Green Monday: Designing an Eco-Friendly Bathroom

Green Mondays by Plumbtile

What does “eco-friendly” mean to you?  Does it mean that you conserve water?  Does it mean that you bring nature into your bathroom by using natural products?  Here at Plumbtile we are able to design a bathroom for your home where you can enjoy the natural look of stone and tile while conserving water and electricity through luxury fixtures.

Ceramic Tile Trends - Coconut Skin ChocolateBring nature into your bathroom with natural tile products.  We work with 70 manufacturers that carry tile in cork, coconut, recycled leather, IPE Hardwood, Italian Marble, Israeli Limestone, Jerusalem Stone and other hi-quality natural stones.

You can easily conserve water by installing a Luxury Low Flow Showerhead.  Moen has a beautiful selection that is also economical on our website. Choosing a showerhead with a pause feature can save you gallons of water.

Mico - Provincial Thermostatic Tub & Shower /Shower HeadConserving electricity is possible through a Provincial Thermostatic Tub & Shower Head made by Mico.  Thermostatic shower valves regulate the temperature of the water within one half of a degree of the desired temperature.  You can also install a Tankless Water Heater and save reheating 30 – 40gallons of water all day.

We have many more ideas for designing your Eco-Friendly Bathroom at our Go Green – Energy and Water Saving page. Right now we are offering Free Shipping!  To speak with a Sales Consultant please call 1-866-369-8180.

Porcelanosa’s 1st Architecture and Interior Design Awards 2013

Porcelanosa, one of our main tile vendors, is known for holding their Architecture & Interior Design Awards every year; which now has a new award program to it. This program is held in the United States and it is a design contest for design and architecture professionals. This contest will be judged by notable professionals in the industry. Finalists, who are picked by the judges, will then fly to Spain where the rest of the awards competition will be held; approximately 15 teams will be chosen to go. In Spain, the finalists will get to finish competing with the other projects that were picked from all over the world. Get ready to be excited! The finalists will get to go visit and tour the Porcelanosa factory themselves as well as tour places in Spain at no expense to them!

In Spain, at the Architecture & Interior Design Awards, there will be two types of awards given out and a contestant can have up to three projects in any of the two categories they choose or both. The first category is Forward-Looking Projects. This section is for contestants to create and design an area that follows set guidelines. These guidelines include using Porcelanosa products, building the inside of a restaurant, and including certain features in the restaurant. Contestants in this group can use their imagination and design whatever they want as long as they follow the basic guidelines. The second type of award is the Completed Projects award. Unlike the Forward-Looking Projects, the Completed Projects can be any type of design as long as the project was completed between January 2011 and February 2013 and used Porcelanosa products.

All projects will be judged using specific criteria that includes but is not limited to functionality, product use and creativity. The prize includes getting recognized nationally and internationally through different publications. This is a great way for designers to show off their talent and definitely get recognized for it. For more information about this wonderful new award program, click here.

Porcelanosa Ceramic Mosaic Tile Porcelanosa Wall Tile Porcelanosa Floor Tile

Porcelanosa is known for their quality and beautiful products. The company has many years of experience and is a top notch kitchen, tile, and bath manufacturer. Distributors of Porcelanosa, such as Plumbtile, make it easy for you to decorate your home and make it look good using top products on the market today. Plumbtile offers many choices of wall and floor tiles by Porcelanosa to help you design your new space.

Visit the vast selection of Porcelanosa products at Plumbtile, go to www.plumbtile.com/plumbing-tile/Porcelanosa.html.

Green Mondays: Afford More Luxury with a Low-Flow Luxury Showerhead

Green Mondays by Plumbtile

Having a Low-Flow Luxury Showerhead in your bathroom from Plumbtile will save you gallons of water which means it will also save you a lot of money.  Many of us don’t think about the money we spend when we are standing in the shower trying to get ready for our day.  You would be surprised to know that for every 5 minutes you stand there you are using the same amount of energy as a 60 Watt light bulb uses in in 14 hours.  Shocking huh?

The EPA has developed a “Water Sense” program which will is currently working on efficiency standard for the Low-Flow Showerhead.  The EPA states that it takes seven and a half years for the average American residence to use the same amount of water that flows over the Niagara Falls in one second (750,000 gallons).  That is approximately 100,000 gallons a year.  Each time you take a shower you use 10-25 gallons.  A Low-Flow Showerhead only uses 2.5 to 1.5 Gallons per Minute as compared to the 7 Gallons Per Minute of a standard old showerhead.  You can easily see how a simple step as changing your showerhead can really change your water bill.  With that kind of savings you can afford a bit of luxury.

Newport Brass - Showerhead 12 Inch Dia.Making this transition is simple.  At Plumbtile we have shower fixtures from over thirty name brand bath and shower manufacturers.  Low-flow showerheads are simple to install.  Our luxury styles even include flow-adjusting dials and a pause button, which allows you to pause to lather up, and then return to the same temperature and pressure.  That small pause is an energy saving device that makes the new shower head even more beneficial.

Moen - One-Function 7 Inch Diameter ShowerheadYou don’t have to sacrifice on looks either.  Moen has a simple One Function 7 inch Dimension Showerhead that would fit in any bathroom design.  If you are looking for the pause button feature then the 2 function 9 inch Diameter Showerhead is a beautiful option.  It is also available in 5 color choices: Brushed Bronze, Brushed Chrome, Brushed Nickel, Chrome and Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Looking for the rainfall feeling in your shower then you may like Newport Brass 12 inch showerhead.  Finally, if you are looking for a Lifetime Warranty on finish and function then Jado Luxury Showerheads is a brand that offers affordability with the Lifetime Warranty.

Here at Plumbtile we want to help you live a greener life.  Whichever showerhead you choose, you will be making a positive green decision that will benefit your household and the world.  Whatever the cost is to replace your showerheads, it will pay for itself in as little as a month.  Please call us with any questions you may have and make sure to sign up for the newsletter so that you can receive rebates, exclusive discounts, sales and previews of new products.

Go Green While Getting Clean

Green Mondays by PlumbtilePlumbtile is doing back-to-back posts today as we declare that all the Mondays of 2013 be Green! That’s right! We want to do our part in helping save our planet. Our goal is to help spread consciousness and awareness about our responsibility to our environment.

Going green in your home décor can help reduce the negative impact on our planet. Starting with a small space such as the bathroom can open up a new world of design possibilities to update your home and help better the earth both at the same time.

Waste Not, Want Not

Toilets are usually the biggest water wasters in a home, consuming about 27% of the home’s total water. Installing a dual flush toilet that uses two flush buttons, one for light work and one for heavy work, can help conserve up to 17,000 gallons of water per year. The dollar savings you may experience from changing to this type of toilet design could average around $50 or more.

Kohler - Purist(R) single function Katalyst showerheadShowers also use an abundance of water, averaging around 15% to 20% of the total water usage in a home. Most shower heads have a flow rate of 1 to 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Low flow shower heads have a flow rate of 1.6 to 2 gallons per minute and can save a substantial amount of water. Some may worry that lower flow means less power and ability to clean adequately. Rest assured as there are many powerful low flow shower head options available that can give you the best of both worlds.

Quite a lot of energy is used to heat the water used in a home. A way to reduce the amount of energy used would be to sufficiently insulate accessible water pipes in your bathroom. Also, many water heaters are set to heat water to 140 degrees. By turning down the setting to 120 degrees you will help cut down on your total energy usage.

Let There Be (Green) Light

Kohler - Purist(R) single sconceLighting choices can become overwhelming when converting your bathroom to the green way. The latest bathroom remodel lighting trend consists of using LED fixtures. LED lighting options last 15 to 20 years and consume only 2 to 15 watts, which is extremely economical.

Air Circulation

It is important to circulate the air in your bathroom so that moisture, odors and mold spores do not become an issue. Exhaust ventilator fans can reduce these potential problems. Some fan systems include heated air. When this is the case, using a heat exchange ventilator will help conserve energy. These particular systems work by heating the incoming air with the outgoing air.

Jazz Things Up with Glass

You don’t have to lose your eclectic style when going green. Consider choosing recycled glass tiles to make your new eco-friendly bathroom as unique as you are. Not only do they offer beauty and color, glass tiles are particularly easy to maintain and are very durable. Friendly Plumbtile representatives can assist you by suggesting other eco-friendly ways to remodel your home and reduce the footprint left on our environment.

Innovative Kitchen Products

It is necessary for manufacturers to keep on their toes when it comes to new faucet design, as it is becoming more popular for technology to enter into the mix. KWC’s answer to the new high-tech trend is the ONO touch light pro, which offers the ability to control volume and temperature settings remotely. This wireless electronic faucet operation has a conveniently portable touch-operated control. The control can be placed virtually anywhere, as long as it is within 26 feet of the operating faucet. A magnet securely fastens the control in place and can be easily removed for relocation. There are three preset temperature settings that are programmable by the user. Each setting offers a 100 percent flow rate and the device even has a color coded light ring that corresponds with the temperature that has been selected.

You can also find other similar products made by Grohe on the Plumbtile website. If you are unable to find a specific product, please contact Plumbtile’s customer service department and they will be happy to assist you.

Your Bath Away From Home

Hotel bathrooms can easily impress or disappoint. Their details range from the basic toilet-sink-shower combination to spa-like amenities you might view at a tropical resort. Today’s society tends to live by the ‘bigger equals better’ motto and that applies to hotel bathrooms, as well.

masterbathThere are endless ways hotel bathroom design has transformed over time. Before thought of convenient ‘in and out’ spaces have become more personal. Many designers have decided to make the bathroom part of the bedroom by avoiding the separation between the two. Glass bathroom walls and shower enclosures create a sleek and open airy feel.

Why not experience the feel of ultimate luxury while staying away from home? Many hotel rooms have moved in this upscale direction for that particular reason. Most homes do not have open bathrooms, so having that different setup when staying at a hotel makes your visit that much more out of the ordinary.

Bathroom Size Compared to Bedroom Size

Think of hotels you stayed at 10 years ago versus one you stayed at within the past year. Do you notice a difference? In past years bathrooms were designed to only take up about 15% of the hotel room. Today hotel bathrooms occupy at least 20% or more of the total guest room size.

The News on Fixtures

You will find more updated guest rooms that are not shy about highlighting the once private bathroom facilities. Sinks are now often plainly viewable for convenience and could even be part of the decorative scheme of the entire room. Showers with glass walls are becoming more popular and you may even notice the lack of a regular bath tub. It is still somewhat popular to conceal the toilet in many hotel room designs. Doing so creates a more private feel for a guest that might be staying in one room with another person.

A New Luxury

New automatic flushing toilets are all the rage in Japan. It is not often on the wish list in our society, however it is possible this could become a necessity in the near future.

Check out this video from a YouTube user:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThwfQeeZsGg]

Helping the Environment One Flush at a Time

Go Green! Some hotels are concerned about reducing water usage and they try to do so by incorporating low-flow fixtures, such as shower heads. But something screams luxury to a guest when they are being blasted with a high volume of water in the shower. Therefore such environment friendly fixtures might not always be favored.

For information on making your own bathroom more like one in a luxurious hotel suite, visit Plumbtile. And make sure to also visit http://a.pgtb.me/4pnqmH to enter our Facebook contest!

Tip Mondays: Fit Big Ideas in Tiny Spaces

It’s important to utilize every inch of bathroom space, especially if you find yourself stuck with a room that feels no larger than a shoebox. When doing a remodel in a compact bathroom, highlight each detail to entice and distract the eye from the size factor. Downsizing fixtures can help make a tiny bathroom appear more spacious and glass tiles will reflect light which can brighten an otherwise dark and stuffy area.

Bad Lighting = Uncomfortable Atmosphere. Brighten Things Up!

This bathroom is poor-lit with fluorescent lighting which doesn’t help balance the “downer” dark tile shade. Instead, consider going with brighter, more appealing glass tiles in a border or band pattern around the room to attract the eye and make the room appear larger. Installing tile can be tricky, however. For tips on installing glass tile, consult a local professional tile installer or visit with the Plumbtile experts for more helpful information on this task.

Save Some Space

Choose space saving tactics such as towel hooks installed on the back of the door instead of taking up more wall space that could be utilized in other ways. Install easily removable caddies in shower areas so that you have your products available when needed, but can easily store them away once finished. Caddies in stainless steel often will match other fixtures currently being used and easily wipe clean without much fuss. Also consider floating shelf cubbies where you can store towels and other items, while keeping floor space clear.

Just remember…

When you get down to the nitty-gritty of space constricted bathroom remodels, you will always win if you rule on the side of simplistic and chic. Don’t overdo it and you are sure to achieve a unique and convenient bathroom you will be proud to spend time in.

Remodeling your bathroom? Win the $1000* prize this holiday season! Visit our Facebook fan page.

*Win $1000 worth of bathroom and kitchen products from Plumbtile.com!

Tip Mondays: Key Rules to Live By When Remodeling Your Bathroom

Personal Getaway Destination

Bath SuitesA bathroom is your own personal private sanctuary. Even the tiniest decor details will paint a picture representing your own unique style and personality. No matter the bathroom size or your budget size, there are many options available so that you can put your own design spin on things. Here are a few tips to make the remodel process less head spinning.

Keep It Simple

You want your ideal bathroom to be a welcoming and relaxing place to unwind. Keep things simple and airy so that the atmosphere is always a soothing one.

Color combinations that include a pop of immense color alongside other neutral colors will add a classic dramatic twist without being overwhelmingly bold.

Keep in mind if the space you have to utilize is on the small side it may help to repeat your main design throughout. Continuing a floor to wall tile scheme can make the space appear much larger than it actually is.

Utilize the Current Space and Make the Most of It

Often times bathroom spaces feel cramped which inhibits the main objective of relaxation. It is always an option to start from scratch by tearing down the current cosmetic layers so that you are only left with the bare bones of the room. You can remove fixtures and cabinetry to make the layout more efficient. Plumbing is more difficult to modify and would likely require the aid of a licensed plumber if such changes were being considered, which can also up your budget.

Stay Within Your Comfort Zone

You don’t want your remodeled bathroom’s style to be so different from the rest of your house that it sticks out like a bathing suit in the middle of winter. Incorporate some of the same textures and color palettes that are in other areas of the house. You want your entire house to flow naturally from one room to the other.

Furniture In A Bathroom? Why not?

Bath FurnitureSure, you use this room most of the time for getting clean, but that doesn’t mean the room can only include a toilet, shower and tub. When it comes to decorating a bathroom, there are no strict rules.

Use this space to display subtle touches of depth when choosing other nontraditional furnishings. Incorporate staggered shelving to store towels and toiletries. Dressers, chests and armoires can also be great additions for storage or be converted into unique vanities. Decorative pictures, frames and mirrors put the finishing touches on a bathroom’s first impression.

Make It Last A While

Focus on choosing materials that are going to outlast the latest décor fad. You want your bathroom remodel to be timeless and classic so that you don’t find yourself needing to go through this change process every few years.

So many elements have proven long time favorites in the interior design timeline, such as claw-footed tubs, pedestal sinks and subway tiles. These will continue to withstand the test of time no matter what age you or the room grows to be.

‘His’ and ‘Hers’

If you have ever shared a bathroom with someone, you most likely have envisioned your dream bathroom designed for two. Make sure the materials throughout are the same or similar, even if they are slightly different in subtle ways. For example, a ‘Hers’ sink height may need to be lowered, as well as a separate vanity and seating area included.

Add A Little Luxury

The powder room is the place for pampering and you deserve a little self-indulgence. Additions such as large whirlpool soaking tubs, multiple massaging showerheads, and heated flooring can pack a punch to make you feel like you have a spa inside your home.

25% Discount on Phone Orders! Plumbtile is your source for luxury yet affordable and lasting products. Take the opportunity to call today and get a 25% discount!

Monday Design Tip: Steal Their Design!

As Picasso might have once said – ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal

Photo courtesy of:
Wendell T. Webber
www.thisoldhouse.com

Definitely you too can “steal” ideas, and you can steal them from everywhere. Originality is subjective and the abundance of inspiration, whether print or media, is there for you to enjoy and make us of. The end result may not be an actual copy unless you have the resources to copy an actual bathroom design straight out of a magazine pallete perfect and inch by inch, there will be slight variations whether you will like it or not. A simple change in the lighting, such as how sunlight enters the room through the window, will not make your design an exact copy of your inspiration. It is stealing, from designs that were meant to be stolen.

The staff came across an article from This Old House about  a couple who was inspired by their 1820s cottage. As DIY enthusiasts they pulled off a fantastic remodel worthy of stealing. Read below and steal their awesome bathroom design. This is not just a design tip, it’s a must that you steal their ideas.

*Speaking of bathroom remodels, we are running a Facebook contest for all of you – click here. Tell all your friends and family about it. The rules are simple, if you remodeled your bathroom or kitchen recently take some photos and submit them on our contest page. The remodel photo with the most Likes… WINS! And the winner wil receive $1000 worth of bath and kitchen products from PlumbTile.com.
 
Continue reading →

Congratulations Blanco!

Blanco has been synonymous to high-quality bathroom and kitchen fixtures and accessories since 1925. The company is known for exquisite caliber sinks, faucets and accessories for residential and commercial uses. Boasting of over a hundred undermount and drop-in stainless steel kitchen, prep and bar sink models, as well as granite sinks, Blanco is one of the top manufacturers that have always been trusted by PlumbTile.

We take pride in saying that we provide the most comprehensive collection of Blanco products on the web. Not only is PlumbTile honored to distribute products from a quality manufacturer such as Blanco, we also want to let our readers know that they were recently given the Red Dot design award for 5 of their latest sinks and faucets. The products, judged on innovation, functionality, ergonomics, and ecological compatibility, that emerged winners are the Blancomodex, Blancoandano, Blancoyovis-S, Blancovondo and Blancoculina-S.

Red Dot is a very prestigious award for excellent design. Out of 4,515 submissions, Blanco, along with other winning designs, was chosen by an international jury of 30 independent specialists..

Congratulations Blanco!

If you want to find out more about Blanco or check if any of their Red Dot awarded designs are available, just click here and the staff will help you locate them.