select a color that harmonizes with your bathroom décor.
-
Wood toilet seats either come in solid wood or engineered wood components, providing a luxurious earthy appeal that comes with the appearance and texture of wood. They are finished with sealants to make them airtight, watertight, and durable for the sanitary conditions. They usually come with plastic hinges, which allow you to detach the seat for cleaning ease. Natural wood offers more personalization. From matte and glossy finish options to varieties of stains, wood toilet seats are popular for homeowners who want a personalized touch in their bathroom. You can even customize, creating patterns and designs that complement your overall bathroom theme.
-
If you have a preference for eco-friendly home fixtures, you will want to know that not only are polyresin seats practical and aesthetic, but they are also made of organic materials. Polyresin toilet seats are lighter in weight than wood and plastic toilet seats. More aesthetically appealing than plastic toilet seats, the quality often depends on the manufacturer you buy from. They are quite decorative and also come in varieties of colors and designs.
-
Duroplastic toilet seats are even more scratch-resistant, withstand harsh cleaning materials, to remain as good as new after long years of use. The strong links between the individual molecular chains of Duroplast chemical properties make Duroplastic toilet lids highly germ-inhibiting and resistant to breaking.
-
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is another eco-friendly toilet seat option. It is created out of compressed wood fibers that are made durable with sealer and finish.
Seat Cover Mechanism
The cover mechanism in your toilet seat will influence how you interact with your toilet. These cover mechanisms come in two types, which are:
-
Most of the toilet seats we come across and the ones many of us have at home are the standard-close toilets. Irrespective of the design, material, and finish, a standard-close toilet seat simply opens and closes manually. If you have small children, you can almost here the slamming of the toilet seat as we speak.
-
Soft-close technology has extended to the toilet seat! Soft-close toilet seats use an automated closing mechanism to prevent the seat cover from smacking the bowl, eliminating the unpleasant loud noise when letting go of a standard close toilet. A soft-close toilet seat adds a touch of luxury and safety. They are highly recommended for families with toddlers to avoid minor accidents, such as trapping fingers between the toilet bowl and seat.
Toilet Bowl Seat Shape
Besides the classic round shape, toilet bowls come in other shapes with unique characteristics that fit different needs. The following are the various shapes of toilets that you may want to consider:
- Round toilet seats are the most commonly used toilet seats in our everyday lives. They are affordable and accessible in the market.
- Like the letter U, the U-shaped toilet seat has an opening at the front. The U-shape feature prevents urine from staining the toilet seat or allows a user to avoid touching more of the seat then they have to. All these work together and help reduce people’s exposure to toilet germs.
- The elongated type is slightly longer than the round or U-shaped toilet seats, looking more like an oval shape. The toilet shape itself differs from the standard, offering comfort and style and comes in a range of colors.
- This seat mimics the shape of a square, which makes them stand out versus your typical round-like forms. They are unique, effortlessly adding a touch of luxury to your bathroom theme.
- A D-shaped toilet seat is a classic combination of half-square and half-round shapes. If you want a minimalist touch of modern luxury in your bathroom, the D-shaped toilet offers an exciting appeal that is more subtle than its square toilet seat counterpart.
Seat Color
Depending on the toilet seat material, toilet seats come in colors ranging from neutrals and earthy shades (such as gray, wood-brown, white, and beige) to colorful hues (such as pink and teal). The color of your toilet and all its parts can influence your bathroom's overall ambiance and aesthetic.
During your consultation with us at Reico, our expert bathroom designers will show you a standard color palette to help you make an informed decision concerning your preferred choice of color.
Custom Toilet Features
Aside from the essential functions that toilets have been designed to perform for centuries, toilets now offer some custom feature that impact your seat and your seat! solely to fit your unique lifestyle or luxury desires. The following are examples of custom toilet features:
Raised toilets
Raised toilets, or comfort height toilets, have toilet seats that sit higher than a standard toilet, allowing for easier access up and down. Users who fit the following categories usually find them very useful:
- Extra tall people
- Senior citizens
- Persons living with disability
- Recovering patients
Heated toilet seats
A heated toilet seat can make your bathroom time more cozy and comfortable during winter and all year round if you like. It provides adequate warmth that prevents the cold shocks that come with sitting on a cold surface.
Soft toilet seat
Soft toilet seats are padded with soft materials to cushion the buttocks. This makes them more comfortable than the traditional plastic toilet seat. In addition to the softness and gentleness, a soft toilet seat can also provide warmth on cold mornings.
The Bottom Line
While there is a lot to deliberate when choosing a toilet seat, at the end of the day the whole decision process is to ensure that your final choice meets your personal needs and matches your aesthetic preference and the overall design theme of your bathroom.
Here at Reico Kitchen & Bath, our experts have years of experience with minor bathroom upgrades and complete bathroom remodeling. With the knowledge we have gathered from servicing clients across Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and the surrounding areas of New Jersey, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and South Carolina, we ask the questions about your lifestyle and how your bathroom will be used to best assist you in choosing the right toilet seat and everything you need for your bathroom.
We will handle all the details of the process, from product selection and material sourcing to installation. Contact us today to get started!
