When it comes to adding value to your home, put your money where your mouths are. The 2 rooms that add or detract value most from a home are the kitchen and the bathroom. Right now stainless steel appliances are the trend but there is no sense investing in them only to put them next to shabby cabinets in an outdated kitchen. When renovating a kitchen, start with the cabinets first. An older refrigerator or stove will look better surrounded by new cabinets. Continue reading →
Go Green: Tropical, Coconut Mosaic Tiles
Let us introduce a very tropical product tile. It gives your home a feeling of warmth, natural, elegance, stylish and yet very GREEN. Mainly used in the commercial industry it is now making a breakthrough into the residential industry as more and more people want to make their home Eco-friendly with the warm, style of coconut mosaic tiles.
Coconut mosaic tiles give you a more responsible choice in decorating walls, ceilings and floors while at the same time helping a greener environment by making use of otherwise wasted coconut-shell materials. The coconut tiles will make any room in the home or business more sound proof also. The natural coconut material will buffer sound so that the high traffic rooms of a bathroom and kitchen are much quieter. The tiles are affordable also. These tiles are not out of reach for the residential consumer.
Coconut mosaic tiles are made of coconut-shell chips. Our coconut chips are cut from natural coconut shells which are abundant and found in many parts of Indonesia. By using coconut shell as tiles, we also could occupy at least 40 workers for the whole month. Now, coconut mosaic tiles gives the answer for environment issue and fighting for the world’s poverty. We design and create the tiles which are ready to use and very easy to apply.
Five Elements is distributor that we work with here at Plumbtile. If you would like more information you can view the coconut mosaic as well as other natural products they carry here. Call for our Extreme Savings at 866-369-8180 and speak to one of our sales consultants.
How-To Series: March Ado About Toilets Part 2
Part 1 of our post was all about installing your new toilet. This post is all about maintaining the pristine look of your brand new throne.
HOW TO CLEAN THE TOILET
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zkADdWBXk8?rel=0]
- First put on clean gloves. Wipe down the toilet with a damp sponge. Then moisten a sponge with hot water and wipe around the tank, lid, seat, base, and the exterior of the bowl. This removes excess dirt and helps disperse the cleaning product.
- Squirt a liquid (cream) toilet cleaner inside the bowl., starting at the rim and making sure to get the area under the lip of the bowl. Read the manufacturer’s instructions first for specific directions. Many cleaners work best if you allow them to soak on the bowl for a while.
- Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. Brush the entire bowl thoroughly, paying special attention to mineral stains that may accumulate along the water level and at the back of the bowl. The more thoroughly you scrub the bowl, the cleaner it will get.
- Flush the toilet. Flushing rinses the bowl and the brush. Continue to scrub as the water drains from the toilet. Repeat several times to thoroughly rinse the bowl and brush.
- Spray the rest of the toilet with a disinfectant cleaner. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Make sure to get both the top and bottom of the seat, and spray the entire exterior of the toilet. Use a cloth or paper towel to work in, and wipe away, the cleaner.
- Clean the handle thoroughly. Be sure to get the handle with the disinfectant spray. The handle is the primary avenue for the spread of germs, so clean it well.
- Put on clean gloves and rinse off the items that were on or around the toilet. Replace items that were on or around the toilet. Wipe them dry with a paper towel and put them back in their places.
That was easy! Until next Thursday when we give you another toilet how-to!
Toilets, bidets, urinals, handles, levers and more. Plumbtile.com carries the fullest array of toilets, bidets and accessories for both
home and commerical needs.
Our Bath and Home Improvement Showroom features toilet and bidet products from brand name manufacturers, Cifial, Danze, Duravit, Hastings, Herbeau, Kohler, Lacava, Porcher, Sterling, Sunrise and Toto.
With exceptional service, free shipping and guaranteed price matching, Plumbtile.com can make your home improvement or commercial building experience simpler and far less expensive. From the home renovation project to the commercial construction industry, no order is too small or too large.
Please feel free to call our sales
associates at any time or browse through the brands listed below:
1-866-369-8180
Toto Toilets & Bidets
How-To Series: March Ado About Toilets
Since the start of the year we’ve been promoting remodeling every Thursdays, as well as our photo contest on Facebook. By the way, if you haven’t uploaded your bathroom or kitchen remodeling photos yet – go to Plumbtile’s Facebook page and look for the Photo Contest tab. You can also click this link: http://a.pgtb.me/4pnqmH to go straight to the contest! You can read the instructions there on how to win $1000 worth of bath and kitchen products.
The response to the Remodeling series has been positive and more and more readers have been asking about how to do specific remodeling stuff. We have decided to relaunch the Remodel Thursday series and focus on specific areas of remodeling.
This March, Plumbtile will be teaching you…
Today’s “how-to” is a back-to-back post about how to (1) install or replace a toilet bowl and its (2) proper maintenance. At Plumbtile, we have several brands that are easy to install- and with the help of our dependable sales consultants, you will be able to choose one that suits your style, budget and needs.
HOW TO INSTALL OR REPLACE THE TOILET
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_hVZ3rPzm4]
- The toilet flange (or the mounting base) must be prepared first before starting this project. Depending on your bowl’s manufacturer, you need to align bolts (usually two) in the holes on the sides of the flange. Position these bolts directly across from each other. Follow the manufacturer’s instruction manual that come with your toilet bowl. Modern styles have different ways of mounting the flange.
- Then arrange the new toilet into place by placing a wax ring or gasket around the edge of the drain hole. Place the toilet on top of the wax ring, placing the bolts in the holes on the side of the toilet. Slowly press down until the toilet is seated flush with the floor.
- To install the new toilet, slide the washers over the bolts and tighten the nuts until snug. Do not over tighten or you can crack the ceramic. Apply the rubber gasket to the bottom of the tank. Set the bolts in the holes on the tank and set the tank on the back of the toilet bowl. Add washers and nuts to the bolts and tighten. Bolt the new toilet lid to the bowl with the bolts, washers and nuts.
- Connect the water line from the floor to the tank. Turn on the water and make sure there are no leaks.
- You can adjust the new toilet hardware by sawing off the extra length of the bolts protruding from the floor using a small hacksaw. Clip the plastic bolt caps into place. You may want to caulk the base of the bowl to create waterproof seal.Stuck? Read the full instructions here.
Click here for Part 2 – Maintaining your Toilet: Cleaning
Toilets, bidets, urinals, handles, levers and more. Plumbtile.com carries the fullest array of toilets, bidets and accessories for both home and commerical needs.
Our Bath and Home Improvement Showroom features toilet and bidet products from brand name manufacturers, Cifial, Danze, Duravit, Hastings, Herbeau, Kohler, Lacava, Porcher, Sterling, Sunrise and Toto.
With exceptional service, free shipping and guaranteed price matching, Plumbtile.com can make your home improvement or commercial building experience simpler and far less expensive. From the home renovation project to the commercial construction industry, no order is too small or too large.
Please feel free to call our sales
associates at any time or browse through the brands listed below:
1-866-369-8180
Green Mondays: New Eco-friendly Materials
At Plumbtile, we like to research about the newest trends and news about green living and design. It is our advocacy to spread awareness about using sustainable, recyclable, and eco-friendly materials for the home.
ThisOldHouse came up with a list of new interior materials that are on trend and in the market. Here are some of them:
LEATHER TILES
Even luxurious leather gets thrown away; scraps from furniture, shoe, car seat, and other tanneries eventually make their way to landfills.
The naturally sound-absorbent tiles install like cork or vinyl (preglued tiles are available). For care and upkeep of floor tiles, use a damp mop to clean them; wax them three times a year, or use a topical sealer once every five to 10 years. Wall tiles do not need wax or additional maintenance.
BIO-GLASS
This luminescent material is 100% post-consumer recycled glass that’s heated and compressed to create solid-surfacing slabs. It contains no binders, colorants, fillers, or other admixtures, and has no off-gassing.
Sample shows slight markings from the bottom of a recycled beverage bottle. To enhance the upgrade, lighter colors can be underlit to make agglomeration markings stand out in dramatic fashion.
To find out more about going green and the use of renewable sources and materials, go to http://www.plumbtile.com/go-green.html or call 1-866-369-8180.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association's Trend Study
Looking to find out what’s hot and what’s not in the world of kitchen and bathroom design? If you are still in the planning stages of your remodel, you might want to check the latest National Kitchen & Bath Association’s trend study: 300 member designers were polled for the latest trends and news about bath and kitchen designs and remodels and below are the results.
Curious to see what’s HOT this season?
GRAY COLOR SCHEMES – that’s right, shades of gray are growing in appeal for both the kitchen and bathroom, and been growing in popularity since 2010.
“Among the overall trends identified for this year, gray color schemes in both kitchens and baths have witnessed a dramatic escalation since 2010, particularly over the past year, according to a written statement about the study. “Used currently in 55 percent of kitchens and 56 percent of bathrooms, shades of gray are growing in appeal, creating chic, sophisticated spaces that many consumers desire.”
The appetite for sleek shades of gray in kitchens and baths might be linked to the colors popularity in fashion over the last few years. NKBA stopped short of linking the color’s popularity to the steamy best-seller “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James.
Despite gray’s recent appeal, white and off-white are still most popular, used in 73 percent of kitchens and 71 percent bathrooms. The neutrals of beige and bone come next in popularity, followed by grays and browns, according to NKBA.
View full article.
QUARTZ – second most popular counter-surface material used in kitchens and baths last year, and is closely gaining popularity to granite on the top spot.
WHITE CABINETS – this is a popular trend for kitchens, it has been a top choice since last year.
GLASS BACKSPLASH – this trend has grown in popularity in the last 3 years, it’s no surprise.
TOUCH-ACTIVATED FAUCETS – at Plumbtile you will find many of these trendy faucets, we love them!
For the complete trends for the bath and kitchen, you can view the full list here. Call 1-866-369-8180 and ask your friendly Plumbtile consultant about the latest trends, they’re always ready to help!
Green Mondays: Congrats to SURFACE for their Tremendous Recycling Efforts
It’s Green Monday once again! We especially love this day, and we always look forward to a week of awareness regarding our environment and news about the efforts of our industry partners and what they do to help. Last January 29-31, S2 partnered with Mountain Re-Source Center and Tile Partners for Humanity on a recycling initiative focused on post-show product donations. It was a tremendous success and we congratulate all the organizers and exhibitors for a job well done!
With 82 participating exhibitors, Hanley Wood Exhibitions is very satisfied with the growth of this initiative and could not have had such vast success without the help of Freeman, United Services, and Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Mountain Re-Source Center solicited all S2exhibitors prior to and during the show. The participating exhibitors were very generous, offering thousands of square feet of material which filled seven 53-foot semi-trailers to capacity, more than doubling the donations from last year’s inaugural initiative. The loads were delivered to River Valley Community Outreach Center in Gridley, California, Central West Virginia Outreach Center in Gassaway, West Virginia and Las Vegas Habitat for Humanity in Las Vegas, Nevada to serve multiple families and community improvement efforts presently underway.
S2 exhibitors graciously participated in this significant and impactful program. Companies of all sizes actively participated with some of the major donations coming from:
Beaulieu (9,000 square feet of carpet and padding)
Mannington Mills (9,000 square feet of flooring)
Home Legend (5,400 square feet of flooring)
Nature Flooring (3,500 square feet of flooring)
U.S. Floors (2,500 square feet of flooring)
Max Windsor (2,500 square feet of flooring)
IVC US, Inc. (2,500 square feet of flooring)
Johnson Hardwood (2,250 square feet of flooring)
Full article and photos courtesy of Floor Trends Mag</span?
We hope this starts a trend for exhibitors everywhere around the world. Congratulations to SURFACES!
Green Mondays: The Natural Comforts of Cork and Leather Tiles
If you’re looking for warm, cushioning tile, think cork. Soft like suede, it has wonderful insulating qualities and resiliency of easy-to-clean surface of wood or tile; plus luxurious appeal from its earthy colors and rich visual texture. Made from tree bark, it’s also a natural and renewable resource, so it’s environmentally friendly.
The material is waterproof (think of the cork in a bottle), and the natural waxy substance inherent in cork, called suberin, makes it mold and mildew resistant, too. If someone in your family suffers from allergies, a cork floor could provide a soft and warm alternative to allergen-collecting carpet. Being waterproof it can also go in rooms such as bathrooms and saunas. Cork is even naturally flame-resistant also. And it’s acoustically insulating properties — shhh, it’s quiet — will take the clatter out of noisy traffic. To view a picture of cork tile for walls in a kitchen by Five Elements go here.
Five Elements also carries Leather Flooring that is truly beautiful. Leather flooring is durable, looks incredible in most interior settings, and is very supple. Interior leather flooring is extremely comfortable on your feet and also provides heat insulation benefits. Leather in general has a very elegant look, a wonderful aroma, and is naturally lustrous.
At Plumbtile Architectural Bath & Tile Specialists we carry a large selection of green tile products for walls and floors from several different companies. Whatever your design needs are; we can help you. Call us at 1-866-369-8180 to speak with a Sales Consultant and ask about our Free Shipping.
Updating the Most Used Kitchen Item – The Kitchen Sink
It is Remodel Thursday and we have a great tip for you. Today, we are all about the kitchen sink. Are you ready?
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The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but the sink handles most of the daily chores. That’s because it’s the only working area used to both prepare meals and clean up after them. Although quality sinks can last 15 years or more, they do wear out. Their finishes start to dull or chip, and annoying leaks appear mysteriously around the rim and drain.
When replacing the kitchen sink one could get overwhelmed with so many options — single bowls to multiple bowls of different sizes, shapes and depths — you need to consider the size of the room and how you’ll use the sink. Large multi-basin models, which are popular right now, will overpower a small kitchen.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association, an industry trade group, suggests a standard 22X24-in. single-bowl model for kitchens less than 150 sq. ft. For larger kitchens, you can consider the added convenience of double and triple bowls that allow you to stack the dishes in one bowl while you rinse off vegetables in the other.
Many designers specify one main sink and a smaller bar sink for large kitchens. The added smaller bar sink, like the Cordial Cast Iron Sink by Kohler, works out well when there are 2 cooks in the household. It also works well if there are children in the home.
Whatever size and bowl configuration you choose, you’ll also need to select the type of mounting you want. This is both an esthetic and a practical decision as described above.
You’ll also need to specify the number of holes in the sink deck. This number will range from one to five, depending on the faucet and the number of accessories you will have like spray hoses and soap dispensers you add.
Call us at 1-866-369-8180 and we will have one of our specialists speak with you. We are now accepting PayPal. For any orders that are over $99.00 you can choose to “Bill Me Later” and get 6 months interest free. We look forward to assisting you with any of your kitchen needs here at Plumbtile.
Let's Go Organic…in the Kitchen
It’s Green Monday once again!
We will never get tired of spreading awareness about our environment as well as providing our readers with the latest trends in green design.
Do you know what 2013 will bring to the world of kitchen design? Organic. That’s right, warm, earthy gourmet spaces. Mixing wood, slate, stone, and other rustic materials with industrial pieces.
Terry Mulligan of Yahoo gives us the latest trend in kitchen design:
Earthy Colors
Greens, blues, grays, browns, yellows, reds — these colors will be making a grand appearance in kitchens across the country. Whether on painted, weathered cabinets or handmade, upcycled tile, earthen colors will warm up our cooking spaces like never before. All shades are fair game, unless they glow neon. Stick to what you find in nature, and you’ll be right in style.
Organic Wood Cabinets
Instead of traditionally styled, stained, and glazed cabinets with fancy millwork, look for a more understated display of rustic wood on cabinet surfaces. Spalted maple or natural birch drawer fronts will be mixed with clean, industrial-styled cabinet doors and brushed stainless steel. And this year, austere shaker cabinets will be reinvented in many ways. It will be a welcome, yet unusual departure from the kitchens of the last 10 years.
Wood, Stone, or Tile Counters
Granite may not be the material of choice for countertops anymore. Wood and stone like slate should dominate — then add tile tops and backsplashes with a handmade look and feel. It’s all about color and textures that make you feel at home and comfortable this year.
Materials in Their Natural Form
Anywhere you can use materials in their natural form, it’s time to do so. Exposed beams on walls and ceilings will add a rural touch in some kitchens. Wood counters will sport natural, unfinished edges in their shift to a more organic style.
Rustic Floors
Rustic floors will be the rage. Reclaimed wood or polished concrete with amazing stain work will pull the other organic elements of the room together. Slate floors will also be in demand over highly polished marble or tile. Yet even in their natural form, these floors will still be a work of art. Artisans will be lending their expertise to make them part of a unique and extraordinary kitchen design statement.
At Plumbtile, the leader in all things bathroom and kitchen design related products, we have a wide array of green products from counters, faucets, and even tiles that are that are made from renewable resources that have none to minimal impact on our environment.