Last Updated on January 18, 2022 by Toilet seat replacement is one of the most common bathroom repairs involving the toilet. A toilet seat will either be made of plastic or wood and are hence susceptible to breakage. The up and down movement of a toilet seat is responsible for most toilet seat breakages especially when the seat slams hard on the bowl. 
To replace a toilet seat, remove the old seat by loosening the mounting bolts using a screwdriver while holding the wingnut underneath with your hand. Clean the bowl and install the new seat making sure you keep it aligned to the bowl, by tightening the bolts alternatingly and gently to prevent cracking the bowl.
Before buying a replacement toilet seat, making sure that you measure your old toilet seat, Toilet seats are either round or elongated and although you can easily tell them apart, always measure if you are not sure. To replace a toilet seat with hidden bolts, pry off the tabs covering the bolts using a flathead screwdriver or knife to reveal the bolt heads.
Now use a screwdriver to loosen the bolts while holding the wingnut under the bowl with your other hand. In summary, replacing a toilet seat involves the following 4 easy steps:
- Remove the old toilet seat.
- Measure for the new seat.
- Buy a replacement seat.
- Install the new toilet seat.
Can I replace a toilet seat myself?
Posted on Monday 5th August 2019, updated on Wednesday 2nd February 2022 Installing or replacing a toilet seat is a fairly straightforward job. Whether you’re replacing your loo seat because it’s old, damaged or you want a new style; all you’ll need are some basic tools. Fitting a toilet seat is often one of the easier and quicker DIY jobs in your bathroom, and can be done in a matter of minutes.
Will a plumber change a toilet seat?
Deciding Which Home Repairs to Tackle Yourself – Unless your parents enjoyed fixing things around the house, you probably don’t know what repairs are worth trying yourself versus calling for help. Here are general recommendations to help you decide what you want to do personally versus those jobs where it pays to call a home professional. 
Will you need (and want) to do this job more than once as a home owner?Are the required tools affordable, and even better, useful for many different jobs?Are the materials needed easy to find? Are the materials and/or products inexpensive so buying a second or third product when the first installation doesn’t go smoothly is affordable?
A trick I learned from my husband was to buy all possible products and parts on your first trip to the store, returning unused items once the repair is completed. This will save you time and stress by avoiding 3, 4 or more trips when you don’t have the part you need.
Can the job be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time? For instance, replacing a toilet seat will take a handyman or plumber between 10 and 15 minutes while it might take you several hours the first time, i.e. when you buy the wrong shape seat and need to make a second trip to the store.
How do I measure my toilet seat size?
Round or Elongated? – Every year our Customer Service team takes calls from people who need to know what size toilet seat they should buy. It’s a good thing they ask, because toilet seats are designed to fit one of two bowls: round or elongated. A round toilet seat absolutely won’t fit an elongated bowl, and, as you may have guessed, the opposite is also true.
- What to do about this? Grab a tape measure and a way to record what you find and let’s get started.
- As we said, toilet seats come in two sizes: round and elongated,
- Every toilet seat is one of these two, indicated on its packaging.
- Using a tape measure, determine the distance between the center of the mounting holes in the back of the toilet.
The standard measurement for this distance is 5 ½”, with a midpoint of approximately 2 ¾”. Place the hook of your tape measure at the midpoint and measure to the outside edge of the toilet bowl rim in front. A round toilet bowl will measure approximately 16 ½” in length.
What is standard toilet seat size?
Things to Remember: –
Always measure at the widest or longest point – except when measuring bolt holes, which should be measured center to center Double check the dimensions of the toilet seat you intend to purchase with your measurements before purchasing to ensure they are relatively close Typical bolt spread: 5-1/2″ Typical width: 14″ – 14-1/2″ Typical round length: 16″ – 17″ Typical elongated/extended length: 18″ – 19″ Toilets are not stepstools! For safety reasons, NEVER stand or squat on your toilet bowl or toilet seat,
