Do you have any advice on how to better fasten a toilet seat?

Q: The plastic nuts that hold the seat onto our toilet keep breaking. I’m worried that if I use metal nuts and washers, the porcelain might crack when I tighten the connection. Do you have any advice on how to better fasten a toilet seat?

A: Try using well nuts, which have a flanged rubber bushing with a brass machine nut molded into one end. When you tighten it over a screw, the brass nut causes the insert to expand, making a secure connection. The rubber bushing will tighten against the porcelain with little risk of cracking it, and will also help isolate noise and movement of the seat.