Regardless of whether you are contemplating a midrange or upscale bathroom remodel, perform these 5 bathroom improvements to increase the general worth of your home:
Install new countertops: As in the kitchen, your bathroom countertops set the tone for the rest of the room. When choosing materials, you have to consider style and function. Also, carefully think about maintenance.
Granite countertops are as popular in today's bathrooms as they are in kitchens, but highly polished granite can scratch. Limestone, slate, and marble appear gorgeous, but they are also extremely porous and should be sealed every six months- not a good choice for high traffic/kid-friendly bathrooms. A solid surface material like Corian might be better in these types of bathrooms simply because nicks and scratches could be sanded out and the sink can be integrated seamlessly. Nevertheless, staining is occasionally a issue.
Replace the sink and faucet: This can be done as inexpensively or as pricey as you would like. Manufacturers produce numerous styles, colors, and finishes to select from. Match the style of your new faucet to new bathroom accessories, such as towel bars and drawer pulls.
Install a brand new shower and/or tub: The centerpiece of any full bath is the shower or tub-or combination of the two. It is here that personal preference dictates how you'd like to get clean-either by long, luxurious soaks, quick pulsating showers, or something in between the two. It is also here where you can opt to streamline your budget and get the nofrills white enamel bathtub for USD 200 or splurge for something like the 41-inch-by-75-inch Kohler sok, an overflowing air bath with chromatherapy.
For somewhere in the neighborhod of USD 7000, you can float chindeep in a warm cocoon of water that continuously spills more than the tub's rim into a water channel and is reheated and recirculated while special air jets create tiny soothing bubbles.
The tub also functions 4 underwater LED light ports that move gradually through a progression of eight colors. If you find a color you like, a touch of a button will hold that color indefinitely.
Although the sok might be a little too high-tech or expensive for many homeowners' needs, air baths are definitely gaining in popularity over whirlpools, according to remodeling contractors. For one thing, air jets produce a lot of tiny bubbles while water jets blast just a few parts of your physique.You can also use bubble bath or aromatherapy salts in an air bath and not worry about clogging the jets or causing a buildup of bacteria. Air baths also have a tendency to be quieter than many whirlpools.
Despite the rising popularity of air baths, however, statistics show that the majority of homeowners (69 percent) really prefer to shower rather than take a bath. Bob Clements, owner of Bath and Kitchen Creations in Fairfax, Virginia, isn't surprised."We reside in a really fast-paced society," he says. "If you have a whirlpool, you need to wait for the water to warm up, you get in, and then you need to soak for 20 minutes.Who has that kind of time?"
This preference for showering has led towards the recent jump in demand for shower columns and steam showers. A shower column incorporates a fixed shower head along with a handheld shower wand and directionally adjustable body jets along the column's length for full-body coverage. A steam shower looks like a regular water shower, except it functions as a ministeam room.Nevertheless, the glass enclosure should extend to the ceiling and the shower door has to be sealed. Correct installation and ventilation is crucial, nevertheless, so the steam does not escape the shower and condense on the bathroom walls, causing rot or mold.
Showering is so much in vogue right now that numerous empty nesters with master suites are really getting rid of their bathtubs and replacing them with two-seater showers, according to builder Steve Hendy. An additional advantage of a larger shower having a bench is that older homeowners find them simpler and safer to get into and out of. This is a trend that's certain to accelerate simply because every 7 seconds a new Baby Boomer turns 50, according towards the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. This phenomenon isn't slated to slow down till 2010.
Install new flooring: The paramount consideration in bathroom flooring is the safety of the product and its performance in a potentially wet environment. For these factors, steer clear of wood, which stains in contact with water, and highly polished stone, which is very slippery when wet. Ceramic tile is well-liked in bathrooms, particularly the 18-inch and 20-inch tiles set on a diagonal to make the room seem bigger.When selecting ceramic tile, think about glazed porcelain tiles that are baked at a greater temperature, which makes them denser. The color also goes all the way through the tile, rather than just covering the surface, so nicks aren't as visible.
Update the lighting: Today's more glamorous bathrooms demand more complex lighting solutions. Job lighting must be bright enough to do its job, but function well with indirect accent lighting designed to soften the room's ambiance by providing a warm glow.
Lighting fixtures and finishes should complement (rather than compete with) plumbing accessories, tile, paint, and wallpaper. New technology has added options as well. Fiber optics, with its remote light source, can produce twinkling star effects when inset into bathroom ceilings.
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