new toilet seat

[ProudGrandma]

We are remodeling our bathroom and when I went to the Menards site to look at my options.....who even knew that there are so many options...height, size of opening in the bowl, oval or round, one piece....two piece.....not to mention price...$88- $600....good grief!

 

So HOW in the world does one pick a new toilet bowl?  If you have had this opportunity and have some advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks.

[sheryl]

What a great question for a rainy (here) Sat. morning! HA!

 

We did replace our seat only a year ago.  The toilet is fine but we needed a new seat.  I just simply went to Lowe's and Home Depot and told the guy we needed a replacement.  Yes, there are oval, round, plastic, wood, etc.  My dh told me "how" it was connected on the back and I took that information to the store.  We needed an oval seat so that ruled out others.  Next, I learned of the pros and cons b/t plastic and wood.  We decided on wood (painted white, of course).  That left very few to choose from.  I learned about slow close or whatever it's called and thought that would be great!  No more banging toilet lids/seats onto the toilet!   :)    That's it.

 

I do think there's something about how it's bolted onto the toilet itself.  That's all I remember.  HTH!

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[liber]

Second the slow close seats and lids. I hate the sound of banging toilet seats.

[TechWife]

We replaced both toilet seats last year. We choose plastic as wood retains odor. 

[kroe1]

Dd13 wanted a new shower head and toilet seat for her birthday. She went for a very stylish wood seat that makes no noise when it closes. One cleans it with a damp, soapy cloth. It has stayed very clean with no odor and is about 10 months old.

[ProudGrandma]

I am actually replacing the WHOLE toilet...not just the seat...so I need to take into account everything from size to the flushing power (for lack of a better way to say it)....does anybody have any opinions on any of that?

[zoobie]

We picked one piece for cleaning ease. I just put two Toto UltraMax in the kids' baths we are renovating. They were cheaper on amazon than our plumber can get them (we get builder price because of BIL being contractor). I (and DH) prefer the ADA height/comfort height and elongated bowl.

I think this is it: TOTO MS604114CEFG#01 Ultramax II Het Double Cyclone Elongated One Piece Toilet with Sanagloss, Cotton White by Toto http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BYS5RE/

We put a Toto Guinevere in our bathroom two years ago. It's also a one piece. Difference is the styling.

Make sure the description says that it comes with a seat. They are standard with soft close seats and lids. I saw some listings that were cheaper but they didn't include the seat. Buying it separately made the total cost higher.

The Toto toilets come in 1.6 gal, 1.27 gal, and a brand new 1 gal. Some places the 1.6 doesn't meet water standards. We have not had any problems with the 1.27 clogging.

[ProudGrandma]

$400 is too much for a toilet for our budget...I am hoping for $250 or less.....am I dreaming that I might get a decent one for that?

[zoobie]

$400 is too much for a toilet for our budget...I am hoping for $250 or less.....am I dreaming that I might get a decent one for that?

Possibly a bit low. This guy's site has good reviews. You can also estimate how much you'll save with a good low-flow toilet in a year by looking at your water/sewage costs per gallon. http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm

[Lara in Colo]

I want the kind they have in the Costco restrooms-- Where you pull the handle up for liquid waste and down for solid waste-- you can conserve water without haveing to flush 14 times to get the poo down (which makes for MORE water waste)

 

[prairiewindmomma]

You can retrofit your toilet for dual flush. $20ish bucks and less than an hour of work. ;)

[Shelly in IL]

Here is the advice I have for you... Elongated bowl. The round bowl has a ledge where things get lodged on if you know what I mean.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Slow close toilet seats are one of the better innovations in the past several years. <3

[Ottakee]

We bought ours at Menards and they had a "flush rating" on each one.  I only looked at the ones with the top flush rating............WHY would you want one that is only a 4 when you can get a 10 for the same price?

 

We also went with the ADA height ones as my mother is in a wheelchair and FIL was disabled (passed away last year).  We also went with the elongated bowl which we like.

 

At our old house we had a wall mount toilet in the basement.  THAT was WONDERFUL.  So much easier to clean and you could just run the mop under the whole thing and not try to get all of those crevices, etc.

 

My suggestion is look at the handicapped height elongated bowl ones that have the best flush rating.  Seriously, ours was the top rated and one of the cheapest ones there and the plumber said it was a very good one.

[KungFuPanda]

We renovated the upstairs bathrooms and not the downstairs one. The 40-year-old toilet NEVER clogs. The 2-year old ones clog about once or twice a month. I tell clogging culprits to go #2 downstairs when possible. It's a system that mostly works.

[kbutton]

We were told that the special easy clean glazing that some bowls have is worth it. (We have hard water, and lots of mold in the air here, so that's a big deal.) Our plumber strongly encouraged us to order a toilet from one of his catalogs, and we did (Gerber). It's not installed yet, but it's an elongated, tall bowl that fits in the same space as a standard toilet.