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What to Look for When Buying a Toilet

Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 11:31 am  
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Are you wondering what to look for when buying a toilet? Well there are a few things to consider.

  • Color: You can find a toilet in any conceivable color to fit a bathroom, everything from white to pink. If you can’t find it at the store ordering one is just as simple as doing a little online research.
  • Style: There are two main types of toilets, round and oval.  This is simply just a style choice as both of them work exactly the same. All that matters is what will look good in your own bathroom.
  • Design: If you’re eco friendly then you have a few toilet choices. The first and most common is a low flow toilet. It uses much less water than a traditional one.  Moving up the price scale there are toilets that expand on the low flow principal. Popular in Europe are dual flush toilets. Luckily they are becoming more and more popular in the US.

A dual flush toilet has two buttons on the top of it, one for solid waste and one for liquid waste. Flushing a liquid takes much less water than a solid so why waste the extra water when you don’t have to?

If you’re seriously concerned about the environment you can find composting toilets. These don’t use any water but instead naturally degrade the waste.  They aren’t widely available though and you’ll have to check the local building codes first to ensure you can install one.

Color style and design are what to look for when buying a toilet. You can find one that will suit any household need. Installing a new toilet is a simple task that can be accomplished in under an hour. All you need to do is pop the old one out and put in the new one.


What to Look for When Buying Faucets

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 11:21 am  
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Buying faucets is easy. There are all sorts of different styles out on the market. The real choice just comes down to what looks best in your home. Here are a few tips on what to look for when buying faucets.

First thing you need to do is look for a well-made faucet. Go with a name brand. They typically have better construction than the cheap knock off units sold as store brands.

As far as style goes you can go with either independent hot cold handled faucets or a combined single handle unit with a built in spray nozzle.

Also on the style side of things you can go with a swan necked long faucet or the more traditional straight ones.

Any type of finish will look good with proper care. Brass fittings take a little bit more upkeep so look for one that has an extra finish coat applied to it to make your cleaning easier.

You can go with chrome or brushed nickel finishes as well whatever choice will look great as a faucet  in your bathroom.

When looking at how the faucet is built if you’re concerned about the environment then you’ll want to go with a low flow water faucet. Low flow faucets use less than half the water of regular faucets. A wonderful feature of a low flow faucet is that they have aerators built into them. This means you still get the same feel of water pressure without wasting all that water.

There are only a few things to look for when buying a faucet. You want good construction first and foremost. Next is what style will work in your kitchen or bath.  Low flow faucets help save the environment. Finish and style are all up to you and your style choice in the kitchen or bath.

Review: The Bottomless Bath or Deep Water Bath

Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 10:57 am  
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deep-water-bathIf you are like most people, you love the idea of a luxurious soaking tub. Kicking back and feeling your body engulfed in nice warm water is heaven! Sadly it may be something you only think you can get in a spa or luxury resort.

While your tub is big enough for you to lounge back, you can’t get the water deep enough to make it feel like it’s a real good bath because as soon as the water gets to the overflow drain, it stops filling and a good portion of your body is out of water.

Now you can stop the overflow drain from doing it’s job just long enough for you to enjoy a little more depth in your tub for that well needed soak.

In many tubs, the overflow drain stops water from coming into your tub about half way up the tub. That’s a lot of open space that could be filled up to make you the perfect soaking bath. With the Deep Water Bath , you can push the plastic cover right over the overflow drain to let it fill up past that line. A set of suction cups holds it in place.

What We Like

  • This is a very economical solution to a long-standing problem in regular tubs.
  • This is an easy solution to an old problem, just push it in place and it’s ready to work for the whole bath.
  • It’s clear. That means when you put it on the side of the tub or elsewhere to store it after the bath it is not an ugly eyesore piece.

Some things to consider:

  • The suction is not as strong as we would like and sadly it doesn’t take much to dislodge the unit, ending that relaxing soak.
  • It needs to be regularly cleaned or it stores up soap scum and can have mildew.

See what others are saying at  Amazon.com


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What to Look for When Buying a Bathroom Vanity

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 1:19 am  
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brussels-double-bathroom-vanityBathroom Vanity Cabinets – Design the Right Ones for Your Bathroom

Bathroom vanity cabinets are an essential element to most bathrooms.  In fact, it is often one of the first things we notice when entering a bathroom.  The quality and style of the bathroom vanity cabinets can immediately give a good or bad first impression.

For many homeowners, the cabinets are something they picture in their minds more than any other element.  The cabinets and the countertop chosen for the bathroom are among the most important.

There are a few key things to look for when buying a bathroom vanity.

A new vanity can rejuvenate any rundown bathroom. It’s a cheap easy spruce up that can be finished up in only a weekend.

So what are some of the things you need to know before buying a bathroom vanity?

The first thing to look for is style. Only you know exactly what look you’re going for. Do you want a minimalist single sink on a pedestal or a full-blown counter top with drawers and cabinets? It’s up to you to figure out what works best in your particular bathroom set up. The vanity can completely change your bathroom look.

Bathroom Vanity Cabinets – Wood & Finish

One of the first decisions you have to make about your cabinets is the material you want them made of.  You have many choices including wood, glass, metal, and some non-traditional materials as well.

The most common choice for bathroom vanity cabinets is wood.  You want to choose the wood finish you like the most.  You can go with a dark cherry finish; you may prefer a lighter tone like a walnut; or a very light tone like a white pine.  The key is choosing the style of wood you like the most.

In addition to the wood, you will also want to consider the hardware.  Sometimes we forget to put much thought into the hardware selection, however, it is important.  There are many different finishes including: brass; bronze; nickel; antique bronze; antique brass; as well as many other finishes.

Bathroom Vanity Cabinets – The Sink & Countertop

In addition to choosing the material and finish for the cabinets, you want to also consider the sink, faucet and countertops.  They should all look good together rather than look like a collection of mismatched pieces.

The countertop is an element that will give people an immediate opinion of your bathroom.  A cheap countertop will make your bathroom look cheap.  You want to get the best quality countertop your budget allows for.  Consider granite, marble or similar type countertops.

The sink and faucet are equally important.  You want them to be practical and stylish.  They need to complete the look of the bathroom vanity cabinets.  You want the faucet to match the hardware and other metals used in the bathroom.  Typically it is easiest to first pick the faucet then choose the other metal elements after the fact.

Take Your Time Choosing your Bathroom Vanity Unit

If you take the time to consider the entire look of the cabinets you will be able to design one or more that fit your style.  So go ahead, dream big and enjoy designing your bathroom vanity cabinets.

The size of your bathroom will play a big part in your vanity choice. Smaller bathrooms will best be served by smaller vanities as a larger full unit can dwarf the bathroom.

Just as there are multitudes of vanity styles there are plenty of surface choices. One of the things to look for when buying is something that’s easy to clean. A sealed surface is much easier to clean up than a porous one. Laminate and man-made surfaces are easier to clean than a natural stone such as granite, even if it’s sealed.

Also when looking at surface choices look for one that will hide dirt. A pure ivory white vanity may look great in the store but the upkeep on it is much more intensive than a patterned Formica top.

These are but a few short steps in what to look for when buying a bathroom vanity. The style will be the biggest choice you have to make. Look for what fits your bath, lifestyle, and your taste.

The Importance of Proper Bathroom Lighting

Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 12:26 am  
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Proper lighting is important in any home both for safety and ambiance. Nowhere is it more important though than in the bathroom. The importance of proper bathroom lighting revolves around just a few things.

The primary thing to consider is having enough light in the bathroom. When choosing a light fixture, look for a multi bulb assembly that gives off plenty of light. Having a multi bulb assembly offers two great benefits, more light and if one bulb burns out you still have light!

There are two different types of lighting systems that can be used, direct and indirect.

vaxcel-standford-bathroom-wall-lightIndirect lighting offers diffused overall lighting for the entire bath. Here what you’re shooting for is to bounce the light off the walls and ceiling. Indirect lighting will offer a nice gentle glow to beautify the entire room.

Direct lighting can offer a spotlight accent anywhere needed. Spotlights will add accent areas. This can help with cleaning up any fine hairs that might be hiding behind the sink.

Choosing the right type of light is important as well. While compact fluorescent bulbs are a great way to save energy, unfortunately they don’t give off a natural light. There are a few options here, you could either go with normal incandescent bulbs or you can add an extra light.

Why not add a lighted make up mirror to the bathroom. The natural light is just what’s needed for make up application or getting a close shave. Not only do lighted bathroom mirrors provide much  needed light but they also most offer slight magnification to help find the elusive stray hair or smudged eyeliner.

The importance of proper bathroom lighting is key to beautifying one of the most practical rooms in the home. Whether you choose direct or indirect lighting, incandescent or fluorescent, lighting up the bath is important to ensure safety, sanitation, and overall effect.

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Beautiful Practical Bathroom Lighting




Umbra Aquala Bathtub Caddy Designed by Luciano Lorenzatti

Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 12:22 am  
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umbra-aquala-bathtub-caddyWhen its time for your “ME TIME” why not set yourself up in luxurious bubble bath and take time out with a book and glass of wine. Sounds too difficult! Not anymore.

Imagine soaking in the tub while reading a book, enjoying that glass of wine or even a delicious dessert. It sounds like the sort of treatment you would get at a spa, doesn’t it?

Well you can now have that spa treatment in your own home with the Umbra Aquala Bathtub Caddy. No more soggy pages when you read in the bath.

The Umbra Aquala Bathtub Caddy designed by Luciano Lorenzatti is essentially a bamboo tray with a metal hook edge that spans your bathtub and holds itself up on the sides.

The tray comes with all the features you need to have whatever you want in the tub with you.

There is a fold down book support so that you can  lean that new novel back on the rack while you lean back, soak and enjoy a few pages in luxury.

The tray also has a wine glass holder as well as a circular indented holder which can be used to set the soap so it’s within reach or even to set a sundae bowl that you can enjoy while in the tub.

At 28 x 8 ½ inches it will fit most normal tubs. While it is large enough to spread across the tub when you need it, storage isn’t a problem when its not in use as the handles fold in and it becomes much smaller and compact so it can be easily tucked away.

What We Like

  • This is a fun luxury item at a very affordable price.
  • This is much more attractive than a lot of others we looked at.
  • The book holder  folds away and does its job better than most other models on the market.
  • Made from  Bamboo which is a renewable resource  and it is water and mold resistant.
  • Built in wine glass holder

Other considerations:

  • If you have an oversized bathtub, this will not fit it so just be sure to check the  measurements.
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