Toilet seats buying guide

An integral part of any bathroom, ensuite or cloakroom design, your choice of toilet seat can have a massive impact on the look and feel of your space.

With so many designs to choose from, including different colours, shapes and materials, it's hard to know where to begin. Luckily, help is at hand. This buying guide will give you a brief overview of the toilet seats available at Victoria Plum, so you can make an informed decision.

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The Bath Co. traditional oak effect top fixing soft close seat brings a more natural element to your bathroom decor

Types of toilet seat

There are 2 main types of toilet seat: standard close and soft close. Let's look at these in closer detail.

Standard close toilet seats

A standard close toilet seat can be contemporary or traditional in style and can come in a variety of materials and finishes. They are easy to fit and can suit a wide variety of bathrooms.

Soft close toilet seats

This type of seat is designed to provide a gentle closing mechanism for the seat and lid so that it doesn’t bang against the bowl if you let go. As well as adding a feeling of luxury, it can also be a good idea for family bathrooms, helping to avoid trapped fingers.

Made from anti-scratch thermoset plastic, this D shape soft close toilet seat is a great choice if you're looking for something both hardwearing and stylish

Toilet seat shapes

We stock the following shapes:

Round toilet seats

By far and away the most common shape available, traditional toilets usually require a round-shaped toilet seat.

Square toilet seats

Usually found with contemporary style toilets, a square toilet seat (or, more accurately, a rectangular toilet seat) features sides which are roughly parallel.

D shaped toilet seats

A combination of the 2 toilet seats above, a D shaped toilet seat comes with a flat hinge edge and is most common with contemporary toilets.

Toilet seat materials

The toilet seats at Victoria Plum make use of several different materials, making it easy for you to find the perfect match for your bathroom.

Thermoplastic

This is one of the most popular materials for contemporary toilet seats and provides an attractive, hardwearing finish that’s easy to clean.

Duroplast (Thermoset)

The ultimate choice for a stylish, contemporary toilet seat, Duroplast (also known as Thermoset) is a deluxe polymer material that’s durable, hardwearing and will stay looking fantastic for years.

Engineered, moulded or solid wood

This a great choice for more traditional bathrooms, and comes in a choice of finishes to suit your style, including plain white and natural oak.

For toilet seats sizes large or small, look no further than the comprehensive range at Victoria Plum.

Read our blog post, where we look at toilet seat materials in greater depth.

Special features

Keep an eye out for these neat features when buying your toilet seat.

Smart toilet seat

With the Forum Mito multi-function smart toilet seat, you can transform your toilet into a hygienic smart toilet without breaking the bank. Available with or without a remote control, features include a heated seat with 5 adjustable temperature settings, front and rear warm water sprays (which can be set to pulsating or oscillating) for intimate cleansing, warm-air drying, automatic deodorisation for odour control, plus safe-to-use, waterproof buttons. A great option for those with restricted mobility, where maintaining personal hygiene may be a concern.

Quick release mechanism

Cleaning your toilet seat can often be tricky and pretty unpleasant. Many of our seats come with a quick release mechanism, which allows you to easily remove the seat from its hinges for simple yet thorough maintenance.

Fitting a toilet seat

Replacing a toilet seat is usually a simple process, as most have standard fittings and require basic tools such as a screwdriver. All the toilet seats at Victoria Plum come with full and clear instructions for easy fitting.

Read our article "How to fit a toilet seat" complete with step-by-step video.

If you’re selecting a new seat for an existing toilet, be sure to check all the measurements to ensure it will fit.

Read our article "How to measure for a toilet seat".

Toilet seats come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can never assume it will fit a "standard" toilet design.

Read our article "Are toilet seats a standard size?".

Toilet seat brands

If you have a specific brand of toilet, it is a wise idea to buy a toilet seat from the same manufacturer. We stock the following toilet seat brands:

Accents—A wide selection of replacement toilet seats, in a variety of on-trend colours and designs
Mode Bathrooms—Slimline design for a contemporary appearance
Orchard Bathrooms—A choice of modern designs, including a square and round shapes
The Bath Co.—Traditional toilet seat designs including a wide choice of finishes and colours to match The Bath Co. furniture ranges
Clarity—High quality, no nonsense toilet seats—ideal if you're working to a budget
Ideal Standard—Designed to match Ideal Standard toilets
VitrA—Designed to match VitrA toilets
Celmac Wirquin—High quality wooden toilet seats
Wirquin—High quality thermoset toilet seats
Forum—Smart toilet seats with high-tech features including heating, personal water spray, warm-air dryer and remote control