Toilet Seat Repair: Keep Your Seat Tight

Add rubber bushings and stabilizers to stop the wiggle

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Introduction

Tighten a loose or wiggly toilet seat with inexpensive rubber bushings and seat stabilizers. It's a 15-minute fix that'll last for years.

Tools Required

  • 4-in-1 screwdriver
  • Drill bit set
  • Drill/driver - cordless
  • Pliers

Materials Required

  • Toilet seat stabilizer kit
  • Toilet seat tightening kit

The basics of toilet seat repair

Forum reader “tank_military” asked for advice on keeping a toilet seat tight for more than a few months at a time. Another forum member advised that he change out the plastic toilet seat bolts to steel. We think that’s just a temporary fix too.

Here’s a more permanent fix. Buy a toilet seat tightening kit from Amazon. We’ll show you how to do it below.

Plus, save money by doing simple plumbing repairs yourself. These 10 plumbing fixes are completely DIY with basic tools and skills.

Project step-by-step (4)

Step 1

How to Fix a Loose Toilet: Install rubber bushings

Install rubber bushings toilet seat repairFamily Handyman

To begin remove the toilet seat nuts and insert the rubber bushings. Install the rubber bushing with the tapered side facing up toward the toilet seat. Then use the tightening tool from the kit to snug up the nut.

Step 2

Close-up of bushing kit, a toilet seat tightening kit

toilet repair bushing kitFamily Handyman

Rubber bushings slide on the seat bolt and the supplied tool helps with tightening. Get this kit on Amazon.

Step 3

How to Fix a Loose Toilet: Locate and install seat stabilizers

install the stabilizers toilet seat repairFamily Handyman

Then install a set of toilet seat stabilizers, such as Safe-T-Bumpers. Loop the rubber band around the toilet seat and center the stabilizers so they touch the inside rim of the bowl. Drill a starter hole and secure the stabilizers with screws from the kit.

Step 4

Seat stabilizers

toilet seat repair stabilizersFamily Handyman

Plastic stabilizers keep the seat centered on the toilet. They’ll eliminate loosening caused by side-to-side movement. Get these Safe-T-Bumpers on Amazon.

A plumber isn’t obliged to tell you it’s an easy fix… check out these 12 things your plumber doesn’t want you to know.