Have a seat. Take a break. Relax as we take a moment to look over some of your options for your new toilet seat. As someone who retreats to my own royal throne as a place of refuge (and, thus, usually spends much more time there than is necessary), I understand the importance of purchasing a toilet seat that is comfortable. As someone with small children who absolutely despise following directions, I also understand how important it is to find one which is durable and built to last.

Further down this page, I have included information about some of today’s best toilet seats. I collected information on these seats based on their popularity among consumers. I tried my best to ensure that there was at least one seat of every sub-type of toilet seat I could imagine so that you can find the most popular seat of your desired style. First, however, let’s take a quick look at a few things you may want to consider before purchasing your toilet seat.

Buying Information

There really isn’t all that much to be said about purchasing a toilet seat. Some of the other products we’ve featured on this website are such large decisions and carry such different weight for different people that we have even devoted entire pages to explaining what you should consider when thinking about making a purchase.

When we consider toilet seats, there is really only one major concern – will it fit your toilet? Think about it for a moment. As long as it fits your toilet you are heading in the right direction. Of course you will have preferences in terms of what will match the décor of your room and what you find comfortable. What is most important, though, is that it is the right size.

As we move through the toilet seats (and lids) on this page, you will see that we’ve categorized them based on things such as comfort, color, and material. I’ve also decided to include sizes in the titles for each toilet seat so that you can just go ahead and skip over those which you are certain will not fit your own toilet.

Best Elongated Slow-Close Seat
Mayfair 148SLOWA Molded Wood Toilet Seat

If you are in search of a slow-closing wood toilet seat I would like to direct your attention to this wonderful option from Mayfair. Of course, if you are looking for one of the rounded variety, you may want to continue your search – this one has been designed for those with elongated toilet seats. If you are one of those rounded toilet people you will be happy to hear that the round version of this particular toilet seat is located just below this review.

Personally, I love a good wooden toilet seat. It stays warm and is rather comfortable on the rear end. When made well they are also very easy to clean. Consumers have repeatedly been impressed with this particular toilet seat in terms of both comfort and quality.

One thing I’ve traditionally disliked about wooden toilet seats is how loud they slam closed. Personally, I am always careful to slowly lower the lid so that it doesn’t slam, but I realized many moons ago that my children simply cannot grasp that simple concept. Not only can this be annoyingly loud and startling in the middle of the night, it has actually led to a split or two in the wood as impact of the lid or seat slamming down has caused cracks to form. Let me tell you that a splinter in the bottom is no fun whatsoever.

Therefore, I love the fact that a slow close system was built into the hinges of this toilet. A person would have to forcefully and purposely slam this seat down rather hard to overpower the slow-close system. As long as no one sets out to purposefully break this seat, it will close slowly and quietly each and every time.

The overall visual design of this seat is very basic. Its lid features no design, with the tiny exception of a rounded edge. You can purchase this seat in a total of three different colors – white, bone, and biscuit/linen. If you are looking for a natural wood finish you will have to look a little further down our page.

Best Round Slow-Close Seat
Mayfair 48SLOWA Molded Wood Seat

Did you like the idea of the slow-close, whisper quiet wooden Mayfair toilet seat listed above but found yourself disappointed that it was elongated? If your toilet is round and you liked the toilet seat listed above you will be happy to hear that this Mayfair toilet seat is almost exactly the same, except that it has been built to fit a round toilet instead.

If you have already read the review for the elongated version of this toilet seat above I suppose there really isn’t much left for me to say. Just like the elongated version, this round toilet seat comes complete with a lid. Both the lid and the seat itself are connected to specially-designed hinges which ensure the top closes slowly and quietly each and every time, so long as no one tries to purposefully slam it down.

Like the elongated version above, this one is relatively basic in terms of style and is available in a total of three colors – white, bone, and biscuit/linen.

Best Slow Close Plastic Seat
Kohler K-4636-0 Cachet Elongated

It appears that slow-close options are my favorite in the land of toilet seats, does it not? I mean, I have chosen to place a whole bunch of them directly at the top of this page. Let’s be honest, though, if this is an option for a toilet seat which will fit your toilet and happens to be made of the material and in the design that you like, why on Earth would you ever choose any other option? I mean, if you ask me that would just be ludicrous.

I realize that I made a commitment to include the size of the toilet seat in the title attributed to that particular toilet seat and have failed to do so for this toilet seat. That is because it isn’t listed anywhere with a particular measurement. That being said, I can understand why. Despite the fact that round toilets are often created in varying sizes, elongated seats tend to come in a one-size-fits-all style. I believe, then, that it is safe to assume that this particular seat measures approximately 18.5 inches in length and should fit just about any elongated toilet.

If you are a fan of the durability and easy-to-clean properties of plastic and are looking for a plastic toilet seat with a very basic, flat lid you will be quite satisfied with this Kohler seat. Kohler is a big name in home renovations; from the bathroom to the kitchen they’ve been providing important pieces to the hearts of the home for many years and have gained a lot of respect for their quality craftsmanship. I have no doubt that this seat will stand the test of time for you and your family.

Let’s take a quick moment to discuss color option before we move on to another toilet seat. I feel this is important because I was nearly floored by the number options which come with this seat. Whether you are looking to outfit a traditional Victorian bathroom, a shabby chic space, an industrial domain or any other style you can imagine, it is almost guaranteed that you will find a color option which will match your design palette. The available colors for this particular toilet seat/lid combo include white, dune, biscuit, almond, innocent blush, ice grey, sandbar, cashmere, thunder grey, and black.

Best for Potty Training
Mayfair 83SLOWA Next Step Toilet Seat

If you are trying to help your child learn to use the toilet, an option such as this one is just what you need. This Mayfair toilet seat is both a regular toilet seat and a potty training toilet seat. You won’t have to worry about making space for a potty in your bathroom or adding and removing a specially-fitted child-sized seat over top of the regular seat.

This seat has a specially-sized potty seat for children built into the hinge system. You can choose to lift only the lid, exposing the regular seat with the child seat sitting on top of it. If you are using the toilet yourself, you can lift the child seat up so it can rest on the open lid as you use the adult-sized seat.

I haven’t included a size in the title for this toilet seat because, as you can see from the title, it is available in more than one size. Designed to fit either a standard 16.5 inch round toilet or an 18.5 inch elongated toilet, you are almost assured that one of these options will fit your toilet just fine.

Offering a little bit of variation in design styles, this seat is available in white, bone, or biscuit. Though it doesn’t offer the same number of color options as many of its competitors, I doubt that many people will be overly disappointed with these three options. Chances are that one of these options is much more likely to fit in with your décor than any potty you will find in your local department store.

Best Round Plastic Seat
Bemis 800EC000 16 Inch Toilet Seat

Earlier, we looked at a slow-close plastic seat, but that seat was elongated. Though I am a huge fan of slow-close toilet seats and lids I have to say that, of all the round plastic toilet seats we looked at while researching for this page, we found that the most popular one (this one) did not have a slow-close hinge system. Since I made it my mission to bring you only the best of the best, I decided to take my own preferences and opinions out of the equation and report back to you with this extremely popular round plastic toilet seat.

Measuring in at 16 inches in length, this round toilet seat should fit most standard round-bowl toilets. However, it should be noted that many round-bowled toilets feature different sizes of bowls. Another popular size is 16.5 inches. Measure your own toilet bowl or previous toilet seat before committing to purchasing this particular seat.

I am sure you are wondering what makes this seat so popular. To be honest, at first glance nothing seems to stand out as making it an exceptional option. With the absence of things such as interesting designs, embossed patterns, or a slow-close hinge system, I am left with only one reason for its popularit – quality. Clearly, based on its sales and positive reviews, consumers have found this to be a reliable, durable seat with high quality hinges.

Best Natural Wood
Mayfair 19401NI 658 Solid Bamboo Toilet Seat

If you are going for that cottage appeal you may be in search of adding as many natural wood tones to your space as possible. Personally, I love the look of a natural wood toilet seat. In fact, I love this appeal in almost any style of bathroom. It certainly has its place in many contemporary designs, as well as Victorian and other traditional design styles. I also find that there is little which can beat the feel of a well-polished wooden seat.

This particular seat has been constructed of bamboo. In case you haven’t noticed, many things are beginning to be crafted of bamboo. Toilet seats, countertops, and cutting boards are being built with this solid, strong, and durable wood. Bamboo is one of the most difficult types of wood to cut through and scratch, making it one of the most germ and bacteria-resistant types of wood available today.

Whether you are hoping to fit this seat atop your round toilet or your elongated toilet, you will be happy to know that both options are available. Of course, the size of round and elongated toilets varies, so it is probably a good idea for you to measure your own toilet to be certain that one of these seats will fit.

Best Cushioned Seat
Mayfair 113000 Deluxe Soft Elongated Toilet Seat

For some people, the comfort of molded plastic or carved wood just isn’t enough to bring them comfort as they sit atop their toilet seat. My own brother-in-law claims that only a cushioned toilet seat is good enough for his half-an-hour-long visits to the throne. I can’t say that I blame him for retreating from his five children behind that one lockable interior door of his home. I also can’t say that I blame him for wanting a comfortable seat to sit on while he is in there.

This soft cushioned seat features a plastic base covered in foam, wrapped in tough, durable plastic. I know that cracking and peeling are often a problem with this type of toilet seat. It is for this reason that I was hesitant to even include one on this list. “You have to have one on there!” my brother-in-law insisted as I joked about the matter one day. He had a point. If he is such a fan, surely at least some of you are also fans. It is for you that I found the most popular cushioned option.

Obviously nothing lasts forever. One cannot expect a flexible plastic coating to last forever. This type of toilet seat will, inevitably, have a shorter lifespan than the hard plastic and wooden options. Still, if comfort for your rear end is a most important concern for you, you will be happy to know that consumers have reported that this seat is very durable, as cushioned seats go.

Best Heated Seat
Brondell L60-EW LumaWarm Heated Nightlight Toilet Seat

Want to talk about luxury in the bathroom? In researching for this website and my own home renovations, I really thought that I had seen everything there was in bathroom luxury as I looked at steam showers, saunas, and color-changing water faucets. Little did I know that I would come across a toilet seat fit for use by the Queen.

I’m not even sure where to begin when describing this particular toilet seat. I suppose that the first thing I should say is that is has been built to fit an 18.5 inch elongated toilet. Okay, now that we got that part over with, let’s get into the good stuff.

Have you ever sat down on a cold toilet seat and received quite a shock by the temperature? Certainly it would be much nicer to sit down on a perfectly warmed seat. With the simple push of a button, you can set the temperature of this molded plastic seat to three different heat settings.

Reminiscent of an old infomercial, I am tempted to begin this paragraph by saying “But wait, that’s not all!” Not only does this seat heat up, it also features slow-close hinges that ensure that the top will never slam closed. To top everything off, it also has LED lights which light up your toilet bowl. As someone who has a lot of trouble getting back to sleep after turning on the bathroom light in the middle of the night, this sounds like a wonderful option.

The Seat for Your Throne

You may not sit on your toilet all day long (the way many of us do with an office chair), but the fact still remains that you will sit on it multiple times per day. It is important to find one you believe is comfortable and meets your desires in terms of interior design. Hopefully we’ve been able to help you do just that with this page.