Although the lid for the toilet is just a companion accessory, but it provides convenience when using the bathroom, and many appreciate it. In addition, this is an important aesthetic component. Therefore, a potential buyer should not purchase the first model that catches your eye. Do you agree?
We will talk about how to competently approach the choice of workmanship, shape, size of seats for a very important sanitary attribute. The article we presented describes the design of the device and its popular varieties. Based on our advice, finding the right cover will be extremely fast, accurate and easy.
Features of the device cover
Today, manufacturers mass-produce both universal covers that fit most classic (oval) toilets, and model ones designed for their specific look.
Each such product serves to provide comfort to the user, to prevent moisture, bacteria, odors from entering the toilet. Why this type of equipment consists of two independent parts that perform different functions.
These include:
- seat - its task is to provide sufficient convenience;
- cap, eliminating the spread of odor, bacteria, moisture.
In addition, the entire structure must have aesthetic and hygienic properties.
To make the best choice, you should know that all equipment of the presented type is divided not only by shape, size, but also by a number of other features. This is done because the needs and perceptions of comfort among users are fundamentally different.
The lid of this toilet bowl is made of duroplast - a durable, modern polymer plastic with high decorative qualities
The following varieties of covers:
- Standard - Designed for adults without special needs.
- Special - they are produced for users with disabilities or for other categories. For example, there are folding models for travelers.
- Baby - this includes small-sized options made taking into account the anatomical structure of small users. For convenience on the road, they are even folding.
All of the above varieties to meet the needs of people are divided by a number of features. This allows you to take into account many nuances, and a potential buyer just needs to make the right choice.
Varieties of plumbing fixtures
Today, with a pre-installed lid on the toilet, only electronic models and hanging options are available. For ordinary plumbing products, the seat must be selected separately.
However, a person who wants to purchase such a product will not complicate this choice, since only a few factors should be taken into account when buying: dimensions, shape, material of manufacture, functionality.
That is, all that is required from a potential buyer is to combine the necessary parameters relating to four different groups together, and then it will turn out to be the best option for a product that will last a long time.
Why is cap size important?
The user should always remember that the covers are only, at first glance, similar in size. In fact, everything is more complicated - there are hundreds of variations of toilets and accessories for them.
To get the right model, you need to take measurements from the model you are using or from the toilet itself, this will help make the best choice
But everything is simplified by the universal rule for determining the size of the desired product. It indicates that the size of such a product should correspond to the dimensions of the toilet bowl or slightly exceed them. Moreover, the latter option is considered optimal. This is necessary so that the body does not come into contact with the cold and not always clean surface of the toilet.
Deciding on the size of the toilet seat is quite simple - to do this, measure the maximum width and length. And look for an identical option, taking into account the shape of the toilet used.
With the size of the attachment points, everything is even simpler, since the distance between them is always standard. Therefore, it equals 150 mm, which will avoid any mistake.
Form is always important
It should be remembered that the comfort of using the toilet depends on the shape of the lid, so you should be careful about it. When choosing, you need to look so that the product matches the dimensions of the toilet bowl and is convenient.
On sale there are covers of various shapes, for example, made in the form of musical instruments, frogs, ducks. But such design decisions do not always contribute to increased comfort, especially for protruding parts.
In addition, a load may be applied to the protruding sections of the structure, which they will not be able to withstand for a long time, which will lead to premature failure of the cover.
Creating a template will help to avoid mistakes when buying. For this, a piece of polyethylene, paper or cardboard is applied to the installed toilet bowl and its contours together with fasteners are drawn as accurately as possible. The resulting drawing needs to be cut out - it will be more convenient.
Today, the industry offers a huge selection of forms of covers, but before buying it is worth making sure of their practicality, reliability
When choosing a cover, the workpiece should always be with you and, applying it to the sample you like, choose the best option. You can also take a photo of the toilet bowl or the old cover, which together with the measurements will also help to make a successful purchase.
All of the above indicates that you should not choose the shape and size you like among the whole variety of options. It will be correct to select the specified parameters for the corresponding characteristics of the existing toilet.
Production material - the key to durability
Strength, wear resistance, functionality depend on the material, which directly affects the life of the purchased cover. Additionally, antibacterial properties and comfort depend on it.
For example, precisely because of this, metals are not used for manufacturing. They are always cool, which does not add pleasant sensations when the body comes in contact with steel, aluminum and other similar materials.
In view of the listed features, the covers are made of the following substances:
- plastic;
- duroplast;
- PVC
- wood and other lumber.
Since any type of raw material has its positive and negative sides, a potential buyer needs to get acquainted with each of them. Or after the acquisition, all sorts of surprises are possible, most often disappointing.
Budget option made of plastic
Plastic has only one important advantage - its low cost. At the same time, all the technical characteristics are mediocre. In addition, it is susceptible even to mild mechanical influences, therefore, its most loaded part, the attachment to the toilet bowl, often breaks.
Plastic covers do not shine with aesthetic qualities, reliability and do not provide the necessary comfort, but they are affordable, and therefore in demand
Relatively low are the decorative qualities of this material. The level of comfort is also ranked among the minuses of any plastic cover - they are the coldest of the rest.
All of the above indicates that a plastic accessory should be treated as carefully as possible and only in this case will it last a long time and will have a decent appearance.
Optimum cover material
With a high degree of certainty, it can be stated that duroplast is by far the best material from which covers are made for all kinds of toilets. Although it is also plastic, but it belongs to high-tech modern products. This is confirmed by excellent performance.
So, duroplast is durable, therefore, it easily withstands significant mechanical loads, including shock. In addition, it does not respond to the effects of many chemicals.
In the photo, a duroplast cover with a microlift. This combination gives the user everything you need: comfort, durability, high aesthetic qualities
Aesthetic qualities are also high. Duroplast looks like ceramics, and it also shines the entire period of use, creating the impression of purity and novelty.
Performance characteristics make it possible to equip covers with additional equipment that adds comfort when using:
- micro lift;
- auto discharge;
- water heating;
- other functions.
And the polymer plastic from which duroplast is made is often mixed with antibacterial additives. Such a solution during the entire operation provides the caps with high hygienic qualities, and this is a significant advantage over other types of materials.
PVC base and soft top
All caps with a soft top were given the name PVC because of the base material, because in fact, the frame of the structure is hard plastic, duroplast, and foam provides softness. The product is multi-layered, which ensures use at high rates of comfort. This option is at its height and aesthetics.
Any PVC cover is characterized by high decorative qualities, practicality, but its service life is short, which is a significant minus
In addition, the PVC coating material perfectly repels moisture, is easy to clean and always looks like new. But such an idyll will not last long - polyvinyl chloride wears out quickly, so the seams diverge, scuffs appear. As a result, such a product will often have to be changed.
And you need to know that it is not worth repairing the PVC cover, since the decomposition process cannot be stopped. Attempts to reanimate coverage will not lead to anything - time and money will be wasted. Typically, the service life of any PVC-coated cover does not exceed a moderate 3 years.
Expensive and not always practical tree
We can definitely say that wood, particleboard, MDF are environmentally friendly and warm materials, that is, they provide sufficient comfort in contact with the body. Otherwise, such covers cause a dual impression on users.
As for the service life, it directly depends on the level of the manufacturer and the quality of the materials used. That is, a wooden lid can be quite durable, attractive and comfortable.
But in many cases, everything is exactly the opposite, so the service life of such products does not exceed 5 years. This happens due to poor-quality treatment with moisture repellents, as a result of which the tree begins to rot after contact with moisture.
In addition, aesthetic qualities and comfort are often mediocre. And the products from the tree itself, in addition, are quite heavy and can even cause injury to the child or damage to the toilet.
You also need to know that a wooden lid will be an appropriate design decision if other elements from this material are used in the decoration of the bathroom. In other cases, such a product will look inappropriate.
The wooden cover should be combined with other elements of the bathroom decoration or it will be just an alien and eye-cutting object
And wooden equipment is much more expensive than its plastic counterparts, and for many potential buyers this is also a weighty argument to refuse to choose a lid made of wood.
A purchased plywood product will provide only durability, as it has an impressive margin of safety. All other characteristics are below any criticism, in addition, sets in the form of a seat and a cover do not make of this material, because it is suitable for the manufacture of only seats.
A few words about product functionality
Modern covers are capable of providing not only the performance of traditional operations, which significantly expands their capabilities.
For example, a microlift has become far from uncommon. Its task is to lower the lid without any harsh and unpleasant sounds, which are a depressing feature of many toilet accessories. Additionally, this mechanism protects structural elements from damage.
Multifunctional products equipped with a bidet, a control panel, and other technological solutions are becoming increasingly popular.
With their help, the user is able to adjust the temperature of water heating, activate all kinds of functions, including washing, draining. It is also easy to control the height of the lid, program its automatic closing, opening, and set other commands.
How to choose a cover?
The first item when choosing a fixture should be a check for compliance with the size of the toilet. This point is especially relevant in view of the fact that the standardization of such equipment is rather arbitrary. This feature can lead to annoying errors. As mentioned above, the best option is if the product is slightly larger than the toilet itself.
A children's folding lid can be useful both at home and on a visit or on a trip. Its advantage is that manufacturers take into account the features of this category of users.
Next, you need to address the issue of strength, because only it will provide durability. For this, they pay attention to the quality of materials, read reviews about the selected model, and also make sure that there are no damages, which can be cracks, chips.
In addition, the following points should be monitored:
- Comfort to use. This applies not only to a suitable shape, but also to checking the sharpness of the closing sound - it annoys many users. Additionally, it is worthwhile to pay attention to checking for the presence / absence of roughness, nicks, because such defects are a significant minus.
- Functionality, which should fully meet the requirements of potential buyers themselves.
- Aesthetics. The cover, in addition to what future owners should like, is required to fit into the interior of the bathroom.
If the buyer can allocate a round sum for the purchase of a cover, then you need to look at the multifunctional products, as they are able to provide a much higher level of comfort than traditional equipment.
DIY installation features
The procedure for installing the cover is quite simple, so you can easily cope with it yourself. And without using any special and rare tool.
First remove the old cover. A wrench of the appropriate size or pliers will help to cope with this, if it is attached to the toilet with plastic or brass bolts. The listed fasteners are not subject to corrosion, so it is easy to unscrew them.
Removing the old cover may be the most difficult stage of work, but there are many simple ways to unscrew the rusted bolts
Next, you need to clean the toilet shelf from traces of dirt. To install the purchased cover, use plastic or brass fittings. This is done due to the fact that steel products in the wet environment of the bathroom quickly corrode.
Installing a new cover consists in baiting and tightening the connection, that is, it is a very simple operation that any owner of this item will handle
At the next stage, you need to place the purchased cover on the toilet and make the cooked screws. Further, the connection is simply delayed, after which the work is considered finished.
If you purchased a multifunctional device, then the owner will definitely have to use the services of professional installers.
The following article, which we recommend reading, will familiarize you with the selection rules and the installation guide for the toilet bidet.
The first video will provide an opportunity to better understand the types of lids for the toilet:
The following material describes how to choose the right cap size:
Choosing the optimal cover is quite simple. All that is required for such a procedure is a small amount of knowledge and attentiveness, because such products are not subject to strict standardization.
And this leads to the fact that the market has a fairly large number of sizes and shapes of lids for toilets. Installing a new accessory in the workplace will be easy.
Tell us about how to choose and install a seat for your own toilet. Share what has become a decisive argument for you in your choice. Please write comments in the block below, post a photo on the topic of the article, ask questions.