Bemis Toilet Seats
Bemis toilet seats are made by the Bemis Manufacturing Company, based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin – the world’s largest manufacturer of toilet seats.
The Bemis toilet seat story begins in the 1930s, when the company decided to diversify and take up a new product line in the aftermath of the Depression. With the acquisition of toilet seat making machinery, patents and dyes, the company quickly grew in this field during the years before World War Two.
With the outbreak of the conflict and the call for materials for war production, Bemis found it increasingly difficult to find supplies of brass for the hinges they had previously been manufacturing for toilet seats. They managed to turn problem into an advantage by developing new hinge mechanisms made of plastic – and this innovation enabled them not only to survive the war years but also stake a position in the toilet seat market.
The new Bemis hinges have helped the company maintain its pre-eminence in this field as technology for injection-molded and compression molded plastic production has advanced.
Nowadays, Bemis toilet seats are made in plastic, wood and also molded composite wood which offers the advantage of strength, along with the durability of various finishes, including enamel paint. They are available in dozens of different colors, and a swatch or color kit is available to allow consumers to find a precise match. The company’s expertise in seat hinge manufacture has allowed them to develop a range of product functions, such as slow, quiet closing seats, self-closing seats and others.
People wishing to replace the hinges on a Bemis toilet seat will normally purchase a new seat with already hinges built into the unit. It’s important to ensure that you’re buying the right size of seat, depending on whether your toilet is a regular round shape or is elongated. The seat will be shaped to fit the size and contour of your bowl.
11 Comments
i have a white round rope toilet seat that is still manufactured by Bemis and the seat hinge is broke. How ever it is not moulded or fixed to the seat top or base! As such it came supplied as a separate part inside the packaging. I now find it ridiculous that Bemis and and the supplier provide no spares for the seat stating that all seat hinges are fitted warm when clearly this one is not.↲The Bemis rope seat looks almost brand new however the hinge that operates the lid being made of plastic as sheared and broke. I have now removed the hinge easily ready for replacement but find now they dont supply hinges. Clearly a bad decision on their part to make money from consumers when trying to sell them a new complete seat which is not required. When will it be when companies put customer satisfaction first before profits. On this occasion it appears that once the seat is sold all they want you to do is sit on it like their customer service. Time to look for another company I think that deal better with customers.
I have a similar situation as eljay above and the comments reflect my feelings towards Bemis.
I purchased three wooden toilet seats (Westport Model) with chromed hinges. Urine has caused the chrome to come off the hunges. Now instead of being able to replace the metal hinges (which are screwed into the wooden seat), I’m told that I must replace the whole toilet seat. Include me on the list of VERY dissatisfied customers of Bemis toilet seats.
Toilet seat users of the world UNITE! It is time to throw off the yoke of Bemis tyranny and their non-replaceable hinges!
Yo,yo! Same situation as Brian D. I called Bemis today and got the same story, no replacement hinges available for the Westport wooden seats. I’ll proly remove the hinges, wire brush’em and paint. What do you think?
Bemis has no customer service, thus far. I have been contacting them for over a month by email. After 7 emails, I have not received even one reply from the company. I have had two toliet seats from Bemis that have discolored after 5 months with following their cleaning directions. I’ll give them a few more days before contacting the Better Business Bureau.
Funny how the better brand item (usually the one that costs more) really isn’t any better than the rest. Reticules that I should have to spend to buy an entire new toilet seat cover over a hinge. Imagine if we had to purchase a new car over some faulty hood hinge? Wake up Bemis, before your greed sinks your empire!
Three years ago I bought 4 beamis seats with the nice chrome hinge.
On every one of them the chrome is almost completely peeled off. I called Bemis and they say only a one year warranty with no replacement hinges availble. They say I should use only a mild soap and water to clean the seat. Who does that? I, like half the rest of the world probably, use Comet! And really not too much and I rinse afterwards too. They are using a very poor quality chromed white metal and have the audacity to expect everybody to change their cleaning habits to suit their seats, when in reality the hinges should be designed to survive the cleaners they might come in contact with. The old make it look like it’s the customer’s fault trick!
I have a 50′s house with regency blue and venetian pink toilets (too expensive to remodel);
The plastic hinges simply sheared on a two-year-old wooden venetian blue seat–on the seat portion of the hinge by the screws–suggesting the screws were over-tightened.
Forget even picking up a cheap seat–I had thought about buying a cheap Bemis seat with chrome hinges–tossing the seat, keeping the hinges–and using them. The plastic is very brittle even though it is only two years old! Peeled chrome may at least stay together.
I can’t see pre-paying for a color kit when I still have the box–and color–from the last one. If I do–it is over $80 by the time I am done with NY sales tax.
By the way, Bemis, Mayfair, Church, and Westport are all Bemis.
I took have two Bemis toilet seats with slow closing hinges. The one in chrome is all tarnished and peeling due to urine hitting it. Seems to me that those hinges would be of stainless steel or some other alloy that would be impervious to urine hitting them. Further why is it that we consumers can’t find hinges to replace them with. This throw-away mentality on the manufacturers part sucks big time!!!!
My 1.5 year old toilet seat has the hinges falling apart too! No more Bemis!!! I will find another way/brand to solve this problem…